#Walking4hope was initially started by Bruce Lawson and Sean Pattrick who are two very well-known and highly respected guides who have been in the Southern Africa Guiding industry for a combined 53 years. They proposed and undertook a 150 km walk around respective home gardens (600 kms apart) during the South African lockdown period. Walking track length was 400m around their houses, and as such 375 laps. They did this walking with an 18kg backpack, purely to raise funds to help the local communities in the Hoedspruit and surrounding areas. Their effort in this has now inspired numerous people around the world, many of them guides who have been personally trained and mentored by Bruce or Sean. Over 200 participants in 21 different countries have walked a total of 16.800 km.
Between 30 April and 31 July 2020 we raised ZAR882’092 and were - with the help of Hlokomela Herb Garden - able to deliver 1,100 food parcels to people in need. The content of one parcel consisted of following:
- one box of a variety of fresh vegetables (about 10-15 kg)
- one big bag of 10-12kg Maize Meal
- one bag of essential dry food such as coffee, tea, rice, sugar, pasta, oil, canned food etc. (about 15kg)
This means that with our distributed total of 1,100 food parcels we have delivered
12 tons of Maize meal
15 tons of vegetables and herbs &
3240 buffs and masks
to help against the spread of the Corona virus to families in need, old age homes, people who lost their jobs due to COVID 19 pandemic and their families, as well as to schools and children in need.
We also bought produce from smallholder farmers in the surrounding areas for the incredible amount of ZAR383'089 which secured their livelihood and their dependents.
Our Beneficiary
Affected by the COVID 19 Lockdown, thousands of people have lost their jobs and therefore their income to sustain themselves. This campaign focuses on distributing wholesome food parcels to people in need in the surrounding communities and helps to sustain their livelihoods by boosting immune systems through healthy foods and so actively helps in combating the Corona virus and job loss pandemic.
Tshembo Africa Foundation has chosen the Hlokomela Herb Garden Community Wellness Mission as their beneficiary. Hlokomela (NPO) employs people from various communities bordering the Kruger, and provides health care services to a large portion of the lodge staff that operate throughout the Greater Kruger Park Region. The Herb Garden grows herbs, vegetables and some fruit to supply the lodges around Kruger and other outlets with organically-endorsed, fresh, seasonal produce. The lodges are of course closed because of the pandemic lockdown, and this has given rise to the newly launched, not-for-profit project, the Community Wellness Mission. Their mission is to provide wholefood baskets (comprising a diverse range of locally grown, wholesome, nutrient dense food) to those in need, beginning with the vulnerable members of the community. Conservation through community development, appreciating the direct link between healthy, happy communities and healthy, secure wilderness areas.
