By Phares Mutembei
By 6:30am Nyayo Stadium was teeming with hundreds of children gathered for a noble course — to raise funds for children with heart conditions.
Bracing the biting chilly morning their happy voices could be heard in the massive stadium as they waited for Mater Heart Run to start. It was sponsored by Safaricom, Standard group among other partners.
In Kenya, many children are ailing from heart diseases and need treatment. However, most of these young patients come from poor families and cannot afford treatment.
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| Children enjoy playing on a bouncing castle at the Nyayo stadium after participating in the Mater Heart Run [Photo: Jenipher Wachie] |
Accompanying them were parents, teachers, guardians and friends.
The Mater Heart Run is held yearly, to raise money to treat children with heart complications.
To date the initiative has assisted over 2,000 children.
A similar event was also staged at KPA Mbaraki Sports Club in Mombasa and Booker Academy in Mumias.
“Children with heart problems have to get treatment so that they can be able play like their healthy counterparts. When a child has a weak heart they cannot concentrated in class and are often absent from school as they get sick frequently. They Government needs to help this sick and poor children so that they can enjoy life like all other people,” said John Kiarie, a Class Seven pupil at Murema Primary School, Kasarani.
“I think it is expensive to treat heart diseases as they are not like fevers or headaches. I always get headaches and I don’t feel like playing.
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