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Hundreds take part in Dar’s Run for Binti Marathon

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The minister for Constitution and Legal Affairs, Ambassador Pindi Chana (fourth from the left), along with the executive director of LSF,  Lulu Ng’wanakilala and the executive director of Smile For Community, Flora Njelekela, and other participants, participate in the Run for Binti Marathon. PHOTO | COURTESY

By  The Citizen Reporter

Media/news company

Mwananchi Communications Limited

What you need to know:

  • The main objective of the event is to empower girls to access quality education, reproductive health, protect the environment and improve health through exercises.

Dar es Salaam. Over 700 competitors featured in the Run for Binti Marathon held at Oysterbay Grounds in Dar es Salaam to mark the third successful season of the event.

The marathon was organised by Smile for Community (S4C) in collaboration with the Legal Services Facility (LSF).

The main objective of the event is to empower girls to access quality education, reproductive health, protect the environment and improve health through exercises.

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The marathon included 21 km, 10 km, and 5 km runs. The runners showed great enthusiasm, successfully supporting the goal of ensuring the girls have safe menstrual hygiene and a conducive learning environment.

The guest of honour, minister for Constitution and Legal Affairs Pindi Chana, on behalf of deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy, Doto Biteko, led hundreds of runners in the marathon. Chana congratulated LSF, in collaboration with Smile for Community, for organizing the marathon that brought them together.

Chana said the government recognises the various challenges facing communities, especially in safe menstrual hygiene, and the need for infrastructure in challenging areas.

For her part, Flora Njelekela, executive director of Smile for Community, expressed her gratitude to the guest of honour for attending and emphasising the significance of the event.

She also said the anticipated outcomes of the marathon, stating,

"The funds raised will be directed towards building and improving toilet infrastructure, providing clean water by constructing wells in schools, and distributing reusable sanitary pads as well as combating climate change and promoting the proper use of clean energy.

“These efforts have already benefited thousands of secondary school students in Mtwara, and we will continue to expand to reach more schools in Lindi and other areas," she said.

Njelekela also requested  the government to remove taxes on sanitary pads to increase their availability and affordability.

She emphasised that the demand for such products among girls and women has been high, saying that many cannot afford the costs of the products every month.

For her part, the Executive Director of LSF, Ms Lulu Ng'wanakilala, spoke of the ongoing challenges faced by girls and the significant importance of projects like LSF in overcoming those obstacles.

 "In our efforts to provide legal aid services, we directly encounter the barriers faced by girls,” she said.

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