Global Shapers Community Kohima is organising Run for Hope 2026 on September 10 to raise awareness on mental health and mark World Suicide Prevention Day.
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KOHIMA — "Run for Hope 2026", an initiative by the Global Shapers Community Kohima, is scheduled to be held on September 10 at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in Kohima from 4:30 am to 7:00 am to mark World Suicide Prevention Day.
This was announced during a press conference on Wednesday at FIFA Restaurant in Kohima by Rovikhono Savino, Psychologist and Global Shaper (Kohima Hub), who is the project lead for Run for Hope 2026; Dr. Kivi Swu, physiotherapist and Impact Officer of Global Shaper Kohima Hub; and Imlikokla Jamir, Marketing Agent, current Global Shaper, and founder of The Insighter.
The Global Shapers Community is a World Economic Forum initiative connecting young leaders under 30 across more than 500 city-based hubs.
Members design grassroots projects tackling local challenges like education and sustainability while bringing youth perspectives to global decision-making.
The five-kilometre community run on the theme “Every step gives hope” has a total prize pool of INR 60,000. The categories include an amateur category for both males and females and a professional category for both males and females.
The prize money is INR 7,000, INR 5,000, and INR 3,000 for the first, second, and third places, respectively, for both males and females in both the amateur and professional categories.
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The organisers informed that the response so far has been promising, with more than 90 participants registered. They also invited community members aged 18 and above to participate.
The registration contribution is INR 100, and 100% of the registration proceeds will go directly to identified NGOs working in mental health and suicide prevention in Nagaland. The organisers clarified that the event costs are being covered separately through sponsorships, meaning the registration contributions will go entirely to the cause.
The objective of the event is to bring people together through a five-kilometre community run to create more openness around mental health, suicide prevention, and the importance of community support.
Savino shared that a major challenge today is whether people feel safe enough to reach out, whether families know how to respond, and whether communities can have these conversations without judgement or stigma.
"And so for us, suicide prevention cannot only be a clinical conversation. It also has to be a community conversation," Savino said, adding that "Run for Hope" aims to create a space where talking about mental health does not feel unusual or uncomfortable, and where people can show solidarity and remind one another that seeking help is a sign of strength.
The organisers expressed belief that the initiative will bring different sections of the community together and demonstrate what becomes possible when people work toward a shared purpose.