WHY DID I DO THIS?

I was going to take some bits and bobs off of Room to Read's website with statistics and information about why they do what they do, and why you should donate to this cause. But after being sat here for a good 20 minutes struggling to integrate copied and pasted facts and figures with passion, I've decided to put the facts aside and write from the heart why I am doing this and why I would like your support.

I'm running this marathon to raise money because I'm sick and tired of how things are in today's world. I'm sick and tired of hearing about girls being sold to sex traffickers. I'm sick and tired of hearing about the millions and millions of babies who are aborted or discarded just because they were born female. I'm sick and tired of hearing about women being beaten, kidnapped, tortured, raped and killed. I'm sick and tired of hearing about 15 year old girls getting shot in the head because they want to go to school. Most of all, I'm sick and tired of not doing anything about it.

Education is a great leveler. You can be the richest person in the world, but if you're uneducated you won't reach your full potential. Conversely, you can be the poorest person on the planet, but with an education you still have opportunities before you. I am angry that women and girls, like me, are being prevented access to education simply they were born the wrong gender in the wrong place. 

What moved me to get involved in Room to Read is it isn't just another charity sending over scores of American teachers to show developing nations "how we do things". Room to Read employ local people to invest in their nation's education. They speak the local language, they know the local customs, and they understand what it takes to successfully implement education programs in these local communities. 

For their Girls' Education Program, Room to Read work with local village leaders, parents and members of the community to shape and change their perception of the importance of women and girls in society. They help show that by employing gender equality in education, everyone wins. They work with integrating boys and girls in classrooms at young ages so that both groups can work together and see each other as peers, instead of as subordinates. 

Educating girls and women is the most powerful and effective way to address global poverty:

- Educated women are more likely to wait to have children (the number one cause of death for women aged 13-17 is childbirth)
- Educated women more likely to vaccinate their children
- Educated women are more likely to run businesses that boost the local economy
- Educated women are less likely to be exploited and abused
- Educated women are more likely to ensure their children are educated 

All of these things can potentially break the poverty and illiteracy cycle in only one generation - doing something that billions upon billions of dollars in handouts have failed to do.

$250 USD is enough to send 1 young girl to school for one year. This money will cover her tuition, books, supplies, two school uniforms, and a bike to get her to and from school safely. My goal is to send one girl to school for every kilometer of the marathon. That's 42 girls who can have their lives changed with our help.

Here are other ways where your donations can help:

$1 gets a new book, in their local language, in the hands of a child
$25 fills an entire library shelf with new books, in the local language
$50 buys a girl a bicycle to get to and from school safely

If I had the money, I would be donating to this cause regularly. But I don't. What I do have are a pair of legs in (relatively) working order, and the passion to finally do something. 

I hope you will join me in supporting Room to Read as we transform the lives of millions of children - one book, one child, one community at a time.

If you want to do something too, but don't have the money, contact me for some ideas on fundraisers you can do yourself.