The AFN Announces 1,000KM “Miles4Meals & Dignity” Run to Fight Hunger and Period Poverty in Kenya
The founder and CEO of The Africa Feature Network, Peter Aowa (centre), leads members of the secretariat shortly after the press conference at Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani// Photo : Humfrey Onyala.
The Africa Feature Network (AFN) has officially announced the “Miles4Meals & Dignity – 1,000 Kilometre Run Challenge”, a nationwide advocacy and resource mobilisation campaign aimed at addressing child hunger and period poverty in Kenya.
The announcement was made during a press conference held at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, on Saturday, where AFN Founder and CEO Peter Aowa unveiled details of the campaign before members of the media.
The endurance run is scheduled to take place from September 14 to October 10, 2026, covering approximately 1,000 kilometres from Kilifi town on the Kenyan coast to Busia town at the Kenya-Uganda border, with the campaign concluding on October 11, 2026, with a celebration and community engagement event.
Speaking during the press conference, Aowa said the campaign seeks to draw national attention to the realities many learners continue to face across Kenya, particularly hunger in schools and lack of access to menstrual hygiene products among school-going girls.
He noted that the initiative aims to raise KES 13 million to support two flagship programmes under the Africa Feature Network.
The first is a School Feeding Programme targeting 1,000 learners across six primary schools in three counties for one academic year. The second is the Pad a Girl Initiative, which seeks to support 5,000 school-going girls with sanitary towels and menstrual health support along the campaign corridor.
Aowa said the campaign goes beyond awareness creation and seeks to mobilise communities, institutions, and partners around practical interventions capable of improving learning conditions for vulnerable learners.
“As the Africa Feature Network, we strongly believe that journalism should not end at highlighting problems alone. Media and advocacy platforms also have a responsibility to help drive conversations around practical responses, community participation, and sustainable solutions to challenges affecting society,” he said.
Aowa further announced that the run will be conducted alongside community participation categories that will allow organisations and individuals to join different sections of the route.
Participants will register under 5-kilometre, 10-kilometre, 15-kilometre, and 20-kilometre categories, with major activation points planned in Mombasa, Nairobi, Nakuru, and Eldoret.
He added that the official registration portal for institutions, organisations, schools, universities, fitness groups, corporate teams, and individual participants will open on Friday, May 29, 2026.
According to AFN, the School Feeding Programme will operate under a sustainability framework that integrates schools, local farmers, women groups, and surrounding communities into the programme structure through locally driven food production and supply systems.
The organisation also clarified that operational and logistical costs associated with the run are being pursued separately through in-kind partnerships to ensure that funds raised through sponsorships and donations go directly towards programme implementation and beneficiary support.
AFN is inviting corporations, financial institutions, manufacturers, development organisations, county governments, media houses, universities, civil society organisations, and members of the public to support the campaign through sponsorships, media collaboration, logistical support, and programme partnerships.
In a statement released during the announcement, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Africa Feature Network, Dr. Harriet Scott, described the initiative as a powerful symbol of collective responsibility and African solidarity.
“As Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Africa Feature Network, I see the Miles4Meals & Dignity Run as a powerful symbol of collective responsibility and African solidarity. It brings together people from different sectors and communities around a shared commitment to restore hope, dignity, and practical support to vulnerable populations across the continent,” she said.
Dr. Scott noted that millions of Africans continue to struggle with hunger, exclusion, and loss of dignity, adding that the initiative serves as a reminder that meaningful change requires people willing to act, serve, and stand with vulnerable communities.
“We are bringing together leaders, athletes, institutions, media, and citizens to participate in a cause that speaks to the heart of our shared humanity,” she stated.
She said that beyond the run itself, the initiative represents a growing movement of compassion, service, and social responsibility — one that challenges us to use our influence, resources, and platforms to uplift others and strengthen communities in Kenya.
She reaffirmed AFN’s commitment to supporting African-led initiatives that create measurable impact and inspire unity across borders.
The “Miles4Meals & Dignity” campaign is expected to combine endurance sport, advocacy, storytelling, and public mobilisation as AFN seeks to build wider national engagement around education access, nutrition, dignity, and community-centred solutions.
The run is expected to be the first longest charity run in Africa to be livestreamed along the entire journey.
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