THREE Bermuda mothers are to run in the New York Marathon next month to raise money to help poor children in Uganda and Nepal. Karen Nagel, Tracy Nash, and April Vesey are looking for sponsorship for their Big Apple run on November 7, with monies raised to go to Bermuda charity the ISIS Foundation.

The charity funds health and educational projects in the two poverty-stricken nations.

"All families face challenges when raising kids," said Ms Nagel, mother of three, who thought up the sponsored run. "But the challenges faced by families in places like Nepal are just huge in comparison. They are struggling with poverty, disease, no schooling, civil war ? difficulties that we are so lucky not to have to face here in Bermuda."

Ms Nash, also a mother of three, said: "This is only my second marathon, and they really test you against the very edge of your limits," she said.

"We feel that we have the luxury of testing ourselves against such limits, whereas some moms and children in the world are tested daily just to survive."

Nurse Ms Vesey, a veteran of three marathons, assists the Foundation with collection and delivery of medical equipment to their projects in Uganda.

"It's great to not only be able to participate in our sport, which is really a bit of an obsession, but also to be able to raise money for children who are really in need," she said.

Projects undertaken by the ISIS Foundation in Nepal include the building of a school, school hostel, and health post in the mountains, and a range of health and education projects in both the mountains and Kathmandu.

In Uganda, projects are largely based at a rural hospital, and include HIV/AIDS care, the building, staffing and development of a Neonatal ICU, and community-based health care initiatives. They also support street kids in Kampala, Uganda's capital.

Anyone wishing to sponsor any of the runners, please contact Karen Nagel on , or Leonie Exel, general manger of The ISIS Foundation, on . For further information see