Runners in technology company VNG’s annual online charity run for the community, UpRace, which has raised more than VNĐ5 billion (US$219,900) for  Newborns Vietnam, Operation Smile Vietnam, Green Viet, and Saigon Children’s Charity. Photo Courtesy of VNG

HCM CITY — Tech giant VNG’s annual online community charity run UpRace has raised more than VNĐ5 billion (US$219,900) for NGOs Newborns Vietnam, Operation Smile Vietnam, Green Viet, and Saigon Children’s Charity.

In UpRace, runners record the distance they run and the time they take on a mobile application on its website.

Each validated kilometre fetches donations of at least VNĐ1,000 from VNG and other sponsors. 

UpRace logged more than 5.1 million kilometres over 22 days from October 31 this year, as the number of participants more than doubled from last year to over 238,000.

The funds came from several sponsors like VNG, Philips Vietnam, Hong Ngoc Hospital, BIM Group, Minh Long I, Ong Bau Coffee, 365Begin, Younet Media, Garmin, and Tiktok.

The funds raised will help almost 120 children with cleft palates get surgeries, reduce the newborn mortality rate by 25 per cent at 17 hospitals, plant 10,000 trees, and financially support around 90 children orphaned by COVID.

Vương Ngọc Vy Vân, funding manager of Saigon Children's Charity, said: “Sponsorship from UpRace during this period is really valuable and well-timed, and will help us provide timely support to children who lost their family due to COVID-19.

“With an expense of over VNĐ11 million per [person] under the ‘You are not alone’ (saigonchildren) project, the VNĐ1 billion from UpRace [will help] around 90 children impoverished/orphaned by COVID-19.” VNS