A team supporting Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Southern Africa will be running to save lives at the upcoming Two Oceans Marathon. Each of the 20 runners has a target of R2,000 to raise and are hoping to exceed this. Dubbed the biggest race in South Africa, the event will take place on April 13-14 in Cape Town.
According to MSF’s Donor Retentions Manager, Florence Najjemba, the funds raised will go directly towards the medical humanitarian work that MSF does in over 70 countries around the world.
“This fundraising event is centred around doing what you love while saving lives. Most of the past experiences have been full of fun, as well as impactful. 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.”
Lwazi Kama, director of product development at TransUnion, is one of the 20 runners lacing up their shoes for the Two Oceans Marathon. He says he is excited to pledge his support to a cause that impacts not only the African continent but extends worldwide.
“Partnering with MSF affords me the opportunity to actively participate in one of the biggest races of the year and, in doing so, help raise funds and awareness for the incredible work they do across the continent.”
In South Africa, MSF’s recently launched project is tackling Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in the Amathole District in Butterworth, Eastern Cape. Data from the provincial Department of Health indicates that 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.
“MSF recognises the challenges faced by rural communities in accessing healthcare, and 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. 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.” – Manighandan Sivaramakrishnan, Project Coordinator for the Eastern Cape NCDs Project.
