A volunteer from a local peacebuilding organisation in Enniskillen is set to run to Manorhamilton next month to raise funds for peacebuilding programmes.

Dmitri Tracius Igor (20) is originally from Moldova, but due to the war in Ukraine, he and his family found it necessary to leave their home.

They settled in Belgium, where Dmitri is at university, before he volunteered at UISCE (Understanding Ireland Socially Culturally Economically) in Enniskillen to help at the Clinton Centre.

On Sunday, September 17, Dmitri will take on the cross-Border marathon from Enniskillen to Manorhamilton to raise funds for UISCE’s peacebuilding programmes, which are being launched to engage locals, cross-Border communities, and some key international connections.

Keith McNair, UISCE founder and Director, said they hope this first marathon along this route will become an annual event.

Speaking about the challenge, Dmitri said: “Running [the cross-Border] marathon doesn’t mean for me only a challenge. It’s beyond that – it’s about creating a bridge between two nations.”

By running this inaugural marathon, UISCE wants to “demonstrate a willingness to connect people and communities alongside this route regardless of culture, politics and history, and help develop communication and friendship that helps benefit everybody from all backgrounds”.

The goal is to raise £20,000 to train young peace champions between Enniskillen and Sligo; help Ukrainian, Russian and Moldovan community leaders explore the peace process on the island of Ireland; improve UISCE’s Enniskillen campus, and help Dmitri with college costs.

UISCE is a not-for-profit company that creatively and sensitively explores resistances to peacebuilding in Northern Ireland as resources to help bring about transformation.

It relies on donations from individuals, businesses and organisations which support its aim.

To donate online, see www.uisce.org/donate; or through Revolut, link info@uisce.org, or (+353) 86 830 6060.

Dmitri’s marathon efforts on Sunday, September 17 will see him set off from the Clinton Centre in Enniskillen to Manorhamilton.