Thanks for visiting my just giving page,   I am running the Hackney half in honour of my recently born daughter and wanted to raise money for children who won’t immediately have the opportunities in life as her or be exposed to the same dangers as the children I am hoping to raise funds for.  I chose the Arsenal foundation because what they are doing for the Syrian child-refugees in the Za'atari camp is unique, it is special, and it is work that the club needs to help carry on.

About the Program:

For 40 years, Arsenal-In-The-Community has been helping children in North London develop life skills through coaching programs run by the club. Now that work is being expanded to help children living in the Za'atari refugee camp in Jordan. Za'atari is one of the largest refugee camps in the world, with more than 80,000 people calling the camp home, and over half of them are children.

Those children face unimaginable challenges including threats of gender-based violence, child labor and child marriage.

The coaching for life program, run by Arsenal with the help of Save the Children, provides these young people a space where they can be children again. They can play, and build friendships, and most importantly, develop the life skills they need to forge a better future for themselves and their families. In the Coaching For Life program the children learn to advocate for their rights, to express their emotions productively, to build trust and forge bonds with others. The program is focused on developing sustainable resiliency within the young people who enroll.

This year, the program is proud to have achieved gender parity, meaning that the benefits of these lessons are being shared equally among boys and girls throughout the camp.

The contribution we make as a community will make a meaningful difference. What we raise can be the difference between the program shrinking, sustaining, or even expanding to reach more children in need within the Camp. And when you talk to these children, and their parents, the one thing they all emphasize, is that they need this program to carry on.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.