London Marathon 2026

Back in 2012, I spent a term teaching at Mutunyi Primary School in Kenya. From classes on political philosophy to reading harry potter and a school wide football tournament - the energy and curiosity of the students was as high as anything i'd seen during my own West London eduction.

One day I asked what everyone wanted to do when they were older. Most of the boys said pilots or safari guides. The girls looked back at me quizzically and I immediately realised my mistake. Luckily one of them shouted out "I want to dance" and the room immediately exploded into hands on desk drum beats and dance moves 100 times better than anything I could conceive of doing.

"Right, that's enough back to theories on the social contract", I said.

But the moment stuck with me - what a loss of intelligence and opportunity, both for the girls and the world.

The numbers back then were stark. In this region less than 20% of girls went on to secondary education, and only about 30% of them would make it to the end of that. 

Thanks to government initiatives, and local support from organisations like Tusk, the situation now is dramatically different with some reports suggesting transition rates are up to 70% for this region.

One such initiative was the redevelopment of Kilimani Primary School for girls, which provided a safe sanctuary for girls to learn, and pathways to secondary schools, in Isiolo (a city that had some of the worst gender inequality in the country).

Much of this project was funded by my dad's marathon fundraising efforts back in 2012/13. The school is still reliant on grants to succeed and now it's my turn to do my bit - the opportunity created for the students and the impact that then has on their communities is immense, so please donate. If you've read this much you may as well!