On 10 December, four intrepid bikers will be departing Cape Town for Kampala, Uganda, on a long-haul ride in support of Quality Education for South Africa (QE4SA).
Dubbed 'SA2UGANDA', the trek will raise money for QE4SA, an initiative to highlight the contribution that organisations are making to education through a prgramme entitled 'School@ the Centre of Community (S@CC)'.
Brothers Gerhard and Oscar de Waal, relative Rosca de Waal and close friend Peter Pretorius will visit a total of 10 countries on the round trip (South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Mozambique, Lesotho) and cover over 15 000 kilometres in just six weeks.
Oscar's love of adventure has taken him to magical places such as the origin of the Nile River. But his decision to undertake this journey is about more than adventure, he says. "I taught for a few years and have been working very closely with schools since," the financial consultant and investment specialist says. "Education is the secret ingredient to unlock the possibilities of life.”
Oscar and his brother Gerhard share this passion for education and a deep love for Africa. But, Gerhard says, this journey to Uganda is also about embracing the spirit of ubuntu.
Oscar and his teammates have committed to raise R600 000 for Symphonia's QE4SA, which incorporates S@CC and the Partnerships for Possibility programme.
By putting the School @ the Centre of Community, QE4SA aims to mobilise every South African to become actively involved in dealing with the education crisis facing our country.
The Partnerships for Possibility programme is a process designed to support principals in their roles as community leaders, and a key element of the S@CC initiative. Based on the simple but powerful idea of partnering school principals with business leaders, the programme has shown the positive progress that can be achieved when business, government, community and parents work together with the school for the benefit of all.
The project is currently running in 84 schools.
The public is invited to the team's send-off at La Bella Road, Brakenfell, from 08:00 on Sunday, 9 December. A mass ride will start at 09:00, ending at Houw Hoek Inn, Grabouw, where bikers will have breakfast.
For more information about this adventure and to show support for the bikers' cause, visit: http://www.qe4sa.org/index.php/sa2uganda.
