The Footprints 2025 charity run took place in Bengaluru Sunday morning to raise awareness about the cause of children with HIV. The event, conducted by the Rishi Foundation, was also stated to be inspired by Rishi Shet, a teenager who passed away in 2021 in an accident. The Foundation run by his brother and parents has conducted various events, including concerts, to support underprivileged children and those affected by HIV.
The event, consisting of a 5-kilometre run and a 10-kilometre run, was conducted at the Snehadaan campus near Sarjapur Road and saw the participation of around 440 children with HIV from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Around 500 participants accompanied them as “buddy runners”, a record since the running event began in 2022. The event came a day before World AIDS Day on December 1.
As the participating children are part of the Foundation’s Positive Running programme, it also served to raise funds to expand and maintain the initiative. On the purpose behind these runs, Dr Anita Shet said, “To raise awareness about the power of physical activity in building resilience and maintaining good health…..children living with HIV or other challenging circumstances can thrive when given the right support. The event offers a public platform for these young runners to demonstrate that HIV is no barrier to aspiration and achievement.”
About what the organisers hope that participants might take away from this run, she said, ” We hope participants come away with a deeper appreciation of the strength and potential of these children, and that they are just like children everywhere, full of dreams and determination. By running alongside them, participants witness firsthand how young people who have faced significant adversity can still chart their own future with confidence and joy… Our deeper hope is that this shared experience helps reduce stigma surrounding HIV and other hardships.”