Absa Dar City Marathon 2023 donates hospital equipment to Mnazi Mmoja Hospital

Absa Bank Tanzania Chief Internal Auditor, George Binde (fourth left), hands over medical equipment for Mnazi Mmoja Hospital to Dar es Salaam City Council non-communicable diseases cordinator, Dr Milka Mathania, donated by Absa to support the government efforts to provide quality health services in the country.

Dar Es Salaam, Wednesday, 17 May 2023 | Absa Dar City Marathon donated hospital equipment to Mnazi Mmoja Hospital in Dar es Salaam to support the government efforts to provide quality health services to all Tanzanians. This follows from the successful event that was held on 7 May 2023 in Dar es Salaam. The occasion was running in parallel with a blood donation campaign organized by the Club with the support of the marathon sponsors, partners, vendors, services providers and the general public.

The handover of the hospital equipment was attended by In-charge of Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, Dr. Delila Moshi, Ilala Municipal NCDs Coordinator, Dr. Milka Mathania, leaders and members of The Runners Club and representatives of the sponsors of the marathon, Absa Bank Tanzania Limited, Britam Insurance Tanzania Limited, Alliance Life Assurance Limited and Gardaworld Security Services Limited.

Speaking at the occasion, Dr. Delila expressed her gratitude to Absa Dar City Marathon for choosing Mnazi Mmoja Hospital as their preferred institution for their charitable donation and urged them to continue supporting the hospital in the coming marathons. She also praised The Runners Club blood donation campaign, informing that lack of adequate blood is one of the major challenges of the hospital which admits more than 200 expecting mothers in the maternity ward and attends to more than 400 children daily in their reproductive health clinic. On her side, the Ilala Municipal NCDs Coordinator, Dr. Milka advised that NCDs is one of the major challenges of public health in Dar es Salaam and urged The Runners Club to continue with this initiative for the greater benefit of the community.

The spokesperson of the Runners Club, Mr. Godfrey Mwangungulu informed the audience that Absa Dar City Marathon that was held on Sunday, 7 May 2023 at Mnazi Mmoja Grounds, Dar es Salaam was the 3rd edition and attracted more than 2,500 runners in the 21.1km, 10km and 5km race categories. Theme of the marathon was aligned with the Club’s vision of healthy lifestyles aiming at preventing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) through running and the donation of hospital equipment to Mnazi Mmoja Hospital NCDs Clinic was to fulfil that vision. The selection of Mnazi Mmoja Hospital was in line with the saying that charity begins at home given the close proximity of the hospital to Mnazi Mmoja Grounds, the venue of the marathon for the past three events.

The representative of Absa Bank Tanzania Limited, the main sponsors of the marathon, Mr. George Binde, said that Absa supports The Runners Club’s vision to prevent non-communicable diseases (NCDs) through running, and this was one of the main reasons for sponsoring the marathon, which included this charitable donation of hospital equipment. In addition, Absa motivates and promotes healthy lifestyles amongst its staff members and clients through the Absa Health Club. This donation is also aligned with our Citizenship agenda of being a force for good to our communities and play a major role in the society.

The representative of Britam Insurance Tanzania Limited, the sponsors of the 10km corporate run, Ms. Leoncia Makubo, said that the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is aligned with the company objectives particularly in the provision of health insurances services. Healthy lifestyles reduce the usage of hospital services for preventable diseases, reserving this scarce service to those are critically in need. The company will continue to support deserving charitable activities through its CSR initiatives.

The representative of Alliance Life Assurance Limited, the sponsors of the 5km family fun run, Ms. Josephine Mfikwa said that the company supports the Runners Club vision of healthy lifestyles and this donation is a demonstration of their commitment to support the health needs of the society. As a life assurance provider, healthy lifestyles are likely to prevent untimely deaths leading to long and happy lives.

About Absa Dar City Marathon

Absa Dar City Marathon is an iconic city centre race organized annually in May by The Runners Club through the Runners Sports Agency. The marathon has both male and female categories in the 21.1km, 10km and 5km race categories. It showcases the city’s iconic landmarks including the Clock Tower, TPA Towers, PSSSF Twin Towers, Johari Rotana, St. Joseph Cathedral, Azania Front Cathedral, Askari Monument, Bank of Tanzania Towers, JNICC, the Aga Khan Hospital, Tanzanite Bridge, Coco Beach and Selander Bridge.

The third edition of the marathon was held on Sunday, 7 May 2023 at Mnazi Mmoja Grounds, Dar es Salaam and was sponsored by Absa Bank Tanzania Limited (21.1km, half marathon), Britam Insurance Tanzania Limited (10km, corporate run), Alliance Life Assurance Limited (5km, fun run) and Gardaworld Security Services Limited with the support of the City of Dar es Salaam, Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, Target Bar & Grill, Jackie’s Pub & Restaurant, The Deck Kitchen & Bar, Kilimanjaro Fresh, Swahili Sweatshop and Selous Marathon.

About The Runners Club

The Runners Club is the largest social running club in Tanzania in terms of number of members, followers and supporters. The Club is based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, with more than 1,000 members across the country mainly in the cities of Dar es Salaam, Morogoro, Zanzibar, Tanga, Mtwara, Moshi, Arusha, Mwanza, Dodoma, Iringa and Mbeya. The Club is incorporated under The Trustees Incorporation Act (Cap 318 R. E. 2002) as a Trust and registered under the National Sports Council of Tanzania Act, 1967 as a sports club with registration number NSC 12396 dated 31 July 2019.

The objectives of the Club are to provide sports and social health (drug abuse, non-communicable diseases) education; to provide a wholesome social sporting environment for members; and to organize, collaborate and associate with other clubs in sports activities and events throughout the country.

The Club organizes Absa Dar City Marathon in May and Dar Night Run (DNR) on the last Saturday of August every year. The Club leverages its expertise and large membership base to provide race management services to other races through partnerships and/or agency services including Kilimanjaro Marathon, DAM DAM Marathon, CRDB Bank Marathon, NBC Dodoma Marathon and UDSM Marathon.

About Absa Bank Tanzania

Absa Bank Tanzania Limited is a leading commercial bank in Tanzania that currently boasts a network of 15 branches and 62 ATMs strategically located countrywide – 21 at all our branches and 49 offsite.

The Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of Absa Group Limited. Absa Bank Tanzania Limited, (registered number 38557), is regulated by the Bank of Tanzania.