Running for humanity at Two Oceans race
A TEAM of 20 volunteers are running in support of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) South Africa and will be participating in the Two Oceans Marathon this weekend.
The runners each have a target of R2000 to reach today (April 13, 2024).
MSF is a global network of professionals who specialise in medical humanitarian work driven by humanity and guided by medical ethics.
They work together in teams, small and large, to respond to the medical needs of people affected by conflict, disasters and epidemics and those excluded from healthcare.
MSF’S Donor Retentions Manager, Florence Najjemba, said the funds raised will go directly towards the medical humanitarian work that MSF does in more than 70 countries around the world.
“This fundraising event is centred around doing what you love while saving lives,” she said.
“Most of the past experiences have been full of fun.”
“When we share our annual impact report with donors, they will be able to see how we used their donations and how many lives we saved together.
“Our biggest response works in Africa such as in DRC, Nigeria, CAR, South Sudan and Sudan.
“Each of the 20 runners has a target of two thousand rands to raise for each step of the marathon and we plan to exceed this target.”
Lwazi Kama, Director of Product Development at Transunion, one of the 20 runners lacing up for the Two Oceans Marathon, said he would pledge his support to a cause that would make a difference on the African continent and worldwide.
The father of two became an avid runner during the Covid-19 pandemic and started running competitively in 2023.
“During my younger days, I played SA school soccer in high school and I played provincial cricket,” he said.
“It was frustrating during lockdown not being able to be active.
“So I decided to start running and I was also concerned about my weight.”
Kama added his love for running then led him to the MSF and to part of making a change in the world by doing something which he is passionate about.
“Last year I ran the Sanlam Cape Town marathon and I really enjoyed it,” he said.
“I am always looking for ways to challenge myself, so the Two Oceans Marathon seemed like the logical race that I needed to participate in as I continue to challenge and push myself.
“Going with MSF as a charity of choice is quite an interesting one as I had planned to enter the race through the normal route, however I missed on getting the ticket in time.
“I then investigated other ways that would allow me to get entry into the race and this is how I came across multiple charity entry options; Doctors Without Borders was the charity that really made sense for me to support because of the incredible work they do across the continent.”
MSF, in South Africa launched a project tackling Non-communicable Diseases (NCDS) in the Amathole District in Butterworth, Eastern Cape.
According to data from the health department, the NCDS like Type-2 diabetes and hypertension account for half of all deaths in the district, including a major proportion of deaths of people over the age of 50.
Manighandan Sivaramakrishnan, Project Coordinator for the Eastern Cape NCDS Project said they recognised the challenges faced by rural communities in accessing healthcare.
“It is for this reason that we identified the Amathole district community to support with a patient-centric differentiated service delivery model (DSD) of medical care in collaboration with the Eastern Cape Department of Health,” explained Sivaramakrishnan.
“Drawing on experience from our NCD projects in other parts of the world, the project seeks to ensure that people living with chronic diseases have stable and accessible healthcare to manage their condition safely.”
#Runtosavealife, appeals to everyone to support and make a donation on Givengain or visit their website. Queries can be made at donorservices@ joburg.msf.org or call toll free 080 000 0331 for more information on how to support.