Most of us will never experience the trauma of being stigmatised for being ill, disabled or vulnerable. The mere thought of being invisible to society and excluded from trying to contribute would be incomprehensible. The need to protect, empower and educate such children to be free from oppression is a motive in itself to maybe consider clicking the button below...

If you'd have asked me to run 26.2 miles last year, I would have run a mile, figuratively speaking, of course, but I have learnt a few things. That it is only by facing our limitations head on that we overcome them. I want to demonstrate to my children that nothing is to be gained by avoiding challenging situations - sometimes we just have this need to test what we are actually capable of. That we all have our own mountains to climb. So when the opportunity came to do this and help support this charity, 10k suddenly became 26.2 miles. 

Here's what I'd like you to do please...as my family,  my friend,  a friend of a friend or, someone who has no idea who I am but just thought you'd like to help a good cause...take a look at the charity I'm supporting...it's all about empowering and educating disabled children in Africa. It costs £100 to put together an individual support pack for a child which could include a wheelchair, school equipment, mentoring etc.

In Rwanda a new mentoring project means girls with disabilities are mentored by young women with disabilities to educate them about sanitation and hygiene, boost their confidence, improve socialisation and ultimately make sure they are attending school regularly, as girls with disabilities miss school the most. It costs £5 to provide a girl with a disability with a WASH kit which could mean the difference between her staying in school throughout puberty. It costs £300 to enrol a girl in this project, which includes individual mentoring, group mentoring, parent support, teacher training and a personal WASH kit.

In Tanzania we are nearing the completion building Tanzania’s first ever purpose built Inclusive Education Centre which will act as a benchmark for more facilities of the kind. It costs on average £15,000 to build a school like this, so that’s the total fundraising of 10 marathon runners such as myself. 

In Kenya a sports project is run which brings together children with and without disabilities in the community to come together and play sport to break down barriers between them.

Whether you pledge the value of your morning coffee or your Friday night out, the miles I run will, with your support, go some distance to raising the target I’d like to achieve. My promise is that it will, in some way, help a disabled child grow up with the fundamental right to a fulfilling and happy childhood.

Thank you...x

Nidhi