On May 28th and 29th, 70 runners from over seven countries were on the move for peace!
This year’s Global Run raised funds for projects in Kenya as well as for emergency aid in Ukraine. Runners from Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Germany, the Netherlands, Serbia and Kenya participated.
In addition to the many athletes from around the world who ran alone or in small groups, two larger running groups joined forces in both Mayenya village, Kenya and Vienna, Austria. Motivated by the 33 Kenyan trailblazers who were up early on Saturday, the participants in Vienna started their run around noon. According to the motto “make me smile!”, the runners were welcomed by the supporters with a picnic and there was space for an enriching exchange about current projects.
We would like to thank all the participants, whose dedication has made it possible to create new vertical gardens for more than 50 people in Kenya. Since the start of the project two years ago, 251 families have already benefited from the bag gardens. Families were selected where either the children themselves, or their caregivers are HIV positive. The gardens provide the families with food that meets their nutritional needs and provides them with necessary antioxidants to strengthen their immune systems. Considering the climatic challenges, the gardens were designed to withstand the rainy season and require little water during the dry season. In addition, the gardens can provide an additional source of income.
The other half of the proceeds went to our partner organization Ukrainian Education Platform (UEP), which builds emergency shelters where especially women and children find refuge. They are provided with essential food and medicine and receive psychological care.
We thank you for your support!
Keep training hard and we’ll see you next year
for the Make Me Smile Global Run 2023!
