Some children from Kilimanjaro orphanage Centre poses with their medals after finishing Ngorongoro run. (Photo: James Lanka).
Organised by local tour company, ZARA Tanzania Adventures, the
21-kilometre half marathon race took place on April 19 and attracted
runners from East Africa, Africa, and other parts of the world who came
together for charity running in support of poor children and women
living in areas neighbouring northern Tanzania’s wildlife parks.
The Coordinator of the Zara Charity, Emmanuel Gabriel explained
that, the ZARA Charity’s newest project aims at making a change to the
lives of the Maasai women in Karatu.
“The Ngorongoro Marathon is primarily organised to support the
community in different ways entitled “Run for Charity,” adding that the
event is among a unique community-themed, multi-cultural series of
events designed with entertainment packages including, but not limited
to, adventure safaris, open festivals, overnight carnivals, football
matches, stage performances, and a red-carpet award ceremony. The
marathon is also being organised to promote tourism with a priority to
support the Maasai communities through education and health.
”
He said great improvements have been made in the education of
Maasai men, the women are poorly lacking behind, due to their burden of a
traditional inferior role within their community.
Therefore, Zara Charity wants to build a Maasai Women’s Vocational Training Educational Centre in the highlands of Karatu.
“Certain skills can help these women to rise above their restricted
positions in society and to grant their family a better living by
establishing their own business or getting employed. Eventually, they
can realise their full potential and be empowered to pursue their own
dreams and ideals,” he explained.
Registered as the Ngorongoro Marathon Project, ZARA Tanzania
Adventures aims at raising funds to support the Maasai women so as to
liberate them from their traditional beliefs, which is based on
oppression, exploitation, and elimination of women within their society.
In order to improve this situation and to help the Maasai women in
Karatu and Ngorongoro localities, the company, through ZARA Charity,
plans to build an educational training centre at the area.
Over 5,000 athletes from nearly 40 countries competed in the race
under the banner of tourism promotion and charity initiatives to support
the poor communities.
Rwanda and Burundi were the first countries to register their
participation in this year's Ngorongoro Marathon. The athletes competed
in a 21-kilometre Half-Marathon, 5-kilometre race, and 2.5-kilometre run
for primary and secondary school pupils and students.
The guest of honour during prize giving ceremony at the
2015-Ngorongoro Marathon-Run for Charity, former Prime Minister,
Fredrick Sumaye commended Zara’s efforts for supporting vulnerable
groups in our community.
“The government recommends the role played by ZARA Tanzania
Adventures through its charitable organisation-Zara Charity in the
promoting the domestic tourism as well as promoting sustainable
education for the pastoralists’ kids who normally shift from one place
to another with cattle, searching for the pastures, “ he explained.
However, Sumaye advised Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority
(NCCA) to engage fully in the Ngorongoro marathon initiated by Zara
charity so long the name of the race is their ‘brand name.’
For her part, Chief Executive Officer of the ZARA Tanzania
Adventures, Zainab Ansell explained that, her organisation started its
community education project for the marginalised pupils in Ngorongoro
after realising that many young Maasai girls and boys in Endulen Ward
had no access to nursery school and they were forced to walk more than
10 kilometres for pre-school studies.
“In 2013, we carried a study at Endulen Ward and we learnt that
there was no single nursery school for the kids. So, Zara Charity in
collaboration with our partners started constructing a modern nursery
school for the pastoralists’ kids in Endulen Ward worth over 140 m/-.”
Ansell further explained by understanding the importance of
nursery education to the kids for the sustainable education, ZARA
Tanzania Adventures (ZARA Tours), under its charitable trust called Zara
Charity in collaboration with other stakeholders for the eighth year in
a row, have being sponsoring the Ngorongoro Half Marathon-dubbed the
Run for Charity, aiming at raising awareness on the importance of
helping the needy in the community as well as promoting local tourism.
Zara Charity is an NGO (non-government organisation) founded by
Zainab Ansell and Roger Ansell was established on June 15, 2009 under
the non-government organisation act 2002 section 12(2) of act no 24.
From its beginnings, Zara Charity has supported vulnerable groups in our
community.
Established as a brainchild of ZARA Tanzania Adventure and ZARA
Charity, the Ngorongoro Marathon has so far attracted runners from Kenya
and Rwanda, apart from Tanzania.
One of its roles is to enhance community economic development by
supporting vulnerable groups in our community. Its vision is to unite
the long term volunteers from across the world with various projects
supported by Zara Charity.
To ensure local community development and sustainability and
support disadvantaged groups within the community such as women,
orphans, and poor people by proving them basic needs such as food,
Shelter education. The following are projects supported by Zara
Charity: Mount Kilimanjaro Porters Society, Ngorongoro Marathon
Project, Kilimanjaro Orphanage Centre, Maasai Women Group.
Other government official at the event included the Arusha Regional
Commissioner, Felix Ntibenda, President of Athletics Association of
Tanzania, Anthony Mtaka, among many others.
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