De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) students have organised a fun 5km run to raise money for the Manduar Development Hub in The Gambia.
Setting off around Abbey Park at 11am on Saturday 23 May, anyone can take part and run, walk, dance or even crawl!
The run has been organised by a team of DMU student volunteers with Global Hands, some of whom went out to the The Gambia with #DMUglobal during their studies.
#DMUglobal, the university’s pioneering international experience programme, took the students to Manduar village earlier this year to help support the hub and other local community projects.
16 stalls run by local businesses will also be set up in the park, with African music and food, a bouncy castle, and family activities to get involved with such as face painting and henna.
Students will be travelling out to The Gambia again at the beginning of June, using the money raised from the run to start new projects
DMU graduate Ayolah Hanley, who studied BA Youth and Community Development, and is now Director of International Development with Global Hands said: “I have been out to The Gambia four times now and the first time was as a student at DMU.
“It’s so nice to see students doing what I did and growing in their personal and professional skills.
“They learn through their own experience of going out there to help, and in turn learning so much more about themselves.”
The money raised from the run will be used to help increase the provisions in the hub, including money for business support and facilities to help build capacity.
The hub will also become a centre for technology and knowledge, helping people support their own communities with issues including disease prevention, and sustainable and renewable energy.
The development hub will also provide short courses for people to learn the skills they need to support their own communities
Momodou Sallah, Senior Lecturer and a Global Hands director, said: “For example, one of the biggest killers in The Gambia is Malaria and bed nets are the most effective in preventing it.
“We can easily transfer the technology to enable local young people to manufacture these bed nets and this is one of the things we intend to do at the hub soon.
“If people are able to understand how they can do this themselves, it could have a real impact on the lives of Gambian people.”
“We want to teach them how to fish, rather than give them fish. This is a much more sustainable form of development.”
People only have to pay £10 to take part in the run, which will set off from the main car park for Abbey Park on Abbey Lane, and can pay on the day.
DMU’s Square Mile have played a key role in setting up this event, along with regional businesses, including Pure Homecare, Yayeh Instant Services Limited and Mirch Masala.
Posted on Friday 22 May 2015