Hello everyone!

I'm running the Kew Gardens Half Marathon in March to raise money for La Mariposa, a Spanish school in Nicaragua. Me and Nia stayed there in January and had the best time. We spent mornings learning Spanish, exploring the local village with our teachers, and afternoons visiting nearby towns and nature. We were lucky enough to live with a local family, who welcomed us into their home, cooked for us, and introduced us to Nicaraguan family life. We built a really great relationship with them, and many of you will already know that this was a highlight of our entire Latin American adventure.

La Mariposa runs a lot of social projects for the local community. One of them is a school called Chispa de Vida, where at the moment 50 differently abled children, including those with cerebal palsy, Down’s Syndrome and autism, are registered and receiving therapeutic support. There’s also an animal rescue and sterilisation clinic. Mariposa has brought water to local villages that didn’t previously have access to water, delivered large food donation projects, and built houses for the local community. Local people are employed in teaching the lessons, hosting guests in homestays, and running activities and social projects.

Since returning to the UK, we’ve heard that Mariposa is struggling financially. Fewer tourists are passing through Nicaragua, compounded by Trump’s continued idiocy in adding Nicaragua to a list of 8 countries where Americans are supposedly at a high risk of detention. The list includes North Korea. Lessons are in low demand. The school has already had to lay off some staff and scale back its social projects. This is taking place in an already highly deprived part of a country facing worsening inequality and a myriad of other social problems.

I’ve stayed at Mariposa and seen the brilliant impact that its work has had on the local community. I’ve seen loads of happy, empowered locals running the lessons and activities, and loads of families benefitting from projects like Chispa de Vida. It’s tough to think of the people who will be impacted by the financial difficulties that Mariposa is facing.

Money generated from this fundraiser will be used to help Mariposa keep its staff, meaning it can continue delivering its social projects and serving the local community. Short of flying back out and disappointing former teachers with the paltry amount of Spanish that I’ve retained, this seems to be the best way that I can help out. Their cause is really close to my heart and I know it would mean the world to them if you are able to donate. Pleeeeeeeeease do it!!!! Xx

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More info: www.mariposaspanishschool.com