By Merritt Frey, Executive Director

I want YOU to be part of giving the children of N’Goko, Mali a new school! (Learn about N’Goko here.) We are SO close to building this school, and if you can get your feet moving with Miles for Mali you can help push us over the top.

In Miles for Mali, we challenge you to walk or run the distance children in rural Mali villages walk to get to school in one week (40 miles) or one month (160 miles). This year, you can walk/run during any 30 days between now and June 30. I’m going to start this Friday, for example. You can do Miles for Mali on your own, or build a team to tackle this together. A team could be a fun way to connect with family or friends while we are otherwise distanced!

Participating is easy:

1)      First, when you sign up for Miles for Mali you get access to a system to automatically log your miles using an app or a device such as a Fitbit, Apple Watch, etc. if you connect your device to the app. Alternatively, you can manually log your miles on the site.

2)      Every Monday through the end of June, I will send you all a short update on our progress. It will include photos and stories from Mali to keep you motivated, as well as leader updates…also to keep you motivated. Remember, there are prizes for distance and fundraising, teams and individuals!

3)      Set your fundraising goal! You decide how much you want to raise — every bit helps. Share the news of your walk with friends and family, and ask them for support. You don’t have to ask for a million dollars! If you are doing the 40 mile distance, I’d suggest you say, “I’m walking 40 miles this May to build a school in Mali. A brick for the school costs $4. Would you consider donating 10 bricks -- $40 – or a dollar for each mile I’m walking?” If that’s too rich for your crowd, adjust accordingly – 4 bricks make a nice $16 gift. The app will create a nice little fundraising web page just for you!

4) New this year: each week, starting next week, I’ll send out a special challenge for the week. Whoever wins the challenge will receive a special prize, ranging from a cool notebook to a gift from Mali. After June 30, we will total up the overall winners and send out prizes.

Now get walking! And thank you again.