The Access Bank Lagos City Marathon is a high-profile sporting event which attracts both local and international participants every year. Many nonprofits take advantage of this public event to put their social efforts on the spotlight as well as create awareness about their causes.
A health nonprofit, Sickle Cell Advocacy and Management Initiative (SAMI) also maximize the benefits that the IAAF World Athletics Gold Label marathon event affords to raise funds and create advocacy about sickle cell which is a genetic disorder that affects over 4 million Nigerians.
In 2024, the sickle cell NGO, SAMI used the Lagos City Marathon to target NGN 7 million in order to place some persons living with sickle cell on health insurance policy. Donning their sparkling orange running kits, the organization had 20 runners participate in the 10km race and another 3 runners who participated in the 42km race. They called on Nigerians and indeed people from all over the world to look at this deep commitment to donate to the #RunForAWarrior campaign.
The health insurance policy, SAMI affirms, ensures that their beneficiaries will not have to stay at home, try self-medication, get worse, complicate matters before they eventually go to the hospital when it is already too late. With this plan, they can head out to the hospital as soon as possible, do important medicals, get the needed medications, and undergo surgeries if needed.
