Baltimore, MD – More than 250 runners, walkers, sponsors and health organizations raised more than $51,000 in Jhpiego’s Miles for Mothers “Run the World” campaign to deliver high-quality health care to women and families at a cyclone-damaged health facility in Mozambique.
Jhpiego, a global health non-profit and Johns Hopkins University affiliate, hosts its annual Miles for Mothers campaign to support a worthy project in one of the 40-plus countries where the maternal health organization works. This year, Jhpiego employees chose to support the Dondo Health Center in Mozambique, which lacked equipment, materials and supplies to open and fully serve clients despite its renovation after Cyclone Idai in 2019.
Miles for Mothers, which kicked off October 9 during Baltimore’s Running Festival, drew participants from Jhpiego’s Baltimore headquarters and across 15 countries – from Canada to Burkina Faso to Indonesia.
This year’s corporate sponsors were led by District Contracting Group—an event supporter since 2018—AIG Retirement Services and Compandben, along with Planet Technologies, Teneo, Barcoding Inc., TechChange, WhistleBlower Security and Conley Creative.
Returning partners included Show Me Your Stethoscope, HOLLIBLU, International Confederation of Midwives and the Global Health Interest Group at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing.
The money donated for the Dondo Health Center project will be used to buy equipment to sterilize medical instruments, an incinerator, septic tank and air conditioner; improve surgical rooms; purchase medical supplies to stop the spread of COVID-19; and expand waiting rooms.
“The Dondo Health Center is critical to our community. Many of our clients walk far to get access to treatment—between 7 and 10 miles—which is not easy when you are very sick,” said Alicia Jaramillo Saavedra, Jhpiego’s Mozambique Director who shared with Jhpiego colleagues the needs of the health center.
“This project is so important to me because it will allow families in Dondo to have better access to health care.”
Gilliane Isabelle, a Jhpiego Advisory Board member and chief distribution officer for AIG Retirement Services, supported Miles for Mothers by running the 5K race with a friend. “Race day is always a thrill — the crowds, Jhpiego staff cheering you along the way,” said Isabelle. “I look forward to contributing to Jhpiego’s lifesaving work in this way, knowing that every cent we raise goes directly to improve the health of women and their families.”
Kelly Harris, whose Facebook fundraiser pulled in $5,600 for the Dondo Health Center, returned to distance running after sustaining an injury in the New York Marathon in 2016. She chronicled her training for a 10 K race in clever social media posts featuring “Sweaty Kelly,” and urged friends and supporters to join the Dondo Health Center effort.
“This year’s project is near and dear to my heart, as I lived in Mozambique when I first started working with Jhpiego, back in 2015. During that time, I fell in love with the country and the people,” Harris wrote on her Facebook page. “Not only is this a way to have an even greater impact on the communities we serve, but it is also an opportunity to join forces and collaborate with my colleagues globally on a singular effort . . . and have a lot of fun in the process!”
For more information about Miles for Mothers, contact Kendall Towe: kendall.towe@jhpiego.org.
