My Story

Hi everyone, I'm Cleo :) 

Being half Filipino, I understand how much weight family and community “honour” can carry. I’m lucky and grateful that it’s never taken away my freedom but for those experiencing or at risk of 'honour'-based abuse and harmful practices, it does.

It can limit their choices, future, and cause long-term implications both psychologically and physically. 

What is 'honour'-based abuse?
'Honour'-based abuse happens when a person brings 'shame' or 'dishonour' to a family and/or community - it can look like conversion 'therapy', female genital mutilation, and forced marriage. And it can happen to absolutely anyone regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability etc. 

My why
I'm the senior marketing and comms manager at Savera UK so I hear about our clients’ lived experiences quite regularly and honestly I can’t fathom what they're experiencing.

Their stories stay with you.

It’s why I want to raise funds so Savera UK can continue to grow and offer more to the people who need this service, whether that’s through wellbeing initiatives like the trauma-informed therapy project, personal development, or financial support that helps even more people get out of terrible situations.

Being part of that growth, in this way, really matters to me.

My challenge
The longest distance I've ever ran is just over 5K (which means 5.1k lol), and I've decided to run a half-marathon (~21km) in about 3 months...Yes, I am slightly delulu. However, I'll be running in Paris, and it'll be my first time there, so I thought, what an amazing way to see the sights! 

If you can donate, even just a little bit, it would go such a long way. 

Thank you for reading this far, and if you'd like to see my journey from rookie to half-marathoner, follow my TikTok ( @cleoqat )