Each year, the RunQ8 10K Run/Walk is organized by the Fawzia Sultan Rehabilitation Institute (FSRI) and Agility to raise awareness and generate support for a selected health initiative in Kuwait. This year’s event, which takes place on November 2nd 2013, is raising funds and awareness for the Children’s Rehabilitation Initiative. FSRI will dedicate the proceeds of RunQ8 to its non-profit Children Rehabilitation Program. Through donations, they are able to offer the same much needed pediatric services to children in need and who cannot otherwise afford rehabilitation.
Last year, the runners’ registration fee contributions made it possible for a child suffering from injuries in a traffic accident to receive comprehensive rehabilitation services for one year—no small feat indeed. The dynamic of childhood disability is such that it is seen along a continuum of growth; that means that a child requires ongoing treatment to constantly guide the child’s development in the correct way. Due to the lack of multidisciplinary rehabilitation services in Kuwait, many families must travel abroad to get the quality of care that their child needs. A parent has sufficient difficulty in raising a disabled child, but to do this far from their home and from the support of their family demands too much. Inevitably the family must return home, where the child receives no treatment and their health deteriorates due to a lack of ongoing treatment. This can all lead both child and family towards a downward spiral of helplessness.
At FSRI, they meet regularly with pediatric healthcare providers in the US and Canada who regularly treat children from Kuwait, and assessed what needs to be done to begin addressing this problem locally. Petrochemical company Equate generously stepped in and provided initial funding to establish the program. When they first began offering Children’s Rehabilitation services, they discovered that not only was there a demand for these services, but sadly, there were many children whose families simply could not afford the cost of care for a severely or chronically disabled child. Through the generous donations of several private donors, and the proceeds of the registration fees from the previous RunQ8, they were able to offer year-long comprehensive treatment to some of these children who would otherwise be unable to get this treatment.
The Children’s Rehabilitation Initiative offers a structured, comprehensive, multi-disciplinary rehabilitation service that cares for all of the needs of the child, providing parents with a service which is available to them regardless of their financial situation, so that they do not have to watch their child’s condition deteriorate because they cannot afford help. FSRI fosters communication and co-operation between all practitioners caring for the child in so that they may work more effectively as a team towards a common goal, both within FSRI and with the wider healthcare community in Kuwait.
Please tell your friends, family and colleagues to come out Race Day and join in the fun! By joining RunQ8, you are not only having fun and improving your health but also improving your community and the lives of young people.
Run Q8 10km run/walk will take place on November 2nd starting at Marina Mall. For more details go to www.runq8.org, email them at info@runq8.org or visit Twitter @runq8official, Instagram @FSRI, or Facebook: RunQ8.
