And they would walk SIX hundred miles...

By Barrie Hudson - 31 July 2020

Charity

Two team members from a Swindon travel company have challenged themselves to walk 600 miles for 600 Kenyan children.

  • Fiona, pictured here at one of the schools the charity helps, would normally be in Kenya with colleague Gus at this time of year

    Fiona, pictured here at one of the schools the charity helps, would normally be in Kenya with colleague Gus at this time of year

Fiona Simpson is director of Peatmoor-based Younique Travel Adventures and a trustee of its partner charity Younite Foundation, while Gus Gardener is Younique's outreach coordinator.

For the past five years YTA has run volunteer projects in Kenya alongside Younite Foundation.

Projects have included helping to build schools, providing funding for three volunteer teachers to attend training college, providing running water and food for hundreds of children and building kitchens, classrooms and toilets.

Fiona and Gus would normally be in Kenya at this time of the year, helping the three schools the charity supports - Melon Mission, Silverbells Children's Welfare and Little Kings - but the pandemic made that impossible. 

Fiona said: “Covid-19 has had a big impact on the schools we help in Kenya. Not only do they provide education, they are also the only place where many of the children receive any kind of social care and, for the majority, the only place they receive food and water daily."

As Fiona and Gus cannot be there in person, they have pledged to walk and run a total of 600 miles between them over six weeks to raise money. 

Fiona added: "The schools are still trying their best to provide support from a distance and have been putting together food and care packages for as many families as possible. 

"Funding, however, is running low and they sadly are solely reliant on donations. This is the worst food crisis these schools have ever faced. 

"To feed approximately 600 children daily costs thousands of pounds that they simply do not have. It is breaking our hearts seeing these schools struggle to feed the children. 

"We want to do all we can to raise vital funds to continue our support from afar” 

The three schools are closed until January but are still doing all they can to help local children.

Anybody who wants to donate is invited to email [email protected] or visit www.ytauk.co.uk

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