As the third child in a family of eight, life hasn’t been easy for Kenyan schoolgirl Milkah Wangari. She tells us herself, in the letter inserted below. With a violent father, and the added strain of having to help care for her younger siblings, it is a small miracle she still has dreams of her own. But she does, and you can help make those dreams come true. So please take a minute to read her note, and my plea. Together, we can lift a child out of poverty, help educate a doctor, and make me sweat like crazy!

Pledge

I have lived and worked in Kenya altogether for over a year, first in 2008 and then in 2017. Over the past few months I came into contact with a very small charity, the Laikipia Pledge. It has no overhead, consists of volunteers who come from the region and who have secured good jobs at major companies through their education. Their pledge is to help a number of talented students from the region pay for their secondary schooling fees.

Dreams

One of these gifted students is Milkah Wangari. Her dream is to become a medical doctor. She has completed her third year of high school and is now preparing for the next year. In order to support her, I will do a 'sponsor run' on October 15 during the half marathon of Amsterdam. My urge to you is to donate any amount (but shall we say a minimum of $10?) in order to secure next year's school funding for Milkah. That way, your small contribution will make a BIG difference in her life.

Facts

To this day, major differences continue to exist between Western Europe and developing countries. In Kenya, one of Africa's most popular tourist destinations, nearly half the population lives on less than $2 per day. The life expectancy is just about 60 years old. In my country, The Netherlands, it exceeds 80 years. Secondary school participation rates are only about 50% nation wide - rates are even lower outside of the nation's capital Nairobi. In the Netherlands, every child has access to secondary schooling. We can't erase all those differences all at once, but we can make a start. Let's help Milkah.

You can read her story in her own words: