(5/8) HOPE RUNS - to help regain their lost dignity

    “I never trusted a man. I felt hatred and resentment towards anything that was masculine. As I grew up I was completely asexual. I was very body conscious. I thought my body was disfigured by constant abuse. I couldn't bear to be seen from the rear. As a result, I would chicken out from anything that made me stand first in the row, showing my rear to the rest. My constrained body posture made me walk shaking my butt, which people thought was typically girlish.” - Harish Iyer, adult survivor of sexual abuse

Sexual abuse is a traumatic experience for most children. As a result, children feel betrayed and find it difficult to trust adults again. They develop low self esteem, tremendous amount of shame and guilt which stays throughout adult life affecting their thought processes and beliefs about themselves.

ARPAN does counseling and therapeutic healing of children and adult survivors of sexual abuse so that they can live beyond the trauma of the abuse with the dignity they have a right to, healthily and joyfully. ARPAN has so far helped over 80 children and adults including trafficked/rescued minors. We need your support to help many more child and adult survivors.

Harish is running for ARPAN in the Mumbai Marathon on 17^th January, 2010 to support Arpan's work on preventing child sexual abuse and healing it’s ill effects.

Help him raise funds for ARPAN. Funds collected will be used for teaching children skills to protect themselves from sexual abuse and help child and adult victims heal through counseling and therapy.

Funds collected so far – Rs. 88,200/-      Target amount – Rs. 1,01,000/-

Donate now.

To pay online click here. http://www.unitedwaymumbai.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=146&popup=1&template_id=42

(shortened URL – www.bit.ly/HopeRuns )

To pay via cheque, please send cheque in the name of ‘United Way of Mumbai’ to

ARPAN

@ Unit 24, 2^nd flr, 105, Apollo Street, Mumbai Samachar Marg, Mumbai – 23.

To know more about ARPAN visit www.arpan.org.in

Please forward this email to all your contacts and help spread the word around. Thank you.
Watch out for updates on www.Hope-Runs.blogspot.com , www.facebook.com/HopeRun and www.twitter.com/hoperuns Join Arpan's facebook group. - facebook/arpan

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United Way of Mumbai is the Charity Partner for Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2010 and will be sending the receipt and 80 G certificate to you for donations made. Donors outside India can donate but wont get any tax rebate. After the marathon, United Way will give the funds collected to ARPAN. To know more about United Way of Mumbai and the Marathon visit www.unitedwaymumbai.org