CHANGE OF PLAN

Very sadly, for family reasons, I'm no longer able to travel to Sierra Leone. I'm really disappointed not to join the team out there on what would have been an amazing adventure. And also not to be able to visit a country I really love and see Street Child's work in person.

However! This does not mean children in Sierra Leone will miss out on the support they really need. I promised I would run my first ever marathon, and do not intend to let down my generous donors. I'm going to run the full marathon distance by myself in the coming weeks in London, and will update here how I get on.

It won't be as jungly, sweaty and mosquitoey as I hoped, but it's still going to be very challenging as I haven't got past 30km in training (the full distance is 42.2km). And my knees are really falling apart!

Please do share my link around if you can as I would love to still reach the £3,000 target. Thank you.

The original plan...

As many reading this will know, I have a long-term love of Sierra Leone, which all began in 2011 when I volunteered with Street Child for two months in Makeni, helping them support street children (or street-connected children). I was actually there when the team started mapping a route for the first ever Sierra Leone marathon, which took place in 2012. I've wanted to do it ever since.

There are so many reasons why I'm taking part of this event in October. In the lead up I'll be sending some of these in my updates as there are too many to list here! But in brief:

1. As a journalist I write about children around the world. Before volunteering with Street Child I wrote about children in the UK. But the experience of meeting children in Salone totally changed my career direction. I can't wait to return to the country where everything started, smell the air, speak some Krio, eat cassava leaf stew, be woken by calls to prayer, and share some smiles and giggles with the kids.

2. Needs are high - and they are going to get higher. Recently much of my reporting has focused on cuts to global aid - particularly global education. Raising awareness of this by running, and helping Street Child to raise more funds to invest in schools and teacher training, is another way I can help children (rather than just writing about them).

3. I love to run! Since having my own children, running has become a new hobby that helps me stay sane and healthy. Last year my husband and I ran a half marathon to raise money to help children in Ukraine. It was only the second half marathon I've ever done - the first was in 2006. So this full marathon is a big step up, and will be a challenge, but I'm so energised to do it. I can't wait to run/stumble through a beautiful jungle!

4. My family also has personal connections to Salone - most importantly my foster brother. And I'm looking forward to hopefully catching up with old friends, including members of the incredible Street Child team!

Here is some more info about Street Child's work in Sierra Leone, and why we need you to (please!) donate...

When Street Child started working in Sierra Leone in 2008, it was the poorest nation in the world. Today, children continue to face significant barriers to learning, with 36% of children never completing primary school and many more leaving school without foundational literacy and numeracy skills. Without intervention, children risk getting stuck in a cycle of illiteracy and poverty.

The communities we serve need us to act. We are determined to do just that. We have the experience. We have the skills. We have the plan. Now we need you.