News:

MALAWI FUN RUN

The third Beit CURE Hospital Fun and Run and after several demands it seems to have become an annual event.

The route is a 5km route that people can walk or run or those who are extra brave can do the route twice and do the 10km run. The route takes people through the College of Medicine and then through the CURE grounds where children with crutches and wheelchairs line to route with placards saying 'zikomo' 'run well' so it really gives people an idea of what they are running for. Runners then go down past the CURE hostel which shows them another area in which CURE is helping to provide orthopaedic care for the country. The aim of the run is mainly to raise awareness of what the hospital does -
how it helps children and to do that we need to raise funds. We advertise all the private services at the event so that the community know what is available and that by using CURE services it means that more disabled children will be operated on.

Entry to the race is totally free because we want to encourage poor people to support the run as well as the rich. This
year we have about 40 orphans running form two different orphanages. Our 5km Under 16 runner last year was a 12 year old from Kondanani Orphanage. The kids constantly pester the teachers about when the next Fun Run is and when
training can begin. Many of them are doing 10km this year and will receive a free T shirt.
Money is raised by offering an entry to a prize draw for anyone bringing sponsorship contributions of more than 2000mk (about £9)
The local international High School are right behind us and sent 60 runners and 1.25 million kwacha of sponsorship last year. They hope to double their efforts this year.

Last year we had 360 runners and around the Sports Complex where we set off from there must have been over 600 people. 5 local donors are the main sponsors and this helps us to cover the cost of prizes and admin. Our costs are very low because we insist that this is a 'Family Fun Run' and so prizes are 'Fun' prizes.

WE are not keen to attract Malawis top athletes because it would become competitive and the idea is to have fun and raise awareness and money for the hospital.
Our total income last year was about 1.7 million kwacha (about £6,000) which helped a lot of children to be cured from their disability.

Runners that UK donors might know are:
Jim and Pip Harrison, John Cashman, Roy Miller and Stuart Palmer - 10km and Grace Harrison is doing the 5km run for the first time. I suspect that some Palmer children may also run 5km and Cashman children will be running the childrens race. All CURE UK staff wives (Gail, Zoe and Robyn) are involved with organising the entry process with Janette, Jonathan and Benjamin Miller manning the welcome desk.

Quick Facts:

The Beit Trust CURE International Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi is a 66-bed teaching hospital that specializes in treating the orthopaedic needs of children. The facility was opened in 2002 and serves children with physical disabilities regardless of their ethnic background, religious affiliation or ability to pay.

Approximately 800 patients are admitted each year to the CURE Hospital and more than 2,100 surgeries are performed annually at the hospital. On average more than 300 outpatient visits are provided each month. The CURE hospital in Malawi has special expertise in total hip and knee replacement surgery, one of the very few places where this surgery is available in Sub-Saharan Africa. The hospital maintains the only registry of people who had this surgery in Africa. Surgery is performed to treat a wide range of orthopaedic conditions including clubfoot, burn contractures, osteomyelitis and other acquired or congenital conditions. The CURE hospital also provides physiotherapy and chiropractic services.

The hospital maintains an orthopaedic clinical officer training program. This program trains nurses to work as orthopaedic physician extenders to serve outlying areas. The hospital also conducts monthly mobile clinics to identify children in remote areas who can be served by the hospital and to provide follow-up care to those who have received surgery.

Please donate here to support the work of this hospital and it's brilliant staff. Jim Harrison, John Cashman, Stuart Palmer and Roy Miller are all currently located at this hospital with their amazing families.  UK friends and family can also donate here in support of them and their work, as well as to support the other African staff in their work.

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