Athletes In Action: 'Schools Run for School Rooms' Marathon

It must have been a long time since you last wore a pair of size-two leather shoes and bragged about a new plastic pencil case as though it meant the world to you, but I'm very sure that that the sight of school children making their way to school, bags and umbrellas in tow, their necks caked in talcum powder, has been making you smile these past few days. The opening of school brings with it lots of promises: the company of friends, the joy of learning, the accomplishment of growth

However, for many children in Iligan City, it may take some time before they could lay their hands on these promises this year.

Iligan City was among the places in Northeastern Mindanao that were worst-hit by typhoon Sendong. The typhoon, which ravaged the region with its heavy rainfall from December 15 to 18, left a total of  PhP 1,033,131,515,100. 00 worth of damages in infrastructures, agricultural crops, and school buildings. Six months after the disaster, the situation in Iligan City remains bleak. Many people are still living in so-called tent cities and living off relief goods. As the school year starts, the children would have to make do with makeshift classrooms, as 12 schools and 136 classrooms in Iligan City were among Sendong's casualties.

Athletes in Action (AIA) believes in making positive changes in people’s lives through sports. That is why the international humanitarian organization of athletes is organizing an advocacy run on July, which proceeds will fund the rebuilding of the classrooms in Iligan City.

Titled "Schools Run for School Rooms" (SRSR), the advocacy run will gather student-runners from major colleges and universities in Metro Manila to compete in distances of 3K, 5K, and 10K on the urban environment of the Bonifacio Global City early morning of July 7th. Besides college students, groups from government agencies, churches, and private corporations have also expressed their interest in joining the SRSR.

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