Runner plans marathon for Burkina Faso health service

Guðjón Norðfjörð plans to run a full marathon to support the construction of a healthcare service at the ABC school in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, mbl.is reported. The service will be available to both the school’s children and residents of the surrounding neighbourhood.

Construction has already begun, and nearly 2 million Icelandic krónur has been raised. About 7 million krónur is expected to be needed to establish the facility, after which sponsors will be sought to support its operation.

The healthcare service will be named Arna Healthcare in memory of Norðfjörð’s wife, Arna Hansen.

Family united by endurance sports

Norðfjörð has been involved in long-distance running for many years. He has completed several full marathons and many half-marathons, as well as several half-Ironman events and two full Ironman events. In July, he completed the 55-kilometre Laugavegur race for the third time.

Long-distance running and triathlons have long been shared interests in the family. In 2022, the family took part in an Ironman event in Italy. Norðfjörð, his children Ísak, Nökkvi and Ísold, and his son-in-law Sveinn Þráinn Guðmundsson completed the full event, while Arna completed the half.

Donations requested instead of funeral flowers

Arna died on May 31. According to Norðfjörð, she had a strong connection to the ABC work in Burkina Faso and requested that flowers and wreaths not be sent for her funeral. She instead asked that the work be supported in her memory.

Many people followed her request, raising about 1.3 million krónur.

“This was her wish,” Norðfjörð said.

“We did not really know whether people would deposit any money into the account, but then so much came in that we began wondering whether all this money could go towards one specific project in Arna’s name.”

Plans to expand healthcare

Norðfjörð suggested using the money for a healthcare-related project. Arna was a nurse and had a long career in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors. When she visited Burkina Faso in 2018, she helped at the small healthcare facility operating there.

Jóhanna Sólrún Norðfjörð, Guðjón’s sister, runs the work in Burkina Faso in cooperation with ABC Iceland alongside her husband, Haraldur Pálsson. She pointed out that there were plans to expand the facility and that local organisers wanted to improve services for the children.

Norðfjörð and others then contacted Kadí Sun, the school’s managing director, and other people overseeing the work in Burkina Faso. They asked whether the donations could be used to develop the healthcare service and whether it could be named after Arna. Norðfjörð said the proposal was very well received.

When the family visited in 2018, the school grounds had only a small facility where children could receive bandages and basic medication. Norðfjörð said there was a significant need for improved healthcare services in the area.