Hi,

Thanks for visiting my justgiving fundraising page. I am running the Great North run in october of this year which is a half marathon. I am running because I wanted to set myself a target to achieve and thought a half marathon would be a good place to start. In running the GNR I am also trying to raise at least £350 for the Charity COCO, which stands for Comrades of Children Overseas. Their aim is to help vulnerable children overseas in a variety of ways.

The money I raise will go towards their Ithemba Lethu project in South
Africa which is a Durban-based organisation, focuses on supporting the most vulnerable groups of children affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. COCO has been involved with iThemba Lethu since their establishment in 2001. Specifically the aim of this project is to invest in children who are at risk of having their futures negatively impacted by HIV/AIDS and to assist in the process of integrating orphaned and abandoned children into suitable family environments. The pandemic of AIDS/HIV not simply takes the lives of those it afflicts but also orphans millions of children and it is these children that need help.

COCO fund iThemba Lethu to run a family intervention programme to care for and re-home, where possible, the growing number of orphans in the area. They run a care home, assist in finding prospective foster families and oversee the “breast-milk bank” which provides safe breast milk for the transitional home as well as local orphanages. The HIV Prevention Programme tackles the underlying causes of risk-taking behaviour as well as providing basic health education. This programme aims to empower youths through providing them with life skills, establishing youth clubs, providing counselling and mentoring these adolescents in their most important developmental stages. They have seen positive results in redefining “socially acceptable” behaviour and giving children a new sense of hope and ambition towards the future

For more information please visit www.coco.wesayhowhigh.com

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: COCO gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

Thanks for your time and hopefully your money!

Hannah xxxx