In commemoration of the 2025 International Women’s Day, Run Club Abuja, in collaboration with other organizations, held a 10-kilometer run to support underprivileged young women in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Chairwoman for the maiden edition of the Abuja Women’s Run, Ibe Onyebuchi, noted that the purpose of the event was to raise funds to provide sanitary pads for over 500 young girls in five secondary schools in Abuja.
According to her, the objective of the run is to build a community of women. While they already have an established community of runners within the club, they took this opportunity to celebrate International Women’s Day, which is set to take place next week.
“Due to Ramadan, we had to move the event to February to honour women. Most importantly, the funds raised will be used to purchase pads for 500 girls in five different government schools, which amounts to 100 girls per school that we have selected,” she explained.
Onyebuchi emphasised that they plan to hold similar events in the future, hoping to expand their reach. “For a first-time event with an existing club, I would rate our success as 10 out of 10 because we were sold out.
“We had around 500 ladies registered. However, we regretted not having the capacity to accommodate over 200 additional ladies who also wanted to participate,” she said.
Regarding the turnout, she stated that they would document how many people participated and the number of virtual runners recorded. “People are running from various locations, including Kaduna, Kano, and Lagos. We will collect their records and send medals to them.”
Earlier, Henry Okelue, founder of Run Club Abuja, shared that the goal of the exercise was to raise 3 million naira to provide enough sanitary pads for 500 girls for the next six months.
“This means a lot to us. Women are the bedrock of society, and as you know, next month is Women’s Month. To celebrate our women, we decided to organize this event, and the turnout has been overwhelmingly positive. We are thrilled with the number of participants,” he stated.
He reiterated that the funds raised would be used to supply sanitary pads to approximately 500 girls in selected public secondary schools in Abuja for the next six months.
Okelue added that they aim to combat period poverty, expressing hope that more women in Abuja will join future runs, with men supporting along the route.
“For our charity program and community service, we aim to raise about 3 million naira to purchase sanitary pads. We believe this will empower these girls to pursue their dreams without any obstacles hindering them.
“This is not a marathon; it is a 10-kilometer run. We believe that exercise is an essential aspect of wellness. It helps manage blood pressure and various health issues while boosting self-esteem.”
“That is why we decided to host this event as a 10-kilometer run instead of a dance party. For many participants today, this is their first time running, and we appreciate their involvement,” he concluded.
The Project Manager, Stephanie Adamu, encouraged other organisations to join the fight against period poverty.
“This event was remarkably successful—well beyond our expectations. We had numerous individuals wanting to participate, but we regrettably had limited slots available, and we sold out.
“This is just the inaugural event, and we look forward to even greater opportunities in the future. We hope other agencies and clubs will see this as a learning experience and join the effort against period poverty,” she said.
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