MADIKWE MAMBAS AND MADIKWE CONSERVANCY TEAM UPDATE FROM OUR RUNNING CLUB CHAIRMAN

A warm hello to All,

I hope you and your families are still well?

It’s been a while since our last update to our donors, but the Madikwe Mambas and Madikwe Conservancy Team have been very busy with our local communities.

Our Hillhouse guests have been enjoying their village trips with Vincent and myself where they get to share and engage with our local communities. It touches me deeply to see the huge positive impact our guests and donors are having on our local communities.

Over the past year the Mambas runners have been taking time to share their running experience with the kids from different community schools. We have been hosting athletics days at the schools where we have been handing out medals and rhino t-shirts. We have also brought some of the kids to our Madikwe Conservancy to experience wildlife through Rhino Conservation education and hands-on “touch and feel” the rhino. It is important to be taught how the rhinos are endangered and how we have to protect this beautiful creatures as we not going to see the rhinos in the next 30 years.

I feel it is a huge privilege for our local community kids to experience our wildlife, as they don’t get the opportunity and they only see animals on books and television.

Another event that was held here on the Madikwe Conservancy was the Madikwe Madness; it was a nice event with biking and running, and we had a nice tented camp right in the bush. Last year was our first Madikwe Madness and it went well and some our donors were there and some shareholders.

At the end of last year the ladies on our Farm took the opportunity to take part in the Sister-With-Blisters 5km Walk (which raises awareness of abused women and children). They all felt very happy that they are hoping to do it again this year.

With our R70,000 we raised from Comrades in 2016, we went to different local villages asking for their needs. The Madikwe Mambas then prioritized:

1) For the Dwarsberg Crèche (Kindergarden) we supplied an oven and fridge (they were cooking daily meals for the 40 kids on an open fire outside and had no refrigeration facility).

2) At the Obakeng Crèche we built a kitchen because their kitchen was a tin shack that when is hot the chef get boiled inside because of the heat, and I attached the pictures of the projects we done so far.

Currently the Madikwe Mambas are doing their last preparation and training for our biggest annual event … the 2017 Comrades Marathon 86.73km (53,90 miles) on Sunday 4 June 2017. All the Mambas have been training very hard as they know that finishing the Comrades will generate donations and thus allow us to take on new exciting community projects:

1) Assist in building a classroom at Nonceba Primary School for the grade R (Reception) kids aged 4/5; this class is currently sharing a classroom with the Grade 1 pupils 2) Assist in building a Crèche (Kindergarden) at Goedehoop 3) Our “Sisters With Blisters” project are arranging for Counsellors and Trainers to assist and educate our women and children in the community against abuse.

We are now once again asking for donations/pledges sponsoring our 11 runners and thus funding our community projects. If you would like to sponsor the Madikwe Mambas as participants in the Comrades Marathon or simply make a donation towards our community projects, please send a reply e-mail with the details and amount of your pledge. Once the Comrades Marathon has been completed, we will send a further e-mail out containing payment details.

Thank you once again to everyone who has played a part in making positive changes in our local communities. Our communities greatly appreciate what we do for them.

Thank you Vance, you keep Madikwe Mambas alive by sponsoring us with everything.

Kindly, Bethuel, Chairman, Madikwe Mambas

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