I am running a marathon to provide learning aids for underprivileged children from minority communities

I am trying to raise funds for an NGO Swabhimaan by running the Bangalore half marathon. (This is my first ever run longer than 10k, and I'm very excited to run it.) Swabhimaan works in some of the most difficult to reach communities and areas in Bangalore City. In Rajendranagar, LR Nagar and Neelasandra, Swabhimaan provides scholarships to students between Classes 6-12 (both boys and girls), gives interest-free entrepreneurship loans, runs a free clinic and provides monthly rations to the poorest of the poor. While all the programs are equally crucial, I am very keen on supporting scholarships for children, and allied activities such as trips to the planetarium or the local science museum. Moreover, several children, who are already scholarship recipients do not have the wherewithal to purchase books and learning materials. The funds would also be utilised to support these children. Previous scholarship recipients are just now entering the workforce, and they represent to their families an opportunity to step out of the vicious cycle of poverty. I have been associated with Swabhimaan for 6 months now. Though the engagement is new, it has been intense. I conduct an English class/women's rights discussion group with them and also do my PhD fieldwork through Swabhimaan. Even after my fieldwork, I intend to work with Swabhimaan through the Sunday classes. More details are available here: http://www.swabhimaan.org/index.html. You can always contact me at sarayu.natarajan@gmail.com for more details.