• RI Interactive video and article, March 6, 2007.
• Read their blog as they hiked across Africa. December 20, 2006 to January 4, 2007.
Rotary AIDS Hike in South Africa
from Johannsburg to Cape Town
By 2010 it is estimated there will be more than 20 million AIDS orphans globally. Yet, less than 5% of orphans and vulnerable children in Africa are currently receiving assistance.
The 2006-2007 theme for Rotary International is "Lead the Way." In that spirit, five international students studying in South Africa will hike 2010 kilometres - from Johannesburg to Cape Town - to highlight the needs of AIDS orphans and raise critical funds for children left homeless and at risk by the pandemic.
The students are from Kenya, Japan and the United States. They are currently studying in South Africa at the University of the Witwatersrand and are actively involved in Rotary in South Africa and in their home countries.
While Rotarians support many AIDS projects throughout the world, a group of concerned Rotarians came together in 2003 to create Rotarians for Fighting AIDS (RFFA). RFFA supports more than 15,500 orphans and vulnerable children throughout South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia and Cote d'Ivoire.
As the team hikes across South Africa, they will speak to schools and community groups; visit programs assisting AIDS orphans, child-headed families and vulnerable children; raise awareness with media interviews; and distribute educational materials. The twenty-day charity hike will commence following World AIDS Day on December 1st, and will end as the group arrives in Cape Town on December 21st.
The Rotary AIDS Hike team is seeking corporate and private sponsorships for this great cause. Only R3300 a year provides an orphan with school uniforms, supplies, fees, and daily nutritional support. ALL funds will be donated to RFFA to assist AIDS Orphans and Vulnerable Children throughout southern Africa.
The Rotary AIDS Hike Team is also seeking support from sponsors for a range of products to help them accomplish this extraordinary feat, including: sports drinks, energy bars, sunscreen, footwear and petrol.
For more information visit us at our web site.
