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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Absa Bank Uganda and the Kampala Hash House Harriers have partnered to present the Absa KH3 – 7 Hills Run a 21km run spanning the seven iconic hills in Kampala. This initiative is intended to support a significant social cause; keeping the girl-child in school.
The run is slated to take place on Sunday, 28 May 2023, starting from Kingdom Kampala, Nakasero.
“Through this partnership, we look forward to promoting healthy living and wellness through exercise while contributing to a cause that will have significant social impact. The proceeds from this initiative organized in collaboration with the Kampala Hash House Harriers, will thus go towards efforts to keep the girl child in school through a two-pronged approach namely providing skills training to teenage mothers to enable them earn a sustainable living and strengthening menstrual hygiene management to manage school absenteeism and dropout rates among girls,” said Helen Nangonzi Basuuta, Marketing and Customer Experience Director, Absa Bank Uganda.
The run compliments other initiatives established by the Kampala Hash House Harriers, an established club of runners.
“We are pleased to announce the return of the 7 Hills Run which will be made bigger and better by this partnership with Absa Uganda. We would like to appeal to the general public to take part in the run whilst also contributing to a social cause. Registration will cost only UGX20,000 and payments can be made at any Absa branch of convenience or by dialing *233*5#,” said Doreeen Lwanga, Kampala Hash House Harriers Information Minister.
Participation from both individuals and organisations is welcome with registration via two options; either as an individual or a corporate team for a nominal fee. The partnership with Absa will span three years and the organisers are confident it will see the run elevate in status.
Despite high levels of enrolment, recent data shows that only 53% of Ugandan girls aged 6-12 complete the required seven years of primary education, and merely 22.5% of the female Ugandan population enrol in secondary education. This can be attributed to a number of obstacles that girls in our community face, including poverty, cultural barriers, early marriages, unwanted pregnancy, and difficulty managing menstrual hygiene.
“We are currently appealing to the general public and various private sector players to support the cause. Absa strives to be an active force for good in everything we do and believe that education is a right that every child should have access to, regardless of gender,” Kalifungwa added.
