In May 2009 Ian visited Zambia with African Revival. He was profoundly affected by the level of poverty and deprivation which he encounterd, but witnessed first hand the hope and opportunity presented to the local communities through the work of African Revival.

The charity provides assistance to poor communities in East & Southern Africa through appropriate, effective and sustainable education and income generating projects. Its objectives are - 

* Support universal basic education for children by providing fundamentals such as classrooms, books, desks, water, sanitation and teacher support. 

* Establish financial and educational linkages between schools in the UK and Africa. 

* Sponsor appropriate vocational, health and agricultural training.  

* Pilot and develop income generating projects, for example bee-keeping and vegetable farming, designed with specific reference to the local need and context!

By the time Ian had returned home he was committed to raising further money for the charity and enlisted the help of Matt and Will, the upshot of which is that we all now find ourselves looking down the barrel of the Dublin Marathon on 26th October!

As you know none of us leads the most health conscious of lives and we have had to put ourselves through the mill to get ready for this challenge!

We all also appreciate that in the current economic climate charities are suffering like all other organisations and need our help more than ever before. It is important to stress that we have paid for all expenses involved personally and consequently every penny raised will go to African Revival. Here are some examples of how the money raised can go to help -

£5,000 – is enough to build a new classroom block in Zambia

£1,000 – can start a new bee-keeping project to help a community in Uganda

£500 – Can start a small business for someone living in rural Zambia

£250 – can provide a large family with a clean and reliable drinking water supply

£62 – can buy a bed in a dormitory in Koch Goma, Northern Uganda

£22 – will build a desk and chair for a student at one of our linked schools in Kalomo

£12 – could feed a child in one of our schools for a year

£3 – could buy a text book

Please help us raise money for this fantastic charity!

Thanks for your support

Ian, Matt and Will