Two Maltese men are to undertake a gruelling 250-kilometre run in the desert to raise money so that 10 African children with a horrific disfigurement can be given a new face.
Nathan Farrugia and Douglas Barbaro Sant are helping children who are among the thousands of victims of Noma, an acute and ravaging gangrenous infection that eats away at the flesh, leaving gaping holes in the face.
Not only does this leave them with pitiful faces, making them social outcasts, but these children have problems eating, with some starving to death.
The World Health Organisation estimates there are 140,000 new cases of Noma every year. Only 10 per cent survive. What starts with ulcers in the mouth soon becomes horrendous disfigurement which could be prevented with the use of mild antibiotics and proper nutrition.
But teams of doctors from the UK regularly go to Ethiopia to operate on these children, giving up their time to help others.
Among them is Maltese consultant anaesthetist Joseph Azzopardi, who works at London's Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital. For three years he has visited Addis Abba for two weeks of daily operations to reconstruct the faces ravaged by Noma.
"The operations are complicated. We see big deformities needing complex reconstructions," he said.
The team operates with limited resources. "We have to contend with things that would never happen in the UK, including regular power cuts," Dr Azzopardi told The Sunday Times.
But the surgeons persevere, focused on giving these children a new lease on life. Dr Azzopardi's special interest in managing difficult airways comes in useful since many victims are unable to move their jaw because of scar tissue that restricts movement. This makes eating extremely difficult for them, and also complicates matters when giving them anaesthesia.
Such an operation comes with a £40,000 (just under €45,000) price tag in the UK, but costs only £800 (€896) when done in Africa.
That is where UK-based charity Facing Africa comes in, raising funds to allow the teams to perform the operations. And Mr Farrugia and Mr Barbaro Sant will be attempting the Marathon des Sables, considered the toughest footrace on earth, to raise money to fund at least 10 operations as well as help local charity Inspire.
The two are no newcomers to extreme challenges. "Extreme activities encourage people to give more to charity," Mr Farrugia said.
They have already raised around €20,000 through corporate sponsors Alberta, Gasan and Diamonds International, and upped their initial target of €30,000 to €50,000.
The two will be leaving for the southern Moroccan desert in four weeks' time and for seven days they will run on sand dunes and rocks carrying nine-kilogramme backpacks with enough food for the whole marathon, sleeping bags and other equipment.
Not only will they be testing their strength with hours of running, but they will be doing this on hostile terrain in 40°C temperatures while eating reconstituted dry food.
Normally it takes a year to train for the marathon, but the two have had just three months' notice. They are training for 20 hours every week, and this weekend embarked on a 100-km marathon to raise funds. Yesterday, they ran with children taking part in Skola Sport.
In the coming weeks they will be going on sandy beaches to get used to running on sand in the hope that they finish the six marathons in seven days to help Noma victims and Maltese children in need.
Donations can be made through www.simplygiving.org.mt/extremechallenge or by sending an SMS on 50618080 for €4.66, 50618926 for €6.99 and 50619215 to donate €11.65