A teacher is running 100 miles during May to help raise funds for a new jeep that will be used to support refugees from Myanmar.
Ariana Findlay, who teaches at St Aloysius’ College in Glasgow, is taking on the challenge as an extension to the school’s Lent fundraising campaign for Jesuit Missions.
The money raised will go towards a new 4×4 vehicle that will deliver humanitarian aid to refugees near the Myanmar-Thailand border, including building materials, school supplies, food and medicine.
“We have a duty to help others; it can be quite easy to forget that there are people all over the world who need our help,” Ariana said.
“If you can do something that makes a difference, especially if you are fortunate to be in a comfortable position, that’s a positive thing to do.”
She added that she hopes her efforts will inspire others, particularly young people, and that she wants to “lead by example”.
Ariana has already clocked up 28 miles over the first week, meaning she is on track to hit her target, and is documenting her journey on her JustGiving page.
She explained that it has not been easy since she is “100% outside of her comfort zone”, but she has been spurred on by people supporting her.
“My children have joined me on some of my runs, which has been really nice,” she said.
“Friends and family have been really supportive – those at my parish [St Mirin’s in Paisley] are happy to see me doing this; the choir have sponsored me.”
Ariana hopes people recognise the value of the cause she is supporting and continue to give generously.
Some 1.9 million people have been internally displaced since the 2021 military coup in Myanmar, and some of them are now in remote, inhospitable areas that can only be reached via four-wheel-drive.
Jesuit Missions is collecting funds to purchase such a vehicle, which will be operated by the Jesuit Refugee Service in the Asia Pacific region.
Visit www.justgiving.com/page/ariana-findlay-1714592234544 to find out more and support Ariana in her 100-mile challenge.
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