I'm excited (and nervous) to be running my first ever marathon in support of Pratham, an incredible charity that has helped over 35 million children in India learn how to read. But there are still 100 million children who remain illiterate, and we need to reach them too.

3 years ago, I ran a half marathon for Pratham and I wrote a personal story about why I'm raising money for literacy in India. This reason still stands today, and you can read about it here:

This time, I'm adding a fun little twist to my fundraising, in the spirit of Kickstarter: 

If you donate 20 POUNDS/DOLLARS OR MORE, I will give you access to my marathon training log and personal diary (google doc), where you can read about and revel in my triumphs, trials and tribulations as I prepare for my marathon.

If you donate 50 POUNDS/DOLLARS OR MORE, you can pick a song (ANY song) for my marathon playlist. This is your opportunity to either encourage me or totally mess with me hehe. 

If you donate 100 POUNDS/DOLLARS OR MORE, you get to sponsor one of my marathon miles. You pick which mile, and I'll be running that mile in your name. I will send you a thank you card after my run with a photo from the marathon <3 [7 miles claimed: 1, 8, 13, 19, 22, 26, last 0.2]

If you donate 200 POUNDS/DOLLARS OR MORE, you can help choose my marathon day outfit! I'll send you all the options in my wardrobe, and you can dress me up as elegantly or as ridiculously as you like for the big day :) 

And just so you know how much of an impact your donation can make:

20 POUNDS teaches 2 children in rural India basic reading and writing.

50 POUNDS buys books to equip a village library for children from grades 2 - 6.

100 POUNDS fully pays for training in hospitality to a young person at the Pratham Institute.

Long story short, your contribution could completely change the trajectory of someone's life. So please dig deep and donate.

[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.]