THE CHARITY PROJECT

The vehicle of “running” for social change in South Africa

www.freedomrunners.org 

Three years ago the seed for running the 2350km along the Freedom Trail in South Africa was planted and since then the plotting and planning has grown into what you know today as the Freedom Runners. Two women, two generations, two pairs of legs running to give girls in South Africa the ability to remain in education and change their lives for the better.  In South Africa 1 in 10 girls between the ages of 11-17 miss out on 4/5 days of school per month due to their periods. WHY?

• Commercially produced disposable sanitary pads are too expensive for most African schoolgirls. A packet of 10 pads costs on average US$1.35, which is significantly more than the daily income of most working parents in Africa.
• A girl absent from school due to menstruation for four days per 28 days (or per month) loses the equivalent of eight weeks of school per year.
• There ‘s a lack of education about the changes that happen to their bodies during puberty
• Cultural issues that can result in many of the girls eventually dropping out of school completely.
• 60% of girls and women in South Africa don’t have access to normal hygiene products.

WATCH:

THE RUN

Mimi Anderson (UK) and Samantha Gash (AUS) will be running approximately 80 km per day for 32 days, that’s 64 back-to-back marathons starting from the Town Hall in Pietermaritzburg and finishing in Diemersfontein, Paarl just outside Cape Town. The route is made up of dirt roads, & tracks featuring impressive geological & scenic diversity, going through the high mountains of Lesotho, to the wide open spaces of the Great Karoo, crossing six mountain ranges and countless valleys, venturing through unspoilt wilderness areas, national parks and some nature reserves. 

THE OBJECTIVE

The aim of the run is to raise funds in order for Save the Children to establish a Social Enterprise Business (SEB) in the Free State. The business will employ a dozen women to make and sell at a vastly reduced price re-usable sanitary pads to help keep girls in school. “The project will also help provide education for schoolgirls and women on health and hygiene, as well as life skills training and workshops for parents and students about the importance of attending school. It’s a very simple way of making a massive difference for girls in South Africa. 

THE TARGET

$50,000 (R480,000) this amount is the cost of setting up the Social Enterprise Business for 1 year. After that time the business should be self sustaining. If 4,000 people donated R123.81/ $12.50 / £6.90 or  to our charity we would hit our target!

PLEASE DONATE HERE

*Content courtesy of www.freedomrunners.org