By PPH Foundation

Postpartum haemorrhage, PPH, is a global maternal health challenge, and the message to prevent deaths from severe bleeding after childbirth travelled far beyond Nairobi during the 3rd International EndPPH Run.

On 27 September 2026, more than 15,000 people gathered at Ulinzi Sports Complex in Nairobi, while participation extended across 25 other counties in Kenya and to communities and teams beyond the country. Signature runs and solidarity activities were reported across Africa and in cities including Seattle, Copenhagen, Boston and Guangzhou.

The international participation gave the Run for Her campaign a broader meaning. People did not have to be in Nairobi to stand with women at risk of PPH. By organizing signature runs in their own communities, participants connected a local action to a shared maternal health message: no woman should die while giving life.

For Prof Moses Obimbo, Project Lead of the EndPPH Initiative, the strength of the campaign lies in taking maternal health beyond hospitals and into communities. “Maternal health and women's health is not just tied in the wards, it is tied to the community,” he said during reflections on the Run.

The movement has been building internationally since the inaugural Run for Her in 2024. That first Run attracted participants from 14 other African countries and 11 overseas countries, demonstrating early interest in using public participation to raise awareness around PPH.

By 2026, the campaign had grown into a network of runners, health workers, students, institutions, partners and communities participating from different locations. The signature runs provided an opportunity for people outside Kenya to contribute to the same cause while adapting participation to their own communities.

For Dr Kireki Omanwa, Co-Lead of the EndPPH Initiative, the wider campaign also reinforces the importance of maternal care throughout pregnancy and the need to identify complications early.

Prof Julius Ogeng’o, another Co-Lead, has linked the Run to the wider ROAMING Blood Initiative, emphasising the importance of taking blood mobilisation closer to communities. “You go to where the people are. You engage them, you build trust, and you build a network,” he said.

That principle also captures the wider purpose of Run for Her. Ending PPH requires more than a single event or location. It requires communities to understand the problem, health workers to be prepared, blood to be available, health systems to respond quickly and partners across sectors and borders to remain engaged.

From Nairobi to Seattle and other participating cities, each signature run became part of that conversation. The runners may have been separated by thousands of kilometres, but they were connected by a common concern: protecting mothers from preventable death.