I'm doing the Chicken Run for Shivia!

Organised by Shivia

I'm running in the Royal Parks Half Marathon this year to support the charity Shivia. It's called the "Chicken Run" because, as a team, we are raising money to help very poor families in India work their way out of poverty by raising chickens.

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Shivia's Chicken Run

On Sunday 13th October the Shivia 'Chicken Run' team will be pounding the streets and parks of London for 13 miles to raise money to support our work in West Bengal, India.

Who's in the Chicken Run team?

Thank you to our amazing team of runners!

Mary Joy - Imke Herholdt - Gaby Jenner - Cosima Akerman - Priit Piip - Juliet Earl - Melissa Hancock - Chris Catto - Nikki Papadopoulos - Nicola McGlennon - Hattie Jones - Disha Gulati

How does Shivia help people?

Shivia helps very poor families living below the poverty line (on as little as £1.50 a day) earn money by starting agricultural enterprises from home. One of our programmes, Poultry Development Services , helps families earn money from raising chickens and then selling the produce.

We do this with our simple Poultry Toolkit .

Each Poultry Toolkit costs £15 to supply and contains 10 chicks, plus essential chick feed and vaccines and expert training, so the family can start a small, back-yard chicken farming enterprise. By selling eggs and some of the birds, the family can earn a much-needed income.

It is quite staggering how a clever toolkit practically administered can act as such a powerful catalyst to give individuals the hope and means for a better future. ELAINE GORDON, ARTEMIS FUND MANAGEMENT

Shivia has been offering Poultry Toolkits to thousands of very poor families since 2011, so we know the impact this simple programme is making. In fact, we have worked with over 13,000 families already and delivered over 72,000 toolkits!

Most of our beneficiaries are women as they take ownership of the enterprise and raise the chickens. Often they are earning money for the very first time. Empowering women to earn money means the whole family benefits - our impact studies show that mothers invariably spend the money on healthcare, food and education for their children.

When I visit poor communities and speak with women about their lives, they tell me about the daily struggle to give their children a chance at a better life than they had. And a lot of times, one of the most powerful weapons in that struggle is a small flock of chickens. MELINDA GATES, CO-CHAIR, BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION

How can you help?

We hope you will sponsor your friend, relative or colleague who has volunteered to run for Team Shivia in the Chicken Run (actually the Royal Parks Half Marathon) and help us reach our fundraising target of £5,000.

Each donation of £15 could pay for one of our Shivia Poultry Toolkits - everything one women needs to start her own back-yard chicken farming enterprise.

Here's our short video about how Shivia is helping families in rural West Bengal to work their way out of poverty.