A group of multinational athletes have come together to use their athletic skills, training and passion to raise money for children in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, notably around the Grahamstown area. The Ubunye Challenge team has partnered with the Angus Gillis Foundation to focus on improving Early Childhood Development in the region. The goal is to work with the charity to install Edutainers over a three year period in various villages and townships in and around Grahamstown. Edutainers are ‘ready made’ classrooms that will address the immediate concerns of early childhood development in those areas. One of the key goals of the Ubunye Challenge is to support sustainable development in Africa and every one strongly believes that education plays a key role in alleviating poverty.
In order to reach their fundraising goals and help spread awareness regarding the education need in South Africa’s poorest areas, the Ubunye Challenge Team is taking part in three extreme endurance sporting events in the year 2012. The events include a cycle, a swim and a row.
The cycle was completed on May 5th 2012. 2 groups of 5 cyclists spent 7 and 10 days cycling 1500 km across the UK and managed to raise £4500 towards the main goal of £250000. The journey was nothing short of an adventure with the team battling against some of the worst weather conditions of the year with gale force winds of up to 50mphs and temperatures dropping tremendously. The team experienced everything from flat tyres, to hypothermia and broken bikes whilst they relentlessly traversed up to 250 km per day and about 14 hours on the bike. Snicker bars were the favorite snack of the week; rest assured the cyclists are officially overdosed on chocolate.
The journey continues with a group of 4 swimmers who are set to swim 35 km across the English Channel in July and finally a group of 6 rowers will spend 900 hours at sea in an aim to raise enough funds to achieve their stated goal. The row will be the ultimate challenge for the year and the team is looking to raise £75,000 in sponsorship money to fund the row and ensure that it takes place. The team consists of international oarsmen and oarswomen who have set their sights on not only completing the row, but doing it in world record time. Additionally, Thato Mabelane, Hayley Arthur and Micheen Thornycroft (London Olympic rowing participant) will become the first African females to ever row an ocean.
The Ubunye Challenge team is supported on the ground by committee members who are dedicated to working towards raising awareness and funds for the challenge. They have £245,500 left to raise and appreciate all donations.
The ultimate goal is for the Ubunye Challenge to live on after 2012 and to ultimately inspire athletes around the world to come together to work towards raising money and awareness for sustainable development in Africa.
Please visit www.ubunyechallenge.com for more information or alternatively donate money to www.justgiving.com/ubunyechallenge
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