Thanks  for visiting my JustGiving page. I am running my first ever marathon in London in April to raise money for Concern, a charity working in the developing world. Around half of Concern’s spending goes towards emergency relief, and the other half on long term programmes – in education, health, and improving people’s ability to earn a living. Concern was founded in response to the Biafran famine in 1968, and now works in 30 countries throughout the world. 

Concern’s 2010 London Marathon team are supporting education projects in the Tonkolili district of .  is one of the poorest countries in the world: devastated by civil war in the 1990s, 70 % of the population are illiterate and only 42% of children are able to attend school. Tonkolili is a poor and remote rural area, where Concern is working with local villages to rebuild schoolds, provide resources and train teachers. The funds we raise will make a substantial contribution to funding these projects in 2010, giving more children access to education and a chance to improve their lives.

Thank-you for your support: it is much appreciated. It will really make a difference to the people helped by Concern's work, as well as encouraging me to keep up the training!

Melissa