Kiln Sierra Leone Marathon Educates Street Children

The Kiln Sierra Leone Marathon specifically raises funds to get street children off the streets of Sierra Leone and give them access to education.

Makeni is Sierra Leone’s largest city, and thousands of children who are out of school and are separated from their families roam the streets.

The Kiln Sierra Leone Marathon, now on its second year, renews their hopes. Dubbed as one of the most worthwhile marathons, it has raised £320,000 on its maiden run last year for one single purpose – to help the thousands of street children in Sierra Leone. Now they have the chance to get back together with their families and go to school.

Making a change for the better

It all started with a small charity group composed of volunteers. It is aptly named Street Child, a London-based organization founded by Tom Dannant in 2008. He is the son of General Sir Richard Dannant, an officer of the British Army that was sent to Sierra Leone in 2002 to suppress the rebel uprising.

Street Child is self-funded, holding several fund-raising activities for the street children of Sierra Leone. Kiln Sierra Leone Marathon is just one of their many activities. Kiln is a British insurance group that is the main sponsor of the event.

Last year the charity group was able to raise a total of £1 million, all of which went to help the more than 50,000 street children in the country. Since its inception, Street Child had been able to give 3,000 children access to education and reunited some 2,000 street children with their families.

Sierra Leone is one of the world’s poorest countries and it has a huge street children crisis. These children who live off the streets have no other possessions at all, except the dirty rags that barely cover their young bodies.

Challenging run

The Kiln Sierra Leone Marathon is a challenging run. The course is 26 miles long. Participants run over difficult muddied roads, along tracks of red dirt and over some asphalt-covered roads in urban areas. The scenery may be beautiful but the temperature is not. It could be as high as 33 °C or 91.4 °F. It is definitely a challenge, but the runners do not mind. They have one sole purpose and one beneficiary – the street children of Sierra Leone.

The marathon may be dubbed as a crazy one, but its aim is not. Participants see the projects Street Child is doing and they also get to meet the children that will eventually benefit from their sacrifice and effort. And it is a heartwarming sight to see local families waving to the runners, encouraging them and sometimes joining them part of the way. It is their means of showing the kind-hearted people their support and thanks, race director Lewis Aldridge observes. It has already become a huge community effort, which is very rewarding for all the people involved.

Year 2 of Kiln Sierra Leone Marathon

The success of the fund-raising marathon last year has spread and gained the attention of several personalities. For the second year of the marathon, to be held on May 26, 2013, the First Lady of Sierra Leone, Sia Myama Koroma will be in attendance. Ibrahim Turay, a Sierra Leone Olympian plans to participate in the marathon.

Modern-day British explorer and writer Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, who is named by the Guinness Book of World Records as the greatest living explorer of the world, personally commented that it is great to be able to do something worthwhile, challenging and exciting, which in effect embodies the spirit of the marathon in Sierra Leone. Sir Ranulph Fiennes himself is a holder of several records of endurance.

Participation fees

The marathon becomes a travel tour of sorts. There is no fixed rate to be paid to join the marathon; however, a participant could pay for a travel package to Sierra Leone. Three-night stay costs £299, which includes two meals per day, accommodation and a Street Child project visit to meet the children and their families that will directly benefit from the marathon. A five-night stay costs £899, while a seven-night stay has additional charges starting from £99, which includes visits to rural areas in Sierra Leone, visits to the Makeni centers of Street Child and trip to the beach.

Video by: SierraLeoneMarathon