AHIF delegates will run for charity with Haile Gebrselassie
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Delegates at the Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF) will have the chance to go running with the Ethiopian Olympic gold medallist and four-time World Championship title holder, Haile Gebrselassie, to raise money for charity.
On the morning of September 25th, Haile will lead the way around a loop inside the grounds of the Sheraton Addis. AHIF’s charity sponsor, Derba MIDROC Cement, and AHIF’s organiser, Bench Events, have each pledged to make a donation, on behalf of each participating runner, to AHOPE Ethiopia, a charity that provides specialized care and support to HIV positive orphans. Sidisse Buli Negassa, Executive Director of AHOPE Ethiopia, said: “AHOPE Ethiopia is delighted to have been selected as the designated charity for AHIF 2019. We are working hard to provide better futures for HIV positive children in Ethiopia and the funds raised at the AHIF Charity Run will contribute to our family preservation and economic empowerment programmes, as well as the educational sponsorship of children within the community. We are very grateful to Bench Events and Derba MIDROC Cement for their support and look forward to sharing our story with delegates at the event.”
AHIF is also supporting another local charity, Our Father’s Kitchen (OFK), a community kitchen that feeds underprivileged children. It is a non-profit project initiated by The Lime Tree which runs two restaurants in Addis Ababa. AHIF has pledged that each delegate bag distributed will provide 3 meals to school children living in severe poverty. Once Bench Events has distributed all 400 bags it has produced ahead of AHIF, a total of 1,200 meals will be provided. Sacha Serikoff-Dunford, Leader of Bench Events’ Charitable Committee, concluded: “No child can concentrate on an empty stomach. We are pleased to contribute to OFK’s efforts to fight malnutrition and ensure that children don’t go to school hungry.”
