On Saturday, 17 October 2026, runners, walkers, leaders, and partners filled the streets of Mbale for the 10th CURE Brain Surgery Run and stood with us as we marked a milestone we do not take lightly.
By early morning, the hospital grounds were already full. Families in this year’s kits, corporate teams, students, health workers, and leaders from across Bugisu gathered at CURE Uganda, where the Rt. Hon. Jacob Markson Oboth, Speaker of the 12th Parliament of Uganda and this year’s chief runner, flagged off the 10th CURE Brain Surgery Run.
Under the theme “Run to Save a Life,” participants took on the 5km and 10km routes and the Family Walk through Mbale City, while supporters elsewhere ran with us virtually. Ten years after the first run, the reason to do this has not changed: continuing to raise awareness of conditions like hydrocephalus, spina bifida, and other treatable brain conditions while also raising funds for children waiting for life-saving brain surgery whose families cannot pay for it.
Speaking after the run, Tim Erickson, CURE Children’s Hospital of Uganda Executive Director, told participants that since CURE opened on 19 January 2001, our surgical teams have operated on more than 31,000 children with hydrocephalus, spina bifida, brain tumours, and other neurosurgical conditions.
But it’s not just a number; each one of those is a child who came through our doors, often after a long journey and a long wait, and a parent who had been told there was nothing to be done. Many of those families could not afford the cost of care. The Brain Surgery Run exists so that cost is never the reason a child goes home without treatment.
Mr. Erickson reminded the crowd that a single brain surgery costs approximately UGX 7.8 million. Last year’s run raised over UGX 600 million. This year, the aim was higher, with more individuals and organisations invested in the mission to help achieve this ambitious goal.
Contributions and pledges are still coming in, but it already appears that last year’s success has been exceeded!
“Today I have come to give back”
For the Rt. Hon. Jacob Markson Oboth, the day was personal. He told participants that his first visit to CURE was not as a guest of honour, but as someone accompanying a patient.
“The first time I came here, I was not a patient, but I had a patient. So today I have come to give back.” — Rt. Hon. Jacob Markson Oboth, Speaker of Parliament
He called for greater support for children who need specialised brain surgery and commended the hospital’s work in giving families access to care they could not otherwise afford.
He was joined by the State Minister for Public Service, Hon. Lydia Wanyoto, and Members of Parliament from the Bugisu sub-region, including Hon. Karim Masaba, Hon. Stephen Wabusani, Hon. Peace Khalayi, Hon. Miriam Mukhaye and Hon. Godfrey Wanyoto. The Parliamentary Commission of Uganda was among the institutions that contributed to this year’s run.
A call to strengthen care beyond our walls
Hon. Karim Masaba, MP for Mbale Industrial City Division, urged fellow legislators to push for increased government funding for specialised neurosurgical services at other facilities in the region to reduce the patient burden on CURE.
CURE Uganda board member Dr Patrick Bitature reminded the crowd that the run is about awareness as much as it is about money. Some children in rural communities, he said, are at risk simply because their families believe the treatment they need is only available abroad, and cannot afford to travel. That treatment is here, in Mbale.
Dr Bitature thanked Biyinzika Poultry, this year’s Cornerstone Sponsor, for its contribution of UGX 150 million and its commitment to keep standing with us. He called on more companies and individuals to partner with the hospital in supporting these precious children who cannot afford treatment.
Mr Abdallah Difee, NRM chairperson for Sironko Town Council, contributed UGX 5 million to this year’s run and pledged UGX 50 million towards next year’s run to help more children access fully sponsored, life-saving brain surgery.
A message from our Board co-chairperson
Hon. Miriam Mukhaye, Mbale District Woman MP, delivered a message from Hon. Janet Kataaha Museveni, Minister of Education and Sports and co-chairperson of the hospital’s Board of Directors, congratulating CURE on 25 years of service to Uganda and neighbouring countries.
“This year, as we celebrate 25 years of exceptional service to Uganda and our neighbours, I would like to congratulate you for providing the highest volume of paediatric brain surgeries by any hospital worldwide.” — Hon. Janet Kataaha Museveni
The run is over. The work is not.
To every runner, walker, and virtual participant; to our volunteers, our staff, and the Brain Surgery Run committee; to our sponsors, partners, and the leaders who ran beside us. We are still working towards UGX 1 billion. If you were not able to run, you can still give. Click here to donate and support a child’s surgery, or to discuss a partnership, call +256782319616 or +256756324256.
The 11th CURE Brain Surgery Run is set for Saturday, 23 October 2027. We hope to see you on the road again.
About the CURE Children’s Hospital of Uganda
CURE Children’s Hospital of Uganda has been a place of hope since opening its doors in 2001. It is one of Africa’s leading pediatric hospitals for brain surgery and the treatment of neurological conditions. Our teaching hospital has an 18-bed Intensive Care Unit and 59 ward beds, three operating rooms, and an outpatient clinic. In addition to world-class medical care, our team ministers to the emotional and spiritual needs of our patients and their communities.
