Devesh Khatu

About Me

I started running marathons 20 years ago after testing positive for HIV, and wanting to make a healthier change in my life. Since then, I have run 162 full marathons around the world as of January 2026, including 13 Mumbai Marathons, and all 7 World Marathon Majors, and have used my running as a vehicle to raise funds for causes that are personal to me, such as the Humsafar Trust, which provides HIV/AIDS services to people in Mumbai and around the country.

Running in Mumbai is also personal to me, as I was born in Mumbai and spent a few years of life in South Mumbai, in an area that is part of the Mumbai Marathon course.

Appeal

I am raising funds for The Humsafar Trust, (HST), which is an NGO based in Mumbai that works on prevention of HIV for vulnerable communities and manages intervention for care and support for people living with HIV. As someone living with HIV myself, the cause is also personally dear to me.

NGOs have been hit severely this year due to cuts in international funding through USAID as well as multinational corporations/foundations due to the current political/economic climate. Humsafar has had to close and/or reduce services at 6 of its HIV/STI community clinics, as a result of this global scaledown.

Here are some examples of where your donations could go; these numbers are for illustrative purposes only and actual deployment of funds will be based on where the need is greatest. However you may donate any amount; no amount is too small or too large.

2,500: Support 1 LGBTQ+ individual's mental health counselling for a month

5,000: Support The Humsafar Trust's social entitlement programmes for Transgender persons.

10,000: Fund the creation/distribution of LGBTQ+ sensitization materials for educational institutions.

25,000: Contribute to LGBTQ+ Health and Well Being focused Research projects.

50,000: Support an LGBTQ+ individual for their livelihood.

75,000: Support a community event such as mental health camps or visibility programmes.

1,00,000: Help HST upgrade its equipment and facility at the LGBTQ+ Clinic.

2,00,000: Support a non-urban LGBTQ+ NGO for sustainability.

100% of your donations will go to The Humsafar Trust. United Way Mumbai (UWM) is the philanthropy partner of Mumbai Marathon, and will provide Indian donors with 80G income tax exemption receipts.

Please note: India does not allow NGOs to accept foreign donations; if you do not have an Indian account and wish to donate; please contact me.

I have an ambitious target of Rs. 500,000; thank you for your support in helping me achieve it.

Best,
Devesh

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