Hello,

You will see from the above photograph that training for the Cardiff Half Marathon has been taking its toll on my footwear ...

So much so, that I have decided to invest in some new grey tape to stick around the front of my left trainer before the Big Day!

Why the extra expense, you might ask?

Well, such a decision was not made lightly. The reason?  In short, completing the above event safely, and with your financial support, would help the worthy cause that is the ISIS foundation.

(Any contribution, no matter how small, is gratefully appreciated!)

 

WHAT IS THE ISIS FOUNDATION?

The ISIS Foundation is an international development organisation, working with communities and local partners to promote the wellbeing of children and families in and .

The ISIS Foundation is part of the ISIS Group, established in early 1997 and is supported by the ISIS Businesses representing an innovative partnership between the profit and non-profit worlds. The ISIS Businesses are a set of financial services businesses located in and . The ISIS Businesses have funded over US$ 3.6 million to date to the Foundation. An additional US$ 7 million has been donated by other donors. Together the Group has provided support to over 11,000 people per year, for 12 years, reaching out to over 100,000 people in their 12 years of operation.

ISIS focuses on health and education programmes developed in partnership with local community organisations in and that have maximum impact within their communities.  ISIS works in - in Kathmandu, the capital and in Humla, a remote and highly disadvantaged district in the . In , our main focus is in the Luwero region, a rural area north of the capital, and we also support a small street children’s project.

projects span a wide range of solutions towards making a positive difference in the lives of children. ISIS is a leader in providing sustainable technologies to remote villages at high altitudes in Humla, developing a NICU and maternity ward in rural Africa, and in supporting orphaned or war displaced children in both and . All projects are based on the following underlying beliefs - all projects must be  of real benefit to the local communities; all must involve input from local people; all projects are assessed to ensure that they do in fact meet community needs and all genuinely help children who really need our assistance.

For more information please log on to http://www.isis.bm/

and

has formed an exciting partnership with the ISIS Foundation to help support the development and maintenance of a rural hospital in the Luwero triangle area of .

The Kiwoko hospital was founded in 1987 under a tree and has now grown to support a population of 500,000.  The hospital has wards for men, women, neonatal intensive care, maternity, paediatrics and TB.  In addition to this, the 15 acre site also houses a laboratory, nursing school, AIDS programme as well as eye and dental clinics.

Over an initial two year period has committed to donate $500K to fund the project.  However, the partnership is seen as a great opportunity for teams to enhance the overall impact of the project by becoming involved themselves.  Already this is well underway with several teams and individuals making a real contribution.