This is a big day for me.  It's my first half marathon (and so longest distance I have ever run), lots of my friends taking part and it's raising money for my favourite charity; the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative (SCI).

SCI treat Schistosomiasis and other neglected tropical diseases that aren't very exciting but can have terrible impacts on children's development and can cause life-threatening conditions like bladder cancer, kidney malfunction or liver and spleen damage.  

What's brilliant about them especially though is just 50p is all it takes to facilitate treatment for one person.  That means you could easily fund treatment that keeps several children in school and their parents well and with their loved ones.

All charitable donations are fantastic but to me that seems extra special.

Find out more here: 
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/schisto/whatwedo

If you prefer you can even donate to SCI directly rather than through Just Giving you can do so through the below link (I do this regularly, it's very secure): 

http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/schisto/donate

You can find out more about some of the other most effective charities and the amazing difference we can make with our donations through sites such as

http://www.thelifeyoucansave.org/  

and

http://www.givewell.org/

This event is also on my birthday.   It would mean a huge amount to me if anyone did want to get a birthday present they considered donating to SCI.  

Many thanks for reading,
Larissa

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.