Thames Christian School leads the race for awareness, combating human trafficking and poverty in Tanzania.

On the 20th of November, the pupils of Thames Christian School ran a sponsored cross country race in Wandsworth Common. This event occurs annually funding two charities Go M.A.D (Go Make a Difference) and A21. The course is 1km long and the students aim to complete 10 laps of the course, gaining sponsorship money for each lap completed.

Jimmy Daken is a Year 10 pupil at Thames Christian school and the top performer in this event. He stated that the cross country was “a good way to raise awareness” and the causes concerned are “good and just” He also stated the race was “easy “- “you could walk it or run it.”

Go M.A.D is a charity focusing on aiding people in Tanzania. 67.9% of its citizens live below the poverty line and 42% of children suffer from chronic malnutrition. Hence extreme poverty is a huge issue. Go MAD helps the Tanzanian populous in many aspects of their life including the medical, educational and agricultural fields. Volunteers are brought to Tanzania to experience the magnitude of Tanzanian poverty and help lessen it. The cross country has currently raised nearly £8000 to fund Go M.A.D in their further endeavours.

The A21 campaign is an organisation focusing on making known the severity of modern slavery. An estimated 40.3 million people are victims of human trafficking equating to 5.4 in every 1000 people. These victims are exploited in many ways including forced labour and domestic servitude. Modern slavery is clearly a prominent problem. A21 has a slogan “Reach, Rescue, Restore” describing a solution to this crisis. It reaches and educates the vulnerable on trafficking methods, it raids and rescues victims of modern slavery and it rehabilitates and restores life and freedom to those who it has been stripped from. The cross country raised the same £8000 to fund A21 in this solution. 

The race was a great success.  There was an atmosphere of companionship and togetherness as runners and spectators were united in the desire to raise money and play their part in tackling poverty and modern slavery.