By Yasinta Lukezo – Arusha
Arusha is organizing the first ever run in Tanzania, to raise awareness of the rather less known, Dyslexia, a new mental condition which reportedly makes children lag behind in formal education performances.
More than 1000 runners are expected to participate in the maiden Dyslexia Awareness Run, which gets flagged off at the Gymkhana grounds on Sunday, October 20, 2024.
The event is being organized by ‘Dyslexia Tanzania.’ This is the first season among many similar events expected to be held every year.
The Chief Executive Officer of Dyslexia Tanzania Caudence Ayoti who is also one of its founders, said it is the first in the country and East Africa because Dyslexia, though common elsewhere in the world, is a newly discovered condition in Sub-Saharan Africa.
According to Ayoti it even took her ten years before she discovered that her own child was suffering from dyslexia and through events like the race, more parents and teachers will get to learn about it.
As for the special awareness race, the main event is a modest one featuring just 10 kilometers run.
The organizers have also included a 5 kilometers fun running distance for children from 6 years onwards.
Interested participants are being registered at the main Sheikh Amri Abeid Stadium, along Colonel Middleton Road.
The Dyslexia Run event in Arusha is supported by among other institutions, the Shanga Foundation where people with disabilities have produced race medals using recycled materials.
The first three winning runners, including children, will be awarded with various prizes after the race.
It was revealed in Arusha that children who suffer from Dyslexia are not exactly slow learners but rather they form a special group of people who would rather do things differently.
While 20 percent of the world population suffer from dyslexia, the condition is not hampering human development, because it is being reported that 50 percent of aeronautics in the United States were Dyslexics.