Hi everyone! Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. 

On  October 26th this year I will be running the 23rd Venice Marathon. The aim is to raise as much money as possible for the children of Santa María de Jesús in Guatemala. 

Santa María de Jesús is an indigenous Mayan community in the foothills of Volcan Agua in Guatemala's central highlands. Access to education is a major problem for the local people - what little extra money families have goes towards primary education for the boys, with the girls sadly neglected. Illiteracy rates are high and the standard of education for those that do go to school is poor, many only attend for a couple of years before being unable to continue due to economic constraints and being sent to work in the fields.

Global Vision International (GVI), with the full support of local indigenous leaders, aims to tackle these issues through the provision of education. In 2004, GVI set up a school in Santa María de Jesús to help children who otherwise would not have the opportunity to obtain a formal education or who need educational reinforcement. The school now provides education to almost 200 children between the ages of 5 and 13. In addition, GVI provides scholarships for all the children to attend National School, at primary, secondary and college levels.

Some of you may already know that in 2007 I spent 4 months working as a volunteer teacher at the GVI school project in Santa María de Jesús. The experience was one that I will never forget - the local community is so welcoming, the people have very little but their spirit, warmth and kindness overwhelmed me. The kids are incredible, they have a huge desire to learn and you can see the progress they are making before your eyes. The energy they possess is astonishing, especially when you realise that many arrive at school after spending hours working in the fields. They are funny, bright, loving and interested in everything and they deserve the opportunity to realise their full potential. So, its for these reasons that I have decided to try and raise as much cash as possible to help the dedicated GVI team to continue the invaluable work they are doing with the children of Santa María de Jesús. Your donations will go towards the annual scholarship programme, daily food and fruit for the children and the Plan Ancianos, a scheme to feed and help the older generation in the community.

Please help by donating whatever you can. It's my first marathon (in fact the first time I have done any running outside the gym) so I'm just hoping to get round without assistance from the emergency services! Wish me luck! If you would like any more information please email me: emmapastilles@hotmail.com

Thank you for your kind support!

Emma

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Global Vision International Charitable Trust will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at NO cost to you.