16th edition of The Brufut Run

The annual Brufut Run will take place on Saturday 8th of December 2010 in Brufut. There will be a 15 km male race from the Traffic Lights at Kairaba Avenue through Senegambia to Brufut; the female 8 km race will start at the round-about at Brusubi to Brufut and the 42 km bicycle race will be featured for the fourth consecutive year. The race will pass through Serrekunda, Brikama, Sanyang, Tujereng, Tanji and then Brufut via Ghana Town. Interested participants are urged to start the necessary fitness training for the event. The public is also informed to set the day aside as the Brufut Run Day.

Background

The run renamed today as the Brufut Run started 16 years ago in then coastal village of Brufut. The committee to coordinate the run was also formed the same year. The committee which metamorphosed to an association has a board of directors, an executive committee, a general body and special sub-committees for specific purposes i.e. sports committee, marketing committee, organizing committee etc.

The primary aim of the run is to mobilize resources to contribute towards ending hunger in the world through sports. Hence the first run was themed Race Against Hunger, and it was done in collaboration with the World Runners Against Hunger who were represented by three runners from the United Kingdom.

The money raised from the event was given to the village women horticulturists to assist them in the purchase of seedlings and fertilizers.

Funding

The first-ever funding for the association to organize the run was from a Swiss student who came to the Gambia for the program. She donated her pocket money towards the race.

The members also contribute towards the events and, for the last fourteen years, Friends of the Gambia, a UK-based philanthropists committee has been taking care of the basic needs for the run i.e. the trophies, certificates, and some cash for the cash prizes.

For the last four years. TAF Holdings Company Ltd has been our major financier until last year when the company could not help; the association also gets financial and moral help from individual sport enthusiasts and other philanthropists.

Achievements

Brufut Marathon Run Association (BMRA) has been able to re-ignite interest of the Gambian public in long distance run.

The talents of those long distance runners have been given a platform to be showcased. We have nurtured the talents of so many long distance runners in this country notable among them Ansu Sowe, Jay Secka, Sanu Gomez and Mariama T Jallow to name a few, all of whom have become national athletes of high standing.

Since 1994, we have been consistently organizing the event without fail because of the selfless dedication of the members of the association and the generosity of Friends of The Gambia Association in England.

We have created a day that is always looked forward to by many people because of the ambiance, joy and happiness that characterizes a typical Brufut Run day.

The association has been able to attract an increasing number of participants at the annual event.

Interventions/charity works

The proceeds realized from the Brufut Runs have been allocated to the following sectors.

Education

Since our main objectives is to help women gardeners/horticulturists in the production of food to alleviate poverty, we realized that in fact much of what these women gained from these gardens are geared towards the payment of tuition for their wardens. The association then decided to help pay the tuition fees of the needy students. Since 1995, the association has helped pay the school fees of more than three hundred and fifty students in the Greater Banjul Area.)

Health

The town of Brufut is surrounded by more than six villages which all visit the only health facility in Brufut. There is one ambulance for referrals that gets overworked, sometimes resulting in unavailability during the peak malaria season in the rainy season. The community was able to get another ambulance from certain philanthropists to ease the process of referrals.

Every year, BMRA donated fuel coupons to complement the community's efforts in the purchase of fuel for this ambulance, the burden of which sometimes falls on the patients themselves.

Public Awareness Campaigns

Every year, since 1994, the run chooses a theme that often bears on the welfare of the community of Brufut and, by extension, the country, so that public awareness can be strengthened regarding certain issues.

We had a run against  prevention of HIV/Aids, deforestation, malaria, illegal migration, drugs and alcohol abuse, clean environment etc. We had also a run for industrial development, political reconciliation, education etc.

Media Coverage

Owing to the fact that this is the most consistently organized long distance run in the Gambia, the association has been able to forge a long standing relationship with both the print and electronic media. The activities leading to the run and the run proper are adequately covered by all the electronic and print media of this country. Efforts are also under way to invite foreign media to cover the event too, since participants come from both the sub region and Europe.

Plans

The long term plan for the association is to organize a real marathon that will be graced by thousands and thousands of people from both within and outside the Gambia.

For further details, please do not hesitate to contact the chairman and or the director of finance of BMRA or visit our web-site www.brufut-mra.org.