On 27th June I'll be taking part in Runmageddon (similar to Tough Mudder), a 12k extreme obstacle course. I'd like to use this opportunity to raise money for an extremely worthwhile cause, and your donations would be much appreciated!
The organisation I am supporting is the Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation (IKWRO), a UK-based charity founded in 2002 by Diana Nammi in response to the need for culturally specific support, advocacy and counselling for women from the Middle East and Afghanistan.
IKWRO’s mission is to protect Middle Eastern and Afghan women and girls who are at risk of ‘honour’ based violence, forced marriage, child marriage, female genital mutilation and domestic violence and to promote their rights.
The charity provides practical support and direct services for women and girls, including advocacy, training and counselling.
Forced marriage was recently made a criminal offence in the UK but victims of honour based violence are in great need of practical support. IKWRO provides training for women and girls to help them understand their rights in the UK and, in partnership with other organisations, it assists survivors of violence by helping them access English language classes and education, training and employment opportunities, so that they can become financially independent.
I've decided to fundraise for this charity because I believe that it provides valuable support for vulnerable women who in many cases are isolated from their families and have nobody else to turn to.
For more information on honour based violence in the UK:
http://safe.met.police.uk/crimes_of_honour/get_the_facts.html
http://www.karmanirvana.org.uk
http://memini.co/memini/
