The Bethany Children's Trust staff team will be walking, exercising, swimming, running, gardening our way through April 2023, as we take on the Saint Francis Way Conquerors Challenge. St Francis Way Conquerors Challenge

The St. Francis Way will take us 312mi (503km) through an ancient Roman road from Florence to the Vatican, following in the footsteps of Saint Francis across the peaceful Italian countryside.

Each time we complete a distance-based exercise activity such as running, walking, cycling, etc, we advance along the map towards the Vatican.

Help up raise funds for our project partners, so they can continue to support marginalised children and be able to share stories, such as the one below.

Its heart-breaking to think that children living with disabilities might be missing out on life-changing surgery. Wukwashi is determined not to let opportunities pass them by.

Ebele might so easily have had her whole life limited by clubfoot. Her feet turned inwards, and walking was extremely difficult.

But when Ebele joined the Wukwashi support group in Chililabombwe, they connected her with Beit Cure Hospital in Lusaka. Recently, she had surgery to correct the position of her feet and now she can walk without difficulty.

As Wukwashi Director Joyce says, the transformation in Ebele has caused quite a stir. People around her community are praising God for that wonderful transformation! Joyce says.

Three times a year, doctors from Beit Cure Hospital visit Wukwashi support groups to assess children for surgery and the groups volunteers play a key role in spreading the word, through local radio stations, church announcements and home visits.

In the last quarter, 65 children were referred for operations and procedures in hospitals in Lusaka or more locally and Wukwashi pays transport and medical costs for families who cannot afford them.