Story of our heroes

IN APRIL this year an NGO called The Aluwani Foundation (“The Lonely Road”) issued the following release:

“On April 3 Warren Handley and Tom David, two young Capetonians, climbed Kilimanjaro (the highest mountain in Africa) and will start their journey of walking more than 6 000km to Joburg, living at or below the South African food poverty line of $2 (about R26) per day.

“The walk is to raise funds for Aluwani and to heighten awareness about orphaned and vulnerable children and the importance of early childhood development (ECD) in rural communities across southern Africa.

“They will walk an average of 40km a day through six countries, starting at the foot of Kilimanjaro in the north of Tanzania and then waking south-east through Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and finally returning home to South Africa.

“They plan to carry all their equipment themselves (backpacks, camping gear, water, food etc) while living below the breadline of $2 per day.

“Along the walk they will partner with organisations in the countries they are walking through and set up training exercises and activities related to early childhood development, which include teaching teachers and child care facilitators how to make learning materials from waste and the importance of play in childhood.”

As the grandmother of one of the boys, Tom David, I have followed their journey every step of the way (Facebook walkwithus2017) with emotions ranging from extreme anxiety to an overwhelming sense of pride at the bravery and commitment of these two young men, who have devoted a year of their lives to benefit needy children.

They have endured hunger, thirst, mental and physical fatigue but, as they keep saying, they have been humbled and blessed by the kindness and generosity of strangers in remote villages and towns along the way. People have taken them into their homes, fed them and given them a place to sleep. They have been honoured and praised by all who have encountered them.

As I write they are in Gaborone, Botswana, having walked 5 500km through five countries. Tomorrow they will be crossing the border back to their beloved Mzansi, hoping to arrive in Joburg on September 24, Heritage Day, and finally flying back to Cape Town at the end of September.

These are our Cape Town heroes.

Theirs is a story that needs to be told. Lorraine David Rondebosch