Note: World Lung Foundation united with The Union North America. From January 2016, the combined organization is known as “Vital Strategies.”
(New York, NY) – World Lung Foundation today announced that funds raised by its running team in the NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE will be used to provide life-saving asthma treatment to at least 1,000 children in Kenya. The grant will be provided to the Kenyan Association for Prevention of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease.
The 20-member team running on behalf of World Lung Foundation expects to raise at least $20,000, which will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Foundation's Board of Directors. One hundred percent of the money will directly fund comprehensive asthma treatment in Kenya including diagnosis, medicine, inhalers and case management, as well as a public education program. WLF also received financial support from Signature Bank.
World Lung Foundation (WLF) is a global non-government organization based in Lower Manhattan that works to combat the epidemic of lung disease which claims 10 million lives each year. WLF focuses its work on improving lung health around the world by increasing local capacity to conduct research, develop public policy and deliver public health education and services.
“In places like New York, asthma is a manageable condition but in countries like Kenya, it can be life-threatening because medicine and care are expensive by comparison,” said Dr. Jeremiah Chakaya, Executive Secretary of the Kenyan Association for Prevention of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease.” We are grateful to the WLF board, its running team and other sponsors who together are helping make such treatment accessible to our children.”
It is estimated that ten percent of children in Kenya between the ages of 10 and 14 have asthma, 60 percent of whom suffer from persistent asthma. According to the World Health Organization, asthma is the most common chronic disease among children. Undiagnosed and under-treated, most asthma-related deaths occur in low- and lower-middle income countries.
Leading the WLF team of runners will be Peter Baldini, the organization's Executive Director, who said, “I am proud to run alongside these athletes whose generosity will make a profound difference in the lives of 1,000 asthmatic children living in Kenya. Every step we take along the 13.1 mile course will help a child take a life-saving breath. I congratulate my fellow runners on their efforts and wish them luck in the race.”
This year's 13.1 mile race through New York City is expected to attract thousands of runners from all over the world. The course begins in Central Park and ends in Battery Park.