14 March 2005

The Comrades Marathon Association is spreading its charity wings a little wider in 2005, with Operation Hunger coming on board as a new beneficiary of the world-famous ultra-marathon.

The Cancer Association of SA, the Community Chests of Durban and Pietermaritzburg, the Wildlands Conservation Trust (formerly the KZN Conservation Trust), Starfish - which focuses on the needs of children orphaned by Aids in SA - and the Sports Trust all receive funds from the Comrades.

Now that Operation Hunger has extended its work to include HIV/Aids and Tuberculosis projects, the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) has brought them on board. Operation Hunger also runs soup kitchens, feeding schemes, food gardens -to encourage self-help feeding - water and sanitation projects.

CMA acting chief executive Cheryl Winn has encouraged Comrades runners to support the various charities and their initiatives during the run-up to the race on Youth Day, 16 June 2005.

She said the CMA has deliberately selected a wide spectrum of charities, with the intention of providing a cross-section of appeal.

The Cancer Association of SA focuses on health, while the Wildlands Trust is focused on conservation. For those that favour sport, there is the Sports Trust. Three of the charities - the Community Chests of Pietermaritzburg and Durban, Operation Hunger, and Starfish – deal with welfare issues, especially HIV/Aids.

The Amabeadibeadi campaign will again be one of the main initiatives for the CMA in run-up to the race. The popular Amabandana, which went on sale for the first time last year, will also be available from the Comrades Marathon offices and at the Durban Exhibition Centre during the Flora Comrades Experience from 12 to 15 June.

The colours on the Amabeadibeadi are white, representing the Cancer Association, red for the Community Chests of Durban and Pietermaritzburg, green for the Wildlands Conservation Trust, blue, for the Sports Trust, black for Operation Hunger, and orange for Starfish.

Source: Comrades 2005

	The Comrades Marathon has for a long time been an excellent vehicle for assisting those in need through charitable work

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	Comrades 2005  Cancer Association of SA  Wildlands Conservation Trust  Starfish

Caring Nation We're not done travelling towards a better South Africa! To help you help us all get there, the IMC is building up a database of charities for those willing to give some of their time, money or goods.