600 Million UGX Collected from MTN Marathon

Ugandans have a heart, and this sis shown by the number of times they contribute towards charity. It is thus is no surprise that thousands of Kampala residents met on 19th November. They did this to  raise money for a good cause through the MTN Marathon. They ran, they sweated, but did it all for children and women. Wim Van Helleputte, the CEO of the biggest telecommunications company in Uganda, MTN,  has just announced that 600 million Uganda Shillings was raised from the marathon.

This year, the marathon required the different participants to select the cause for which they wanted to contribute.The amounts collected from the Kampala marathon, were stated to be used to improve of maternal health. The remainder is to replace asbestos roofing in schools within Kampala to reduce the risk of cancer in children.

This years edition recorded a total of about 23,000 runners participating.

From the 600 million Uganda Shillings collected, it was also announced that 56% will be channeled to improving maternal health facilities in Komamboga and Kiswa. the remaining 44% will be contributed to eighteen thousand iron sheets to replace those made from asbestos.

ASBESTOS

Asbestos are a group of minerals, that occurs naturally, and one can be exposed to through inhaling or swallowing.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a part of the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies asbestos as “carcinogenic to humans,” because it can cause mesothelioma and cancers of the lung, larynx and ovaries.

The marathon was indeed for a good cause and thank you to all that participated.