When I was in year 9, I ran the 400m in P.E. My teacher called me over afterwards and said 'Kendya, are you injured? You're running like a duck'. I was not injured, and nigh on a decade later - I still run like a duck. Discontent to keep my anatine gait to myself and the poor, poor inhabitants of North London, I have decided to run my first Marathon - the London Marathon 2021. 

Growing up in Bangkok, my first exposure to HIV/AIDS pandemic came in visiting the 'Mercy Centre', a hospice for mothers and children living with AIDS. It made a deep impression on me, and sparked a deep interest as well: I think the dark cruelty of the disease terrified me. Since then, I've read many books and watched many films and documentaries about the AIDS crisis world-wide. This culminated in me writing my undergraduate thesis on the unjust internment of HIV+ Haitian Migrants at Guantanamo Bay 1992-93. If you haven't felt any righteous rage at American politics in a while (ha ha) DM me and I'll send it you.

Now in 2020 of all years, amid the ravages of another pandemic, one might wonder - is AIDS still relevant in the UK? Sadly it is.

HIV transmission has been declining - this is the decade in which, at last, we might eradicate it from the UK. The leaps and bounds scientific research has made, since the early days in which AIDS was a death sentence, have meant that you can be infected with HIV and live a long, healthy life, and never pass the virus on. To get to that stage, however, you need medication. This is where the Terrence Higgins Trust comes in.

The Terrence Higgins Trust is a charity which has been at the forefront of the HIV/AIDS fight in the UK since Terrence Higgins passed away from the disease in 1982. His partner and friends started the foundation, and the amount of work they have done since boggles the mind. An intersectional Charity, the foundation works with people who are HIV positive from across every walk of life. In 2018, 103,800 people were estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS in the UK, 51% of whom are gay or bisexual men, 41% of whom are black African men and women. 

Personally I believe most strongly in two of the THT's Aims:

1. Eradicate HIV transmission in 2030. Imagine the day when HIV/AIDS becomes a disease spoken of in the same vein as Polio - a horror of the past. It's within our grasp and THT are working to make it a reality.

2. Normalising the 'Can't Pass it On' message. If someone is HIV positive and on effective treatment, they can't pass on the virus. Reversing the stigma around AIDS, we can work to ensure that those who have the virus are able to enjoy their humanity, and have the dignity we are all entitled to.

So, for all the reasons highlighted above, I am aiming to raise at least £2,000 for the THT by the time of the London Marathon in 2021. I will be running lots of fundraising events over the year, and I hope that all of my friends, family, and acquaintances will get behind me in pursuing this goal. I will be posting updates on this page about my fundraising and my physical training - please drop me a line if you have any questions, ideas, or thoughts as I would love to hear them!

Huge, huge thank you in advance to anyone who donates - I really appreciate you getting behind this effort.

[Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.]