The Opportunity Bank Annual Chairman’s Run 2024 officially took place today at the bank’s head office on Old Kira Road in Kamwokya. This year’s event saw over 300 participants running under the theme “Planting Hope, Growing Change, Greening the Future.”
Since 2018, the annual Chairman’s Run has supported various social causes, such as raising money for households affected by nodding syndrome in Northern Uganda, contributing to the Rotary Blood Bank at Mengo Hospital, and constructing a solar water pump in Nakivale Refugee Settlement to provide water for refugees.
This year’s run marks the launch of the bank’s three-year tree-planting initiative in schools and communities. This initiative aims to raise awareness and educate the youth on environmental conservation, climate change mitigation, and biodiversity promotion.
Opportunity Bank CEO Owen Amanya, who participated and completed the 10km run, shared his thoughts on the event.
He said, “It was a very good run, and running 10km was quite challenging. But it was healthy waking up early and sweating a little bit while stretching the muscles. For us who sit a lot, we must get a chance to get on the road. It was a good run, and I enjoyed running with my colleagues.”
Paul Soko, the Board Director, explained why the theme “Planting Hope, Growing Change, Greening the Future” was chosen for this year.
He said, “Climate change is a very important topic, particularly when you see how the environment is changing, how the rainy seasons are changing, and how the rain flow patterns are changing. For us, it is a very important theme because it affects the livelihood of the people we focus on most, like women, youth, and people with disabilities. By tackling this important theme, we are helping to create awareness, promote it, and improve the livelihoods of those that rely on the environment as a source of income.”
Byarugaba Myles, the winner of the 10km race, and Mukiibi Alex from Passion Christian High School, the winner of the 5km race, expressed their joy at winning.
The goal of the tree planting initiative is to plant over 50,000 threatened indigenous native tree species and exotic fruit trees in schools. These areas provide a safe space for nature conservation and an opportunity to educate and inspire the youth towards a lifetime of biodiversity conservation.
