Today goes to something that I have done before, but in a different sense. It is something I feel very strongly about, and it goes to PHILANTHROPY. Charity, in other words.
Tonight is Sport Relief - and yes, I will admit that I have been in tears a couple of times already tonight. The stories are just heart breaking - how humanity can allow things like this to happen is beyond me. Hundreds of small children living in Uganda making a small amount of money a day by searching through a rubbish dump for scrap metal. This dump is littered with medical waste, blades and sharp objects - and also attracts flies and mosquitos. Leading me on to my next point - malaria.
Malaria is one of the biggest killers in Africa - only matched by HIV/AIDS. But did you know that it costs just £5 for a malaria net? That is £5 to save a child's life, or save a mother from dying, or save a father from leaving his family alone. £45 can keep a shelter open for a week to keep homeless children safe. £150 can pay for a child to go through education for a whole year to give their family a better chance.
There is no school, no food, sometimes, not even a home for these families. We take what we have for granted so often, and it is days like today that we need to pull together and make a difference.
Which is why, as a form, we are proud that we have raised some money for Sport Relief. Yes, it is nowhere near what we aimed for, but we could save 50 lives with what we have raised. 50 people will eat, sleep and live because of the generosity of the people we spend each day with. It is a brilliant feeling to know we CAN make a difference.
My run next May will hopefully raise some money for Oxfam. I also want to do something else though. Something that really can help. My ultimate aim is to be able to get out to a country like Uganda, or Ethiopia, and prove that I have made a difference. But that is some way off!
I have another running plan sorted, which will hopefully convince people to donate more money! For every £10 raised, I'll run a mile. Simple as that. £100 - 10 miles. Obviously not consecutively - I'll be dead! But yeah, theres another idea!
Please please please, help save a life tonight, tomorrow, or whenever you can. You CAN make a difference.
PHILANTHROPY, you are the Day Dedicatee for Friday 19th March 2010.
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