Chilima Karima and Chilelu Kakanwa, both Zambia natives, will run with a team on behalf of Imagine No Malaria in the Great American Mud Run November 2nd in Manchester, Tennessee . The team will run the 5K obstacle race wearing Imagine No Malaria T-shirts.
Raising awareness for Imagine No Malaria is a cause that holds a particular significance for Karima and Kakanwa. Both runners have once contracted malaria.
“During registration for the race a coordinator asked if we would like to run for a specific cause,” Karima said. “We chose Imagine No Malaria because contracting malaria is a common experience we share. We both know first-hand the suffering and discomfort that one goes through with malaria.”
Karima has been preparing for the race by running three miles weekly at the local YMCA and the park near his home. He said he is looking forward to getting muddy for a good cause.
“If just two or more people take notice of Imagine No Malaria at the race, more lives could be saved,” Karima said. “I would like to tell people that malaria is real, we hope to save lives and there is a way that each of us can help.”
When Karima was 16 years old, he forgot to take his anti-malarial medications while attending boarding school in Kabwe, Zambia and soon began to experience the symptoms of malaria.
“I had to go to the school clinic,” Karima recounted, “after a whole week of fevers, vomiting and other discomfort.”
Karima’s boarding school in Kabwe gave him malarial treatment drugs that were ineffective in ridding him of the illness. He left school and took public transportation on a three-hour journey home where his mother took him to a private clinic in Lusaka.
“I consider myself lucky to have had access to medications,” Karima said. “I constantly think about the people who are not as lucky, who don’t have access to treatment.”
In addition to thinking about the people who die from lack of access to malarial treatment, Karima said he is motivated to raise awareness for Imagine No Malaria by the words of Romans 8:38-39.
“Nothing can separate us from the love of God, neither death nor life,” Karima said, “and neither can malaria.”
Supporters of the team can give on behalf of the runners to Imagine No Malaria at Imaginenomalaria.org.
[source: Imagineno malaria.org]
LT… that headline sounds yoyo.. raising awarenes of malaria to americans or zambians/africans,,,.. these chap should raising funds to fight malaria , everyone in malaria countries knows what malaria is,, no need for awarenes!!!!
anyway go lucky guts
Iwe chakushupa ukwikalafye?? If something doesnt concern you, ignore it…
Malaria is better than tick fever you get from that mud-run. I am running again in NY this weekend, so disgusting run. But I am not running for anyone, so sad. I will copy from the two gentlemen and join some noble cause. I think I change my mind I will not go for that run on Saturday. Unless I find a charity. Mwalufyanya guys…
-Ok here is awareness:
Mud run is crazy and stupid.. people dress in anything, I mean costumes etc, and some like Chilima & Chilelu might be doing it for a good cause. You run in mud, I mean like farm manure, forests, and you can get all kind of diseases.Dogs come along too, atleast the one I run 2 summers ago. And there is no trophy!!
@ ndobo Lusaka times changed the heading from it’s original and copied and pasted the story.
Thanks chilelu. Thats noble
young man by the name ndobo don’t get too excited, can you call me chap honestly? anyway its african culture.
First line of defence is prevention of the BITE,this we can do as ZAMBIANS without the help of outsiders…
why should we always be looking for a helping hand even in matters that are well within our reach?
zambians are used to begging,, thats why
yep,en its a habbit we have to do away with…
Great job Chilima & Chilelu… Please keep it up. I have lost too many friends and relatives due to Malaria.
People criticizing have a right to do so, but I think they don’t understand what “awareness” means. It is not just a symbolism. It allows the governments, private entities to prioritize resources ensuring there is more focus on Malaria, in terms of scholarships for Zambians, research and new advanced genomics research to target the ever mutating malaria pathogens… remember we used to take chloroquine, moved to quinine, the fancidar, now what will be next….This requires billions and billions of dollars in investments, human subject research to identify drug/gene interactions… Well done Mr. Karima… Anything positive from well meaning Zambians should be encouraged. God…
just raise money to fund malaria patients than waste you damn energy to run aware who??
if the mosquitoes wudnt be afforded breeding grounds,there wudnt be malaria patients!
Great Job Chilima & Chilelu……..Great Ambassadors for a good cause !David Livingstone and his dear wife Marry Moffat all died from Malaria way back but yet people continue to die of this epidemic.I believe more medical research in Zambia would be great way to eradicate this pandemic.By the way…..what was our renowned Molecular Biologist Professor Lameck Goma’s thesis about?
Bravo young Zambians!All the very best in the 5Km obstacle race (The Great American Mud Run)……….Great Cause…….indeed ” Imagine No Malaria “.
Great job brother Karima and Chilelu.. Get motivated by the comments…
Keep up the great work guys. God bless you guys.