Story
I was sitting the other night having a quiet drink with my daughter, India Ayles, chatting about this and that......
She mentioned that she was taking part in a half marathon to raise money for a charity called Standing Voice.
For the last five years, Standing Voice has done incredible work improving the health, education and prospects of people with albinism in East Africa. Socially ostracised, often denied access to education and healthcare, and, all too frequently, mutilated or killed for their supposedly magical body parts, many people with albinism can face short, brutal lives, confined to the margins of society.
Standing Voice was set up to change this. Its programmes aim to address all the myriad of challenges people with albinism face in Tanzania - from supporting a net work of skin-cancer prevention clinics across the country and providing education scholarships, to running community initiatives that nurture inclusion and operating global advocacy campaigns to overcome social stigma. Its work has been inspiring to witness, but there is much more to be done.
India casually said in passing, that she thought there might be a few spare charity spaces. Of course I said, I would be happy to take part for such a good cause, not really expecting to hear any more about it.
That was two nights ago and here I am entered!
I am of course delighted, but I need to get training and I need your help with a donation. We all receive an inbox full of emails like this, however, this cause is a fantastic one and worth backing.
All the best.
Nick