Strathclyde's alumni, students and staff have been busy training over the last few weeks as they prepared for the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon on January 23.
Putting together a team to fundraise by running in the event was organised locally through the Dubai Alumni Chapter and Strathclyde Business School UAE. Each of the Strathclyde team was challenged to run the marathon, 10km road race or 4km fun run depending on their level of fitness and experience. All runners were fundraising for one of the following projects which are supported through the University's Alumni Fund: Malawi Millennium Fund, Undergraduate Scholarships, the MUKTI project or the Gambia Project.
In total, there were 18 Strathclyde runners including Marketing and Community Relations Manager for the UAE, Karen Ryan. Five completed the 4km run, ten stepped up to the 10km, and three hardy souls took on the challenge of the full marathon. Karen, who ran 10km, said, "In November, Ammar Shams, Regional and UAE Head of Corporate Sustainability for HSBC Middle East and one of SBS’ Board of Advisors, was a guest speaker at our annual alumni dinner. He talked passionately about how CSR and volunteering not only build skills and employability but also allow people to give back to local and international communities and help make the world a better place – there was such a strong response from the audience that we invited the local Strathclyde Business School community to participate in a fundraiser for Strathclyde's international development projects and scholarship programme at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon 2015.
"I was delighted by the fantastic response – our team of 18 runners were all highly motivated about taking part and fundraising for their chosen cause. Strathclyde is engaged in several worthwhile international projects and the Malawi Millennium project is very close to my heart as I have travelled a lot in Africa and previously worked in teacher training with local schools in this region so know how much positive impact the project will have on local communities in Malawi."
Charley Joseph, an alumnus from 2011 and who did the 10km, said, "When I learnt about this Strathclyde fund raiser, I thought this was an exciting way to get involved with the UAE Strathclyde community and continue my association with Strathclyde. It was also a great opportunity to learn about Strathclyde's involvement in giving back to the community in many ways through its staff, students and alumni, and I was happy to support the work of the MUKTI Clinic.
"Although I initially opted for the 4km fun run, I upgraded this to a 10km run after being challenged by my children! The training has not only refreshed my spirits but also gave me the confidence to undertake a 10km run for the first time.
"Through this run I am taking away with me the confidence to undertake new challenges and more importantly I'm grateful for the opportunity to take part in the Strathclyde initiatives that help our most needy fellow beings in global communities."
The Malawi Millennium project aims to assist in educating the personnel necessary to train future generations of Malawian teachers, nurses, scientists, technicians and engineers to deal with some of the health and education problems in Malawi. The Mukti project sends students from the National Centre for Prosthetics & Orthotics based at Strathclyde to Chennai in South India to support the work of the MUKTI Clinic, a charity working to provide prostheses and orthoses free of charge to those most in need. The UG Scholarship Programme helps with access scholarships to remove the financial barriers faced by young people and support them in realising their full potential, and the Gambia Project is an initiative within the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering which is committed to providing sustainable light and energy solutions to rural schools and communities within The Gambia.
Further information on all the projects, and how to contribute, is available here. So far, almost £3,000 has been raised.