Our team of 12 brave recreational cyclists are taking on the challenge of cycling the local equivalent of 7,700 miles all the way from Jesmond in Newcastle upon Tyne to Jonglei, South Sudan, and back again! It's safe to say they have a long journey ahead of them but with spring around the corner and lockdown beginning to ease, now seems like the perfect time to get out on the road! Can you help them to raise £1 per mile?

This endurance challenge is in support of the Jonglei Health Sciences Institute (JHSI), a healthcare professional training facility in Jonglei State, South Sudan. The programme is partnered with Newcastle-based charity AID and aims to build the healthcare capacity of a country with the worst maternal mortality rate in the world (around 1%). Currently, 58 student midwives and clinical officers train at the JHSI, working towards a three-year diploma before being deployed to hospitals and clinical settings across the country. In the long term, this project will significantly widen access to basic healthcare in one of the world's poorest countries.