Direct link to the blog and movie of the cycle ride - with thanks to Londolozi Private Game Reserve:
http://blog.londolozi.com/2010/08/the-challenge4acause-2010-movie/
Hot on the trail of last year’s successful in-house charity programme, dubbed Challenge4aCause, which Cape Town-based tour operator Rhino Africa Safaris undertook with their staff, 5 members of the same group and a further 13 self-sponsored individuals, will again compete in the gruelling seven-day, 360 km cycle challenge across Namibia’s northern Damaraland desert in a bid to raise R200’000. - for the Namibian Save The Rhino Trust.
“It’s not every day that you have the opportunity to experience Africa’s desolate magnificence and at the same time support exceptional philanthropic works that impact positively on the triple bottom line,” says David Ryan, MD for Rhino Africa Safaris.
Departing Cape Town for Namibia on 23 July this year, the 18-strong team will travel to Palmwag on the Uniab River and be met on arrival by a fully-equipped and staffed mobile tented camp. On the following day, the team, will head out at 06h00, covering an average distance of 50 km each day, competing with sand, dust and a blistering heat in excess of 40° C.
The participation fee, regardless of whether employed by Rhino Africa or not, is R18 000 – which covers flights, transfers, food and accommodation as well as medical and technical support. In addition to this, participant are required to raise a minimum of R20 000 that will be donated to the challenge’s beneficiaries, namely the Namibian Save The Rhino Trust.
“We also supply each participant with raffle ticket booklets,” says Ryan, “containing six tickets at a cost of R20 each. Ticket holders have the opportunity of winning one of three prizes — a R60 000 trip for two to Namibia, all inclusive; a R25 000 trip for two to the Garden Route, or six bottles of red wine and an African art collector’s book.” The raffle draw will take place on 07 August, with winners being notified immediately thereafter.
Asked what drives his commitment to wildlife philanthropy, Ryan clarifies: “For tourism to maintain pole position on the continent, not only financing, skills or infrastructural development is required from both private and public partnership, but also, quite simply, for wildlife itself… the game statistics are plummeting.”
In 2007, approximately ten rhino were poached in South Africa. Within the following two years there was a sharp increase, with a shocking 156 being killed – the majority slaughtered in South Africa’s flagship conservancy, the Kruger National Park. Various steps have been taken to combat the trade in rhino horn, including a moratorium on rhino hunting; de-horning live animals to deter poachers; marking and regulating stockpiled horns and allocating more substantial funds to rhino anti-poaching units. All of this costs money, particularly anti-poaching units, and the global slowdown has had an adverse effect on the revenue streams that these units normally rely upon for funding.
In 2009, Challenge4aCause raised R300 000 and generated a massive amount of awareness and interest in the cycle challenge. This has led to the opening of the race to the public in 2010. Aside from having an opportunity to compete in the challenge, the public may make online donations, regardless of the amount, by visiting www.rhinoafrica.com/challenge4acause and also read more about the initiative.
Direct link to the blog and movie of the cycle ride - with thanks to Londolozi Private Game Reserve:
http://blog.londolozi.com/2010/08/the-challenge4acause-2010-movie/
