By Our Reporter
As has been the case in the previous years, MTN Uganda staff will join the Rotary community in the Cancer Run that is slated for this Sunday in Kampala and in all major towns across the country in a bid to raise funds for the construction of two Bunkers that will ease the treatment of cancer.
While receiving the cancer run kits on behalf of MTN Uganda staff at Nyonyi gardens today, Bryan Mbasa, the Acting Senior Manager MTN Foundation said that the cancer run is a noble event with good intentions in the area of health that the MTN Foundation is also involved in.
“We have been supporting the Cancer Run over the years because as the MTN Foundation, we are passionate about the area of health. We believe that good health is critical to the development of the country,” Mbasa said.
Mbasa also noted that in the past, MTN Uganda has supported the Uganda cancer institute under its corporate social responsibility dubbed ’21 days of yellow care’.
Rotarian Juliet Kyokunda, the Chair of this year’s Cancer Run lauded MTN for supporting the initiative over the years.
“MTN Uganda has supported the cancer run over the years because just like Rotary, the MTN Foundation is involved in humanitarian work which entails health. Working with them is seamless and I have high hopes that our partnership will get stronger,” Kyokunda said.
Now in its eighth year, the Cancer Run, is an annual event which aims at mobilizing funds for setting up cancer treatment and management infrastructure around the country.
From the previous cancer runs, a 36 bed capacity cancer center and a blood bank have been constructed in Nsambya and Mengo hospitals respectively. Both facilities are fully functional and running.
This year’s mission remains collecting funds for the construction of two bunkers to accommodate two linear accelerator machines that are used for the treatment of Cancer. The two bunkers have been estimated to cost 18 billion shillings (USD 4.5m). So far, 1.8 billion shillings has been collected and is available in the bank.