Cheptegei Foundation Benefits from Absa 7 Hills Run

Absa Bank Uganda has donated Sh300m from 2024 Absa 7 Hills Run to support Girl Child education, including the Joshua Cheptegei Foundation.

This, is intended to address the high dropout rates among girls in primary education.

This annual charity event, organized in collaboration with the Kampala Hash House Harriers (KH3), aims to fund initiatives that help keep girls in school.

Mumba Kalifungwa, Managing Director of Absa Bank Uganda, emphasized the importance of education for all children, regardless of gender.

“In 2023, an analysis done by the Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB) showed that an estimated 1.2 million learners enrolled in School drop out before reaching Primary Seven and majority of these are Girls,” Kalifungwa started.

“These high school drop out rates have been attributed to various factors including poverty, early child marriages, rampant teenage pregnancies among others.

“At Absa, we believe that Education is a right every child should have access to, regardless of gender, every child’s story matters.

“The Absa 7 Hills Run is our way of supporting the Girl Child because of their story.”

Kalifungwa revealed that they collected a total of Sh300m which will be put towards supporting efforts aligned to their cause of keeping the Girl Child in school.

“We split these funds among reputable social enterprises. We are honoured to be able to make a contribution towards tackling this societal challenge.

“Overall, through this support we intend to contribute towards a reduction in school absenteeism and drop out rates among girls.”

The bank will give Sh50m to Joshua Cheptegei Foundation for school fees bursaries for 22 girls at the Joshua Cheptegei Junior School, which supports less privileged and talented children.

“Joshua is not with us here today, he is in Paris defending his Olympics accolades which he has amicably done and we congratulate him on that,” Kalifungwa added.

“I was quiet moved by the work being done by the foundation and I commend their approach of using Sports for community foundation especially in the Sebei sub region that still grapples with challenges of gender based violences, early marriages, teenage pregnancies, poverty and high level of school drop outs among others.

Among other recipients include Nyaka AIDS Orphans Project (Sh20m), Baylor College (Sh50m), Amref Health Africa (Sh30m), Windle International (Sh60m) and World Vision (Sh90m).