Berlin Marathon for Mum's Mental Health Masakhane

I thought I was the only one when I experienced the symptoms. I was wrong.

Those who have walked - or run- this earth for long enough would agree that one way or the other we will come to realize that life is not always on the bright side and that some have it harder than others.

Approximately 280 million people in the world have depression with women almost twice as likely to have depression than men.

In South Africa, 1 in 3 women suffers from perinatal (pre- and post-natal) depression and anxiety which is one of the highest in the world. In the absence of rights-based, holistic mental health promotion and access to mental health services, this numbers will likely to keep going up.

Poor mental health in pregnancy, if untreated, also undermines the health of infants, in part through higher risk of prematurity and low birth weight; and exposure to maternal depression in utero can have lasting negative effects on the developing brain.

Postpartum depression has been linked to poorer emotional regulation in children through less responsive and attuned relationships between mother and child. Research suggests that maternal depression, anxiety, and stress during pregnancy have potential long-term impacts on the baby and mother.

In my first marathon major, I want to make it more worthwhile and I will run to raise fund to support pregnant mothers and their future children in Masakhane (a fishing village 150km east of Cape Town).

Your donation along with mine (no matter big or small) will help i-Med Vision to appoint a specialized nurse and to run awareness and educational program for one year in the village.

The money will go directly to betterplace.org and in turn to i-Med Vision Berlin. Better yet, you will also receive a donation receipt for tax refund!

So if you can, my friends...let's do this together and help them out!

AMDG