The Countdown Has Begun!

As many of you will know, in a few short days, Sarah will be gritting her teeth and steeling herself for a feat of endurance unlike any she has ever undergone – the Masaka marathon. Sarah is no stranger to feats of endurance. Being the mother of 2 crazed toddlers and wife of a juvenile joker of a man has prepared her mentally, but physically she has had to spend many hours of hard-graft, running over 160km in the last 5 weeks in order to build her strength for what is about to take place.

She will be raising money for the work of Synergy, the sports and discipleship program that Tim heads up. We are very grateful for the many generous donations so far, but need another push to reach our target of £3000. As promised, we have been sharing some of the reasons that this is such a good cause on the River of Life Facebook page. However, for those of you who have missed these posts, or only seen some, below are the top 5 reasons why you should part with your hard earned cash and sponsor brave Sarah!

(1) THE FANTASTIC EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES THAT MUST NOT BE WASTED: 

 This year 109 Synergy players have received educational bursaries, giving them a chance to attend schools and courses that they might otherwise have struggled to afford. However, there are many other requirements they struggle to pay for such as examination fees, uniforms, books, medical care and transport. The money you donate will go a long way to making sure these educational opportunities don’t go to waste!

(2) THE ATTITUDE & DISCIPLINE OF OUR LADS: 

Football players at school are notoriously ill disciplined. But not Synergy players! One of the reason’s so many of our players receive football bursaries is that head teachers from schools like Masaka Secondary School, are always impressed by the attitude and discipline of our lads. In fact the headmaster at Masaka Sec says that in all his years of teaching he has never encountered players like those of Synergy! Help our lads to shine a light and lead the way!

(3) THE FACT THAT AGAINST THE ODDS, MANY CONTINUE TO SURPASS EXPECTATIONS: 

We believe in our lads, and know they can achieve not only on the pitch, but also in the classroom! Many football players are seen as useful for football only, and are expected to do poorly academically. But many of our players continue to surprise even their teachers. Want an example? Look no further than Ali (17 years). 3 years ago this boy was on the streets. He had finished P7 with the worst marks possible and struggled to even read or write! With the help of Synergy he received a football bursary at one of Masaka's top schools, starting in Senior 2. Despite pulling up academically, the school was not confident of him doing well, and as they were concerned about how this might affect them in schools’ results tables, asked that he take his exams elsewhere. Brian arranged for him to sit his exams and Ali returned Brian’s faith in him by achieving a very respectable 3^rd grade! The school were of course extremely happy (if not some what sheepish) and have gladly offered him a bursary to continue onto study A-levels.

(4) THE INVESTMENT IS PASSED ON AGAIN AND AGAIN: 

At Synergy, our players know that they are blessed and so they know that it is their responsibility to pass on this investment. That is why some of our more senior players, Like Andy here, take time to invest in others including both the Synergy academy and also the girls squad at Masaka SS.

(5) INTEGRITY IS ENSURED: 

In a country where self seeking and corruption are rife, your money will only be used to directly help our players in need. How can you be sure? The story we shared 2 blogs ago will help you to see: If you happened not to read it, here it is again:

Recently a 17-year-old lad called Lawrence
joined Synergy. He has great passion,but not a great amount of natural football talent. His granny took manager Brian aside and offered him 300,000 shillings to find him a bursary to school. Brian explained that he is not involved in “buying” bursaries for players, but told her to keep her money and let him work with the boy and see what he can do. Having worked with him and seen his ability and attitude, he took Lawrence to one of Masaka's top secondary schools, where we have many players with bursaries. Brain explained to the Head master that he is not the most talented player, but has passion and discipline and a desire to achieve. Such is the high regard for Brian’s opinion, Lawrence was given a full bursary that very day. The granny, wanting to show her gratitude to Brian, again put the money in his hand, this time as a thank you. Did he put this in his pocket as he so easy could have done? No, Brian took this money straight back to school to pay for some of Lawrence’s requirements not covered by the bursary. The granny’s response? “I never knew that in Uganda there are still honest people like you alive today!”

If none of these 5 reasons are enough to convince you, then here is one final shameless plug: look at the graph of the elevation change that the marathon will involve and then look at Sarah’s blood soaked arms having taken a tumble during one of her training runs. 

Make her suffering worthwhile and help us blow through our target of £3000 by going to the following link: 

https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/sarah4synergy

Thank you so much!

Sarah's Masaka Marathon of Madness!!

As some of you will know, Sarah has become a keen runner during this last stint here in Uganda. Whether it’s the challenge of tackling the steep hills of Masaka in 30 degree heat, the chance to have hoards of school kids running after her shouting “Muzungu, Muzungu!!” or simply the chance to get away from her crazed kids and slightly moronic husband that drives her, it has opened up an opportunity for her to show her fitness and prowess in the upcoming Masaka marathon!

The marathon route is enough to cause concern for even the seasoned marathon runner, its combination of steep inclines, uneven tracks, tropical heat, crazed boda drivers and the odd rabid dog chucked in over the 26.2 miles, making it a marathon with a difference!

Why would Sarah undertake such a task you ask? To prove her stamina and be counted amongst the elite sportsmen of Uganda and the wider world? To enjoy the feeling of the wind rushing through her sweat-streaked hair as she contemplates the beauty of a morning of freedom, whilst Tim is run ragged in his own feat of endurance involving the care of 2 manic toddlers? To taste the glory of crossing the finish line before ripping off her top and beating her bare-breasted chest in victory before being carted off to prison for indecent exposure? Well yes indeed, all of these things, but also to raise money for Synergy!!!

Like many of our ministries at River of Life at the moment, Synergy is somewhat underfunded and is in real need of some cash so that the great work it is doing can continue. One of the big financial strains is that of funding the school requirements of many of our players. This year 109 Synergy players have acquired educational scholarships thanks to their football talents, but unfortunately such scholarships do not cover an array of other costs including uniforms, exam fees, books, healthcare and transport. Many of the players are from families who simply can’t afford these costs and so it is up to Synergy to try and find a way to ensure that these lads get all that they need in order that these scholarships are not wasted.

And so, despite the weariness that comes from a life of running after 3 untamed children (husband being the third), a life that requires the balancing act of running a baby unit whilst also keeping a household in order; a life besieged with challenges such as regular power cuts, water shortages and a healthy dose of flu or the squits, on June 5^th 2016, Sarah will don her running shoes and take to the pot-holed streets and muddy tracks of Masaka!! Please help make sure her pain does not go unrewarded and donate at the site below.

https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/sarah4synergy
(when donating on this page, when it reaches the bit about your donation just select 'other' and enter the value of your donation).

If you still need convincing, keep an eye out on the River of Life Facebook page in coming weeks where we will be sharing 10 reasons why Synergy is such a good cause to raise money for!

And if none of that is enough to make you part with a few quid, Tim promises to acquire and flog you a copy of a photo capturing her bare breasted victory parade, complete with police in hot pursuit, for the paltry sum of £10 a piece (payment in advance please). Thanks!