Imperial's London Marathon campaign wins charity fundraising award

After raising 63,650GBP for victims of schistosomiasis, Imperial's first London Marathon fundraising campaign is recognised at annual charity awards.

Dr Mike French, Senior Programme Manager at Imperial’s Schistosomiasis Control Initiative (SCI), ran the London Marathon earlier this year to help the College treat thousands of children with the parasite-borne illness.

The fundraising campaign supporting Mike, which was a joint effort between Imperial’s Regular Giving Team and the SCI, received the prize for the largest amount raised by a charity ballot holder. 

Over five months in early 2016, the team raised approximately £63,650 to treat people with schistosomiasis, a tropical disease that affects millions across Sub-Saharan Africa. 

Director of the SCI, Professor Alan Fenwick OBE, collected the award at a reception held on 13 September at the Institute of Education, University of London. 

This was the first time that Imperial has entered a runner in the London Marathon and the first fundraising initiative of its kind for the College. The campaign, which ran from January to May, attracted the support of nearly 200 generous alumni, friends and staff members, including one long-time supporter of SCI, who contributed more than £20,000 of matched funding. 

For every £1 raised, the SCI can treat three people suffering from schistosomiasis, which kills an estimated 280,000 people each year. Caused by parasites that enter the body through contaminated water, it is common in countries with poor sanitation and little access to clean water. It starves sufferers of nutrients – causing ongoing pain, fatigue, stunted growth, reproductive problems in women and severe organ damage. With the money raised through the London Marathon, the SCI will be able to treat another 190,950 adults and children suffering from this devastating disease. 

After collecting the award, Professor Fenwick said: “I want to congratulate the SCI team and the Advancement team for such a successful campaign. This is quite an award when you think how many people ran the marathon. And of course, we owe a big ‘thank you’ to all our alumni, friends and staff members who donated to the campaign – particularly Mike, whose commitment and training really inspired us all.” 

Visit the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative website to find out more about the ongoing efforts to fight schistosomiasis in Africa.