ALIMA isn’t just about doctors who intervene in Africa. There are also people who decide to get involved in their own way, and at their own level, to support the projects. Anne Aël Inisan decided to run the Paris half-marathon this year wearing the colors of ALIMA. She is the first to have achieved the goal of collecting 500€, which will directly finance ALIMA’s actions on the ground.

Anne Aël is a 27-year-old speech therapist working in Rennes, France, in a specialized-education and home-care service for children with motor disabilities. On March 5, she will run her third half-marathon. She most recently participated in the Rennes marathon last October. During this race, she was slightly injured, but managed to go all the way. Although she is not yet 100% recovered, she remains confident that she can complete the upcoming half-marathon.

In addition to the race being a personal venture, it will also be a family challenge because she will be running the race alongside her younger sister, who has never before run such a long distance.

Before joining the Dossards Solidaires website (https://www.dossards-solidaires.org/associations/), Anne Aël did not know ALIMA. She just wanted to run for a great cause and decided to commit to the actions that spoke to her most, in connection with her sensitivity to the medical environment. By discovering the concrete actions of ALIMA to help the most vulnerable populations of West and Central Africa, and especially the children, she did not hesitate to start fundraising. Despite ALIMA being a fairly new organization, she saw concrete and accomplished results that touched her personally. 

It was mainly by mobilizing her friends on social networks – and especially on Facebook – that she managed to raise her funds. Her family has also been very supportive, especially for the personal challenge she has set for herself.

Today Anne Aël is happy to be able to run this half-marathon with her younger sister, as well as to be part of the team of runners in solidarity with ALIMA. Her loved ones will also be with her during the race, as she has promised to write the names of all the people who supported her on her t-shirt!