• Participants will be expected to compete in four categories.
• There will be the 10 Km race for men and women with the 21 Km race for both gender being the main attraction of the day.
Image: /EVANS OUSURU
The inaugural Tespok Autism HalfMarathon will be held at the Nyayo Stadium on November 27 after it was officially launched in Nairobi on Friday.
The marathon, themed “Be a Hero – Accept, Understand and Love” is geared towards raising funds and rallying support for children living with autism in Kenya.
Participants will be expected to compete in four categories.
Autistic children will compete in the 2km race with the Wheelchair and amp while the CEO’s race set for 5Km . There will be the 10 Km race for men and women with the 21 Km race for both genders the main attraction of the day.
Tespok CEO Fiona Asonga said: “We want to encourage parents with Autistic children to register for this event and also bring their children along on this day.”
“We shall have many activities on the day with all service providers around to answer any questions that might arise,”
The marathon is set to facilitate Autism research to determine the statistics on autism cases across the country.
“As part of its commitment to this course, TESPOK will endeavor to spearhead this initiative to reduce stigma albeit creating more awareness and understanding on Autism across Kenya," Asonga said.
“We aim to be an organisation that successfully balances the importance of achieving corporate objectives alongside the responsibility of contributing towards the development of communities around us."
"Therefore, by hosting this marathon, it is totally in line with our objective of being a socially responsible entity that transforms the lives and livelihoods of Kenyan communities besides further strengthening its relationship with its members.”
Meanwhile, Nairobi County Women Representative Esther Passaris pledged to partner with TESPOK towards this initiative; inclusive education — in all counties for autistic children.
“I will talk to my colleagues from other counties to come in handy and help towards this initiative. We are still lagging behind in addressing such issues but I believe that this is a beginning towards great things in future,” Passaris said