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Sri Lankan Marathon
I went to Sri Lanka to run their marathon. It was on October 5th 2008 and I finished in 4.50, not a great time but at least I finished and I didn't come last. I tried to do it in aid of Cancer Research UK but I was too embarressed and shy to ask my mates and family for any money so I only raised a tenner in all. My trip was kindly sponsored by LSR Lanka. After the marathon I had a week to spare before I came home and in my pocket I had the remainder of the Urban Fox profits, about £600 in all. I spent some on the Sea Turtle Project in Bentota, where I paid for 20 turtles to be raised and released into the wild, but most was spent on 2 orphanages near Negombo. The first was a home for 54 girls (many of their parents had been taken by the recent Tsunami), the second was a home for 84 mentally and physically disabled people, situated in the jungle. I brought them about a month's worth of food and also medicine, hygiene goods, fans and mosquito nets.
I donated the goods in the name of various people who have helped Urban Fox and I over the years. Click HERE for a list of who gave what.
Click HERE to see photos of the projects, and why the mosquito nets and fans were nessecary.
Malawi Orphanage
Through Urban Fox Press I linked with Art Safari and the Open Arms Orphanage in Blantyre to construct an Orphan Day Care & Feeding Centre in Liwonde District, Malawi, Central Africa. The centre, which has a working name of 'Jambula', takes care of more than 160 orphans. Here young children are fed, given clothes and a safe environment in which to become healthy again. Unicef states that half of Malawi's one million orphans have lost their parents to HIV-Aids. There are no state-funded orphanages or day-care centres in Malawi, which makes projects such as ours so very necessary. Urban Fox is now closed but the centre, which was financed mostly by the proceeds from Urban Fox's 'Art Safari Sketchbook' (you can still buy copies of this book and help our cause, please email sales@davewise.biz for details), lives on.
 
  
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