2021 running challenges: fundraising for JCWI
In 2021, I'll be doing a monthly running challenge to fundraise for the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI). Can I count on your support?
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Why I'm fundraising for an immigration charity
To raise awareness of how cruelly the UK treats immigrants
In October 2020, I wrote a blog post on how the UK's immigration system hurts people. I reflected on my own experiences as an immigrant in this country and told the stories of others.
If you haven't read it yet, read it and follow the call to action to write to your MP. You'll get a better understanding of how cruel this system is and why I want to do something about it.
To help a new friend and fight for fairer family immigration policies
Through writing that post, I connected with Thia, a fellow immigrant and runner who had started a fundraiser in support of JCWI's Keeping Families Together campaign.
The campaign focuses on the Government's discriminatory minimum income requirement for family visas. In a nutshell, if you have a non-British spouse and you don't earn £18,600 a year, this Government forbids you from living with your spouse in the UK.
That's a figure that over 40% of Brits don't earn and especially impacts people who are young, female, non-white, and live outside London.
Families have been split apart for years since this policy was implemented in 2012.
Thia and her husband were kept apart for 30 weeks in 2020 going through the spousal visa process, though in their particular case, due to a bureaucratic error.
There is no right to family life in the UK as long as the Government's hostile environment towards immigrants is in place.
My experience in the immigration system is the reason I run
In the past, I've been very adamant about not doing running-related fundraisers. My reasoning was that I didn't want it to look like I ran because of a cause. Running was something I did for me.
But that's not entirely true. I lied in the very first post on this blog when I said I started running because "I felt the need for speed".
I wasn't comfortable sharing this then, and I'm still not comfortable sharing the finer details now, but I will say this: I started running because going through the UK immigration system depressed me to the point where I felt compelled to run.
It was January 2018. I was in the middle of the visa renewal process. I had started to run as part of a New Year's Resolution to lose a few pounds, but my first two weeks of running were very much run a little bit, walk a little bit.
Then, one night in mid January, the experience of going through this immigration system had me flat on the floor crying, feeling an unbearable level of sadness. In that moment, for the first time in my life, I felt like I had to run.
I ran nearly a mile and a half without stopping, which is something I had never done before. I used to despise running.
Since that night, though, I've been able to run continuously without stopping. And running has continued to be my outlet to get through tough times.
So now, in 2021, my first full year as a permanent resident of the UK, I think it makes sense to combine my yearly running challenge with the cause I'm focused on advocating for.
About JCWI
The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants is a charity that works to help immigrants and change the narrative around immigration, whether by:
- taking the Home Office to court against their discriminatory policies
- providing immigrants with legal advice
- advocating for an immigration system built around evidence and human rights, and not on hatred and fear
They helped Thia as she and her husband were facing their battle against the Home Office in 2020.
I discovered them last year through Twitter and am in awe of the work their talented team have done, including:
I admire that combination of fighting the good fight, while also looking after those affected by the cruelty of the immigration system.
If you're interested in creating a better world, please donate. JCWI is helping to do exactly that.
The fundraising goal
The goal is to raise £12,700. That's a big, scary number I'm nervous about fundraising for.
But that's the goal Thia has set to draw attention to the fact that that is what families have to pay for a non-British spouse to go through the UK immigration system, from the first visa application, to British citizenship, with legal fees.
The rough cost breakdown is:
- 2 visa application fees: £3,000
- 5 years paying the Immigration Health Surcharge: £3,000
- indefinite leave to remain application fee: £2,400
- British citizenship application fee: £1,300
- legal representation: £3,000
So as scary as that number seems, I'm motivated by what Thia said to me about it: when it comes to British-international families, you either meet this cost or you are forced apart.
The challenges
After a year of 10k races in 2019 and half marathons in 2020, I'm going to mix it up in 2021 and do a different running challenge every month.
The challenges will be various things - not necessarily distances, but something running-related that is either new to me or noteworthy.
I'll post a blog recap at the end of each month and let you know how the fundraiser is going.
January challenge
I'm starting off the year by participating in RED January. RED as in Run Every Day.
Running every day isn't something that's entirely new to me. I used to run daily when I first started in 2018.
So it's been a while since daily running. It's also cold, wet January, which will make it a challenge to motivate myself to get out every day.
But I'll do it because that's what I do.
Get involved
If you've read this and are an immigrant yourself, and/or a runner, or just someone who wants to get involved with the fundraiser, reach out either through the comments here or on Twitter.
Ready to donate?
Are you on board to help fight for fairer family immigration policies? Let's do this.
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