Abu Dhabi: Community invited to join charity run to eliminate neglected tropical diseases

Community members have been urged to join a charity run to raise funds for a drive to end two neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) – river blindness and lymphatic filariasis.

Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC) has partnered with The Reach Campaign and Daman to organise the ‘Reaching the Last Mile’ race to be held at Yas Bay Waterfront on Saturday morning.

More than 200 million people worldwide require treatment for river blindness, one of the leading causes of preventable blindness. Proceeds from the run will be allocated to The Reach Campaign, which will benefit the Reaching the Last Mile Fund (RLMF), aiming to eliminate the two diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Community members can support the campaign by taking part in any of the different categories of races: 1,000m, 3,000m, 5,000m or 10,000m.

Aref Al Awani, General Secretary, ADSC, said the event is an opportunity for families and community to come together for a good cause.

“We must always be grateful for our good health and for the opportunity to live in a country where such diseases are not prevalent. However, it is our responsibility, as citizens of the world, to help the less fortunate and encourage future generations to follow our example. This is what we hope to achieve through the upcoming event.”

Tala Al Ramahi, acting managing director for The Reach Campaign, praised the role played by partners ADSC and Daman.

“Strategic collaborations such as this exemplify the values of our founding father, Sheikh Zayed, of giving and generosity and emphasise that everyone has the power to make a difference. The event will provide an ideal platform to raise awareness of our efforts while encouraging the public to donate to our cause in any way that they can.”

The run starts at 7.30 am and will be held at Yas Bay Waterfront on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island on Saturday.

Community members can participate in the run by registering at https://www.adsc.ae/en/events/reaching-the-last-mile/. The entry fee for the race is Dh57.75 and includes a branded T-shirt, winners’ ceremony, medals for the winners, and individual photos which will be shared with all participants. Participants will require a green status on the Hosn app, in addition to a negative PCR result within 96 hours.

To make a direct contribution to The Reach Campaign, text the word GIVE to 2424 or visit https://reachtheend.org/.

• Abu Dhabi