I will be running my first ever full marathon - the Tata Mumbai Marathon - on 19 January 2025, and would grateful for any sponsorship - which will all go to Network for Africa. Having run the half marathon in Mumbai in 2024, I thought I'd give the full one a go this time around...

Running was something I took up while I was living in Freetown, Sierra Leone (in a similar climate to Mumbai). Sierra Leone is also the country where first met Network for Africa, who I’m proud to still be working with today. Living back in West Africa again now is enabling me to be closer to this work again and see first hand the impact of everything donated. I already have my place in the marathon, so every penny I raise will go to Network for Africa, to support its vital mental health work with local partners in Burundi, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Uganda.

Network for Africa works with local NGOs in sub-Saharan Africa to help survivors of conflict or genocide and their families overcome trauma and rebuild their lives through access to mental health care and livelihoods support.

Network for Africa responds to what these communities say that they need, and equips community leaders with the skills to identify those most in need, so it can offer appropriate and sustainable support. It forms long-term partnerships with local NGOs, working with them to provide mental health support so survivors can tackle the deep-rooted psychological consequences that often block their recovery, and livelihoods to enable them to break the cycle of mental illness and poverty.

£7/$9 could pay for one mental health clinic; £34/$44 could pay for a community member to be trained in recognising the signs and symptoms of mental health and then be able to support and refer people for treatment; £50/$65 could pay for livelihoods for two people with mental health issues so they can earn an income, save regularly and secure their long-term recovery.