Running on a Saturday morning (getting back for Saturday morning kitchen!)
Running after work in the dark dodging busses and people.
Running in the cold, in the real cold from 0 to an amazing 3 degrees!
Running on my lunch break when I'd like to be watching youtube clips of cat's provoking dogs into fights!
Why on earth am I running so much for one day?
Well two reasons, one because I want to be alive at the end of 26.2 miles, the second is because I'm running for a cause and the more I run the more I get to tell people about it!
The cause I'm running for is FDCC (the foundation for Developing Cambodian Communities) like with all charities it's an emotional choice to support them. 47 girls and 3 boys all live in an orphanage in one of the poorest provinces of Cambodia. They live in 6 garage sized cubes (they used to be garages) and have a play area with two swings and a little vegetable patch. the main building is one big room when they assemble for lessons in dance, or assemblies, and there's an outside teaching area under a shelter with three walls.
That's it. No frills. No huge grants from the government to do their work. No air con. The kids have come from a variety of backgrounds, some utterly horrific, but they live in this space and they try their best at school.
But these kids are simply amazing! I've worked with them twice over 4 years teaching art therapy and photography, and they are sponges for information, pouncing on any opportunity to expand their skills and knowledge of the world. When it's play time they somehow turn this little patch of earth into a different universe everyday, from limbo challenges to football to a world of Khumer games that basically involve a lot of running about and a lot of laughter!
The aim is for these children to grow up in a safe environment where they can get a good education and when they leave they can go on to teach others, to become local communities leaders, to set up their own business, the children of Cambodia are it's future.
I run to help raise money and awareness of the coolest kids I know.
And I really like running!!
If you'd like to donate you can here:
Here's a pic of me presenting the chocolate award to the winning football team in 2007!
If you want to know my team of kids came 3rd, and the director of the orphange, in the middle with his thumb up, won!
