Samaritan's Purse International Limited

Laurie's Marathon: Running for South Sudan

Laurie Hart

Laurie Hart

My Story

Greetings from South Sudan!

In April 2025, I will be running the London Marathon (my 7th marathon to date), and I couldn't be more excited! Sponsored by Samaritan's Purse-UK, I will be raising funds for SP's office in South Sudan, where I have been working since May 2024.

The newest country in the world, South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after decades of war.  Life for our South Sudanese colleagues and friends, however, remains challenging.  Food insecurities, flooding, rising costs in living, poor infrastructure, an influx of refugees fleeing Sudan's conflict....it seems overwhelming.

My time in South Sudan has been eye-opening. Based in the field, living conditions have been challenging with no running water, air conditioning or plumbing, and limited access to foods with nutritional value.  And yet I often overhear the ladies who clean our compound joyfully singing to themselves as they go about their day.  I'm regularly inspired by our national staff, many of whom have grown up in refugee camps and hold onto the dream of furthering their own educations to better provide for their families.

I'm running this 26.2 miles for them.

Official marathon training will begin in January.  There’s a beautiful dirt road to run on and I’ve found some national staff willing to be my running buddies.  Heavy rains have made it difficult to run recently but dry season is just around the corner. 

There’s a $3,000 USD minimum fundraising goal to run in London. 

Thank you in advance for your support!!

Very grateful,

Laurie

 

Projects Your Donation Will Support

Food Security & Livelihoods Program

SP supports the most vulnerable households through emergency cereal crop production, promotes production of sweet potatoes and cassava for enhancing food security, provides goats to vulnerable households, supports production of nutritious vegetables, establishes school gardens, and supports women and youth livelihoods through beekeeping, bakery, and tailoring.

Your donation will help someone like John.  A 38-year old farmer who received agricultural training from Samaritan’s Purse upon returning to South Sudan after years of living in a refugee camp in Ethiopia.

 

“This year has been a whole new transformation for me and my family,” John expressed with joy. “Thanks to Samaritan’s Purse, I can now cultivate my land and provide for my family.” With direct support from the FSL team, he cultivated two feddans of his grandfather’s land. He used a tractor provided by Samaritan’s Purse for the first time, which made a significant difference in his farming efforts.

 

WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene)

In addition to aiding the 42,000+ individuals displaced by flooding as homes are submerged and destroyed by water, SP WASH is also addressing the following:

•Drilling of new boreholes

•Rehabilitation of non-functional boreholes

•Upgrading of hand pumped boreholes to a solarized water system to reach more community members

•Construction of communal and household latrines

•Distribution of Non-Food Items/NFIs such as buckets, Jerrycans, soap, sanitary pads

 

Samaritan's Purse Mission Statement

Samaritan’s Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Since 1970, Samaritan’s Purse has helped meet needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine with the purpose of sharing God’s love through His Son, Jesus Christ. The organization serves the Church worldwide to promote the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

About London Marathon

The London Marathon has become an annual, inspiring and colourful fixture in the world’s sporting calendar since the inaugural race on 29 March 1981: a celebration of fun, fundraising and fancy dress.

Over the years more than a million people have completed the 26.2-mile course – which runs from Blackheath to The Mall, with a spectacular finish in front of Buckingham Palace, showcasing the very best that the capital city has to offer.

What’s more, these participants have raised over a billion pounds for charity and there have been countless amazing tales of human achievement throughout the event’s history – living up to its aim of helping participants ‘to have fun, and provide some happiness and sense of achievement in a troubled world’.

 

Samaritan's Purse International Limited

Raising for:

Samaritan's Purse International Limited
89%

Funded

  • Target
    £2,500
  • Raised so far
    £2,225
  • Number of donors
    23

My Story

Greetings from South Sudan!

In April 2025, I will be running the London Marathon (my 7th marathon to date), and I couldn't be more excited! Sponsored by Samaritan's Purse-UK, I will be raising funds for SP's office in South Sudan, where I have been working since May 2024.

The newest country in the world, South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after decades of war.  Life for our South Sudanese colleagues and friends, however, remains challenging.  Food insecurities, flooding, rising costs in living, poor infrastructure, an influx of refugees fleeing Sudan's conflict....it seems overwhelming.

My time in South Sudan has been eye-opening. Based in the field, living conditions have been challenging with no running water, air conditioning or plumbing, and limited access to foods with nutritional value.  And yet I often overhear the ladies who clean our compound joyfully singing to themselves as they go about their day.  I'm regularly inspired by our national staff, many of whom have grown up in refugee camps and hold onto the dream of furthering their own educations to better provide for their families.

I'm running this 26.2 miles for them.

Official marathon training will begin in January.  There’s a beautiful dirt road to run on and I’ve found some national staff willing to be my running buddies.  Heavy rains have made it difficult to run recently but dry season is just around the corner. 

There’s a $3,000 USD minimum fundraising goal to run in London. 

Thank you in advance for your support!!

Very grateful,

Laurie

 

Projects Your Donation Will Support

Food Security & Livelihoods Program

SP supports the most vulnerable households through emergency cereal crop production, promotes production of sweet potatoes and cassava for enhancing food security, provides goats to vulnerable households, supports production of nutritious vegetables, establishes school gardens, and supports women and youth livelihoods through beekeeping, bakery, and tailoring.

Your donation will help someone like John.  A 38-year old farmer who received agricultural training from Samaritan’s Purse upon returning to South Sudan after years of living in a refugee camp in Ethiopia.

 

“This year has been a whole new transformation for me and my family,” John expressed with joy. “Thanks to Samaritan’s Purse, I can now cultivate my land and provide for my family.” With direct support from the FSL team, he cultivated two feddans of his grandfather’s land. He used a tractor provided by Samaritan’s Purse for the first time, which made a significant difference in his farming efforts.

 

WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene)

In addition to aiding the 42,000+ individuals displaced by flooding as homes are submerged and destroyed by water, SP WASH is also addressing the following:

•Drilling of new boreholes

•Rehabilitation of non-functional boreholes

•Upgrading of hand pumped boreholes to a solarized water system to reach more community members

•Construction of communal and household latrines

•Distribution of Non-Food Items/NFIs such as buckets, Jerrycans, soap, sanitary pads

 

Samaritan's Purse Mission Statement

Samaritan’s Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Since 1970, Samaritan’s Purse has helped meet needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine with the purpose of sharing God’s love through His Son, Jesus Christ. The organization serves the Church worldwide to promote the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

About London Marathon

The London Marathon has become an annual, inspiring and colourful fixture in the world’s sporting calendar since the inaugural race on 29 March 1981: a celebration of fun, fundraising and fancy dress.

Over the years more than a million people have completed the 26.2-mile course – which runs from Blackheath to The Mall, with a spectacular finish in front of Buckingham Palace, showcasing the very best that the capital city has to offer.

What’s more, these participants have raised over a billion pounds for charity and there have been countless amazing tales of human achievement throughout the event’s history – living up to its aim of helping participants ‘to have fun, and provide some happiness and sense of achievement in a troubled world’.