Tokyo, Japan
The
Beyond Zero campaign entered a new dawn Sunday when First Lady Margaret
Kenyatta extended her training to Tokyo, Japan where she also launched
the 3rd edition of the First Lady’s Half Marathon 2016.
The launch also marked the third time that the First lady was taking her Beyond Zero fundraising abroad.
The first such outing was during the London Half Marathon in 2014.
There was also the recent training session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, two weeks ago.
The
marathons are aimed at creating awareness and mobilising resources to
fund Beyond Zero activities, especially the acquisition of mobile
clinics that the initiative has been distributing to counties.
So
far, 32 counties have benefited from the fully kitted clinics with
significant impact on maternal and child health at the grassroots.
The First Lady ran a 5km race around the emperor’s Imperial Palace in Tokyo in a chilly morning marked by a light drizzle.
PRE-RACE WORKOUT
Before
the race, enthusiastic participants who included the Kenyan ambassador
to Japan Solomon Karanja, Beyond Zero team and JICA officials took part
in a light work-out exercise to prepare themselves for the race.
The
pre-marathon training session around the verdant Imperial Palace was
unique in its own way because the First Lady was retracing the steps of
past world marathon champions including her own personal coach Douglas
Wakiihuri, Eric Wainaina and the late Samuel Wanjiru.
The
three Kenyan marathon giants trained and made their names in the same
“sports-crazy” nation where old age seems to be a key motivation to keep
running every morning.
Japan has some of the oldest people in the world.
UNVEILED BANNER
After
the race, the First Lady unveiled the official banner to launch the
FLHM 2016 marathon at a colourful ceremony at the Hibiya Park.
The FLHM 2016 is slated for Sunday, March 6.
Thanking
the Japanese nationals and the government for hosting her and providing
training facilities, the First Lady said there were compelling reasons
why she unveiled the FLHM 2016 in Japan.
She said the
vision of the World Assembly for Women (WAW 2015) where she was a key
participant resonates well with the Beyond Zero campaign, whose ultimate
goal is to empower the Kenyan woman and child through good health.
The
First Lady added that Japan is a country well known for its sporting
culture where some of the greatest Kenyan marathon champions had honed
their world beating prowess.
The chief guest at the
launch, Ambassador Norio Maruyana, who is the Director General of Africa
Affairs Department in Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the
event was significant because it was in recognition of Tokyo’s status as
a “marathon city”.
He described the Beyond Zero
campaign as a game-changer in Kenya’s health delivery system which had
brought hope to many mothers and children living in under-served areas.
The First Lady was in Japan for the two-day WAW conference convened by PM Shinzo and which ended Saturday.
No comments:
Post a Comment