I am thrilled to be running the 2022 London Marathon for and on behalf of the Consortium for Street Children! As a pro bono client, I have worked closely with the charity, and its team, for a while now and am impressed by their enthusiasm, warmth and commitment to improving the lives of street children globally; therefore, when they asked me if I would run the London marathon, it was time to dust off my trainers and get running.

Like most of us, I ate far too many Deliveroos and home-made culinary 'experiments' during lockdown, so the initial training phase has been tough, but I am sticking at it and... have just completed my first half-marathon!

Any donation big or small in support would be most appreciated!

Warmest regards,

Charlotte and CSC

About the Consortium for Street Children

Children turn to the streets for survival for many different reasons, including poverty, abuse, and conflict. Being on the streets exposes them to a multitude of risks, and often means that they cannot access the rights that they are entitled to, the same as every other child. Too many of these children do not have trusted adults in their lives. They are immensely resilient, skilled, and resourceful – but they need support to access their rights.

The Consortium for Street Children exists to raise the voices of street children at national, regional, and international levels, working to
ensure that States meet their legal obligations to street-connected children and advocating for meaningful changes in policy and practice from the ‘top down’. From the ‘street up’, the organization uses a specialist form of youth work with street-connected children, called ‘street work’, which increases their safety, strengthens their sense of belonging in their communities, and helps them access vital services like food, shelter, and education.

By sponsoring me on my endeavour to run the London Marathon for CSC, you will help to support frontline workers as they take the time to build a trusted relationship with children on the margins of society. Without these individuals, it would be even more difficult to reach street-connected children with the services they are entitled to like health and education, and to hear their views on decisions that affect them.

At CSC’s recent Network Forum, one frontline worker, Bishnu from CWIN in Nepal, told participants that, “frontline workers are always in a risky position, sometimes working at midnight, without anyone considering if this is safe or not […] if we are fighting for the issues of others [street children], somebody needs to think about the issues facing us.”

Thanks to support like yours, CSC is able to raise awareness of the vital work Bishnu and his colleagues around the world perform, and call for governments to respect and prioritise street outreach work as a cornerstone to ensuring all street-connected children’s rights are protected, respected, and fulfilled.