Local NGO, the Wildlands Conservation Trust saw an opportunity for their budding entrepreneurs to experience a challenge they’ll never forget. ‘Tree-preneurs’ are young children and adults growing trees to support their livelihoods, but amongst the 3500 individuals Wildlands support, there were some aspiring runners. Five teams of tree-preneurs took on the recently held two-day Maputaland Challenge which covers an incredible 182 kilometres from Hluhluwe to Bhanga Nek Beach.
Five teams made up of the tree-preneurs, community facilitators and their project managers from Zululand and Durban’s Indigenous trees for Life projects, took part in this BONITAS WILD SERIES event, running through the night in relay, along with other participating teams raising funds for a range of charities.
The tree-preneurs are part of Wildlands Indigenous trees for Life programme. It is as a livelihoods programme that helps poor and vulnerable members of township and rural communities to grow a future for themselves. The facilitators teach individuals how to grow indigenous trees from seed and care for the plants until they reach a certain height. Trees are traded back to Wildlands for food, clothes, bicycles, agricultural goods and tools, school and university fees, and then planted out in reforestation and greening projects.
The Maputaland Challenge was first held in the September holidays in 2009 and raised R 80 000 for various charities. The route was chosen by Hillcrest’s Highbury Preparatory school boys due to strong sentimental ties to Bhanga Nek in Northern Maputaland. Teacher at the school, Paddy Collins, who completed the whole route himself last year in 25 hours 15 minutes, asked Wildlands to be the organisers of this year’s event as they already run the BONITAS WILD SERIES events, a collection of multisport challenges held around the province. The Indigenous Trees for Life participants coped admirably, with two of the five “tree-preneur” teams finishing the full 182 kilometres.
Project Manager for the Inanda Indigenous Trees for Life project Nathi Ngcobo said: “Our team was from the Durban projects (including the Inanda and Buffelsdraai communities). The hardest part for me was having to wake up and run in the early hours of the morning, after very little sleep, having already run during the day and during the night. The team showed great determination and courage.”
Skumbuzo Zuma is a facilitator with the Inanda Indigenous Trees for Life project, and was also part of the Durban team that successfully finished the course. “What helped me get fit for the event was all the cycling and walking I do daily as part of my job as a facilitator. I go everywhere by bike or on foot in Inanda to visit my tree-preneurs, which covers a large area in Inanda. In two years time we would like to enter the Comrades marathon!” he said.
The Maputaland Challenge has again raised over R 80 000 and is supporting five different charities, namely Focus on iThemba, The Jes Foord Foundation, Under Privileged Pre-Primaries, George and Betty who run Sizakala Camp at Bhanga Nek and The Wildlands Conservation Trust. Sponsors Bonitas Medical Fund and the Sunday Tribune made the event possible.
WILDTRUST (registered as the Wildlands Conservation Trust - IT No: 4329/1991/PMB)