Cole Pressler is fundraising
24-hour Marathon for Achon Uganda Childrens Fund
The Coronavirus has dealt a severe injury to Africa's development prospects and lockdowns have considerably worsened the conditions of the poor. It has also put a strain on the healthcare system of many African countries, such as Uganda. During this global crisis, a lot of people are turning to individual sport to help make a difference. So on Friday, April 24th, I'm running a marathon over 24 straight hours (running a little over a mile at the start of every hour) in order to raise money for the Achon Uganda Children's Fund (AUCF), which was started by Julius Achon. Follow my progress Friday on my Instagram– @colepresssler – and read part of Julius' life story below:
Julius Achon was captured by the Lord’s Resistance Army as an 11-year-old in Uganda and was forced to become a child soldier. He escaped by navigating over 100 miles of wilderness back to his home, evading helicopter gunfire. He was too poor to afford the $5 per semester fee for school, so he would go to a different school every week and then jump out a window at the end of the week to avoid the fee collections. He turned to running in hopes of a scholarship to continue his education. A day after running 40 miles to a track meet (barefoot) because he didn't have transportation, he ran three races- 800m, 1500m, and 3000m- and won them all (barefoot).
Julius made it all the way to George Mason University and set an NCAA 800m record that stood for over 20 years (1:44). He competed in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics but pulled out of 2004 after hearing the news that back home in Uganda, his mother had been shot and bled to death over four days.
Already grieving over the violence in Uganda, Julius decided to help make a serious impact after finding 11 orphans hiding under a bus from rebel soldiers. He started the AUCF to improve the lives of Northern Ugandans by providing medical care, food, clothes, education, and sport.
Donations go a long way- about $50,000 pays for ALL expenses of the AUCF's Kristina Health Center for a year. If you would like to know more about the AUCF, visit www.achonugandachildren.org or feel free to donate directly to them here.
Julius Achon was captured by the Lord’s Resistance Army as an 11-year-old in Uganda and was forced to become a child soldier. He escaped by navigating over 100 miles of wilderness back to his home, evading helicopter gunfire. He was too poor to afford the $5 per semester fee for school, so he would go to a different school every week and then jump out a window at the end of the week to avoid the fee collections. He turned to running in hopes of a scholarship to continue his education. A day after running 40 miles to a track meet (barefoot) because he didn't have transportation, he ran three races- 800m, 1500m, and 3000m- and won them all (barefoot).
Julius made it all the way to George Mason University and set an NCAA 800m record that stood for over 20 years (1:44). He competed in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics but pulled out of 2004 after hearing the news that back home in Uganda, his mother had been shot and bled to death over four days.
Already grieving over the violence in Uganda, Julius decided to help make a serious impact after finding 11 orphans hiding under a bus from rebel soldiers. He started the AUCF to improve the lives of Northern Ugandans by providing medical care, food, clothes, education, and sport.
Donations go a long way- about $50,000 pays for ALL expenses of the AUCF's Kristina Health Center for a year. If you would like to know more about the AUCF, visit www.achonugandachildren.org or feel free to donate directly to them here.
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