Peter Bode became a Trustee of KidZAid in April ’24 and already by 29 June, he was riding the iMfolozi MTB mountain bike challenge to improve the awareness of KidZAid as an organisation and most importantly, to raise a whole lot of funds to support the children. He put in a huge effort to pedal – the sponsors did the rest, to the tune of R95 000!
The following is a chat with Peter Bode:
“The question I am asked about this wonderful ride, in the sanctuary of iMfolozi is ‘Why did you do it, what was the motivation, and why KidZAid?”
Very interesting. To set the scene, this iMfolozi MTB Challenge is a bike ride in a wonderland of flora and fauna. It’s the home of the White Rhino and, to make it a lot more challenging, a Big Five reserve.
The event is over 2 days of some hard riding.
Following my recent involvement with KidZAid, I wanted to raise awareness of the plight these youngsters face every day – no food, no schooling, no care! What chance will they have in this cruel society?!
I was determined to make a difference, so entered the event. Full of enthusiasm, I set about trying to find some folk who shared a common vision and understanding to sponsor me for the ride. A few rand here and there, some food, clothes, books, toys, some deeper commitments and an underlying belief in what I was about to do. That was all I needed. The list kept on growing! No pressure Peter! I had to perform. Fast forward to the event.
Every entrant in any event has a few butterflies on the day, I sat at the start looking at all the other riders and wondering whether I knew what I was in for! 21 degrees at 7 in the morning, 45kms of rugged terrain, 2 km of climbing and a multitude of challenges and wild animals waiting for me. Bang! And we were off! Hundreds of bicycles, riders galore. What a wonderful feeling! Released into nature. As a team we pulled hard. There were some difficult climbs and the descent thereafter equally tricky, a few near misses, but we all remained upright. As we progressed and the harsh African sun punished us, so we sat up to admire the bushveld, the animals,the birds and smell the freedom.The spirit and team work all played a role and no sooner had we started than we were 3 hours in and coming round the last few bends to the end. What a welcome awaited us as we finished, tired, but elated that we had done it. I was relieved that I had not let my sponsors down and a great sense of fulfilment came over me. Yep, we did have a great party that afternoon and evening, celebrating being there and all the very kind support and donations received for the many children to whom this was dedicated.
Thanks to KidZAid for the opportunity, to the team and the sponsors! It was an amazing weekend and the memories will last forever.
The future looks great and the KidZAid team have already embarked on a few projects for the upliftment of these facilities and children, from JoJo tanks, to gardens, watering cans for the children, educational aids, food, care and love . What more do our children need? Huge amounts of all of these.
Thanks to all. I am looking forward to my next challenge, so stay tuned!
