The Berlin Marathon, also known as BMW Berlin Marathon, is one of the World Marathon Majors event. First started in 1974, the event traditionally takes place on the last Sunday of September, before the Oktoberfest. It is one of the largest and most popular road races in the world. Berlin Marathon normally attracts close to 50,000 entrants of various abilities from over 120 countries, and over 1 million spectators.

An avid Malaysian runner, Mr Dzulkaedah, is participating in the Berlin Marathon on 24 September this year with a special mission - to raise funds so that as many children with autism who are non-verbal or low verbal, who come from lower income families, can access speech therapy intervention services. Speech therapists are in short supply in Malaysia and the cost of speech therapy service is beyond the reach of lower income families.

Mr Dzulkaedah has a 4-year old son with autism who is low verbal. So is my 20-year old son Naim. Around 50% of children attending NASOM programs are non-verbal or low verbal or with speech challenges. Parents know very well what it is like to have children with autism who have speech challenges. Children who come from lower income families are deprived of the opportunity to obtain speech therapy services because their parents cannot afford them.

Please support Mr Dzulkaedah in his noble cause. All donations and sponsorship will go to a fund named in honour of his son - Dzarif Dzulkaedah Fund, administered by NASOM. It may be a little too late for Naim who is already 20 years old, but there are many more younger non-verbal or low-verbal children who can benefit from Dzarif Dzulkaedah Fund. As Chairman of NASOM, I sincerely hope that as many individuals and corporates, not only Malaysian, but also Germans and elsewhere, will support this noble cause so that every non-verbal or low verbal child, regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds can have access to early speech therapy intervention services.