Tanzanian runners raise £9,000 for Israeli charity supporting heart surgeons

Andrea Sipe Sambu and Said Juma Makula took part in Berlin marathon last week to support SACH's work including in Africa

Olympian runners from Tanzania led the field in a marathon in Berlin last week that raised £9,000 for an Israeli charity helping heart surgeons save lives around the world, including in the east African country.

Andrea Sipe Sambu and Said Juma Makula were taking part in a charity run for Israel-based organisation Save A Child’s Heart (SACH), which helps children born with congenital heart disease (CHD) in developing countries.

Among the racers was Berlin-based Englishman Fred Thackery-Vincent, who raised £1,300 alone, registering a time of 3 hours 39 minutes in his first ever marathon, a little behind Sambu and Makula, who finished in 2 hours 45 minutes.

The charity has saved the lives of 610 Tanzanian children, who were brought to Israel for surgery, and a further 132 who had life-saving operations performed by SACH doctors during one of 15 missions to the country.

One of the runners who raised money for SACH

The charity has also trained Tanzania’s first paediatric surgeon Dr Godwin Godfrey and helped set up a paediatric cardiology wing in the Bugando Medical Centre in Mwazana.

Tanzania withdrew diplomatic relations with Israel in 1973 after the Yom Kippur War but re-established them in 1995. Four years later, SACH began working in the country, and in May of this year Tanzania opened its first ever embassy in Israel.