To celebrate her 21st birthday, medical student Asekho Mbokodo decided to run 21 × 21.1km races to raise funds to purchase stethoscopes for fellow students who couldn’t afford this essential clinical tool.
Pretoria, South Africa (27 August 2026) – We’ve all heard that it is better to give than to receive. In the lead-up to her 21st birthday, University of Pretoria third-year medical student Asekho Mbokodo did not plan an elaborate celebration.
Instead, she took on an extraordinary challenge: running 21 × 21.1km races to raise funds for stethoscopes for third- and fourth-year medical students who could not afford this essential clinical tool.
As a medical student herself, Asekho noticed that her peers shared a common purpose: to learn, serve and care. Yet many also faced the same challenge of struggling to find the money to buy the tools they needed to provide that care.
“Some enter the wards without essential equipment – not because they lack dedication or talent, but because the cost is beyond their means,” Asekho said.
This realisation inspired her to launch a student-led initiative earlier this year, grounded in a simple belief: it is better to give than to receive.
The idea was simple: turn every kilometre into an opportunity to give. Because every stethoscope would give a future healthcare professional the chance to listen, diagnose and care.
Seven months later, not only has Asekho completed all 21 races but she has also raised R26,361, which will be used to purchase stethoscopes for third-year students who cannot afford them as they transition into clinical training – the ultimate birthday present for this good doctor in the making!
Not only has she pushed herself physically and given back as she said she would, but Asekho has also supported students on their journeys to becoming doctors who will one day serve in our healthcare institutions.
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