I first heard about Efrain back in 2007 when we were setting up our tour to Peru. I had asked our partners in Peru to send us some information about our new guide and this was their reply...

 "His knowledge and love of all things Peruvian,  his great sense of humour, his unflappable nature and his ability to deal with the vagaries of travel in the Andes makes him a popular leader highly in demand and his leadership experience will make this trip an truly unforgettable Peruvian adventure. His ambition one day is to compete in the London Marathon."

It's now 5 years later but we are finally there and Efrain is coming to the UK (his first trip out of South America) to run in the 2012 Virgin London Marathon on Sunday 22nd April 2012!

It is not easy securing a place in the London Marathon as there are many more people who want to do it than there are places available. But we have been able to get one for Efrain through Traidcraft’s charity, Traidcraft Exchange. They have very kindly given Efrain one of their much sought after places on the marathon and in return we have agreed to raise £3,000 to support their overseas development work. Of course, we all appreciate that this is a lot of money but we are all confident of reaching the target and I’m determined to do it as the money not only enables Efrain to fulfil his dream of running the marathon, but also raises much-needed funds for Traidcraft Exchange, a wonderful charity where we all know that the money will be used to help people in the developing world to improve their lives through trade.

For those of you who have travelled on some of our tours to India, Bangladesh and Kenya you will already have first-hand experience of some of the projects that Traidcraft Exchange are invovled in, but you can also find more about the incredible work they do by clicking here to see Traidcraft Exchange's website.

I can't wait to see Efrain run the marathon as planned in full traditional Inca dress! We are organising a cheering point on the route for all those who will be in London and want to come down and help us support Efrain and Traidcraft Exchange. We will be meeting close to Tower Hill Tube Station so that we can see Efrain just before the 13 mile mark and then as teh route loops round we will also get to see him as he reaches 23 miles. Do get in touch with us if you would like further details of where to join us.

We will also be supporting Dan who works at Traidcraft and is also running for Traidcraft Exchange, and John who has travelled with Efrain in Peru and will be running for Traidcraft Exchange and Chicuchas Wasi so it is set to be an exciting day!

Of course, the hard bit is always the fundraising and if you or anyone else you know are able to help us by making a small donation to help us reach our fundraising target of £3,000 then you can find out more information on how to donate on our Just Giving Page at www.justgiving.com/efrain. Thanks to lots of generous donations, we are doing really well but every penny counts and will go to a fantastic cause so we would welcome all donations.

If you would rather make a donation directly then you can of course make donations directly to Traidcraft Exchange by phone or by post using the following contact details:

- Donate by post: Click here to download Traidcraft Exchange's donation form and you can send a cheque or CAF voucher by post made payable to Traidcraft Exchange.
(Address: Traidcraft, Freepost NT972, Kingsway, Gateshead, NE11 9BR)
- Donate by phone: Call Traidcraft Exchange on 0191 497 6445

Please mark any donations sent directly to Traidcraft with a note to say that it's for Efrain's London Marathon Run and that way we can keep track of what we need for our target.

Of course if you have any questions or anything else then you can contact Lizzie or Evie at Skedaddle on 0191 2651110 or by email at traidcraft@skedaddle.co.uk  

Thank you for all of your help and support!
Lizzie