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On Sunday 7^th May Lindsay and Olivia Davies are taking part in the Hatch End Triathlon: swimming 400m, then cycling 17km, and finishing with a 3km run. For those in the know, this is a sprint event and we hope to finish in an hour and a half. We each have different strengths and weaknesses when it comes to these sports, so we've tried to put in some hard work training together and individually. It will be Olivia's first triathlon and Lindsay's third after previous successes in 2009 and 2010.

We're not expecting to set any record-breaking times, but we're determined to do our very best, because we're putting ourselves through
this to support Umoja Tanzania, a youth education and empowerment charity. 

Umoja has been close to both our hearts since Olivia first volunteered there. She has spent around a year working there altogether, in 2013 and 2015, helping with administration, communications and fundraising, and teaching English and arts clubs. Lindsay has sponsored an Umoja student, Emmanuel, since 2013, whom he got to meet when he volunteered his IT expertise at Umoja in the summer of 2015.

Since 2009, Umoja has provided educational opportunities to motivated but disadvantaged young Tanzanians. Many young people, vulnerable and living in poverty, are not able to afford secondary school or college, but with Umoja's holistic support they can get a good education and make brighter futures for themselves.

At the Umoja Centre, young adult students are given a foundational year of English, Maths, IT, Life Skills and more. They receive two meals a day, vital health and social education, and confidence-building sports and arts clubs. After this, they are supported through vocational training or
secondary education. Some even go on to university. This is all made possible by generous donors including sponsors who pay for school fees, books, uniforms and other supplies.

Many students have lost one or both parents. They live in basic housing which lacks running water or electricity. Their parents or carers didn't have educational opportunities either, so they work hard for little cash
income, struggling to pay school fees. But with Umoja's support, this cycle is broken. Graduates of Umoja are now providing for their families, putting younger siblings through school, and looking forward to healthy, happy futures.

Lindsay's student Emmanuel is training to be a safari Tour Guide. On his visit to Tanzania in September 2015 they bonded over their shared
interest in wildlife, with Emmanuel taking Lindsay on a bird-watching walk. Lindsay was impressed by Emmanuel’s knowledge and enthusiasm. Amongst other things, Lindsay has contributed to a 3-week residential field trip in the Serengeti and is currently helping Emmanuel with training to gain his driving license. 

The picture above is of Olivia and Lindsay visiting Emmanuel and his mother at their traditional Masai house (boma)."It is very gratifying to see how making the effort to sponsor a student can help improve a person's life prospects and provide them with the skills to bring a whole family to a better future."

Please give whatever you feel able to support this excellent cause. Donations can be a number of currencies including British pounds, US dollars, Euros, Canadian dollars and Australian dollars. The money we raise will go towards the Umoja Centre's foundation programme, providing educational resources and nutritious meals for its students. As one of the current students says ‘Umoja is my only hope’.

You can find out more about the work of charity on their website. www.umoja.com.au 

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.