Dal alumna Jenny Benson (BA’07, MA’09) and President of the Aninga Project, a charitable organization that raises fund to educate and empower women in Uganda, is preparing for the Blue Nose Marathon. The Blue Nose Marathon is a large fundraising opportunity for her initiative.

A Nova Scotia charity linked to the Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon is making a difference in Uganda. The Aninga Project raises funds to educate and empower women and girls in that country.

“About $40 a month sends a girl to school with all of her expenses paid for,” said Jenny Benson, Aninga Project president. “That includes food, water, transportation, uniforms, medicine — whatever she needs.”

The Aninga Project began supporting Ugandan girls in 2007. For the first time last year, two girls sponsored by the project, including a girl named Aninga, graduated from university.

“We had been supporting them since elementary school, so that was a really proud and exciting moment for us,” said Benson, who lives in Halifax.

A Dalhousie University graduate with two degrees in social anthropology, Benson said the Blue Nose Marathon has become a big fundraiser for the project.

This will be the fifth time the group has entered a team in the marathon’s charity challenge.

Read more in “How Ugandan women will benefit from the Blue Nose Marathon” on CBC.ca