From Tuesday, 5 November to Sunday, 10 November 2019, three determined men undertook a gruelling stationary rowing challenge over six days, 7560 minutes, 1460KM and a total of 126 non-stop hours. Their effort included 189 000 rowing strokes which covered the equivalent rowing distance from Durban to Robben Is-land.
But rowers, Stefan Terblanche, Bruce Hughes and Mike Morris didn’t just do it to prove their mettle. They went the distance for the benefit of the Ingane Yami Chil-dren’s Village in the Shongweni Valley, Kwa-Zulu Natal. Ingane Yami is a charita-ble haven for orphaned and vulnerable children from the surrounding area.
The Village is made up of individual homes that are cared for by carefully selected foster mothers, each of whom have six children under their roof. The Ingane Yami Mandela Challenge – the name given to this epic rowing journey – was completed so that funds could be raised for a new home that will shelter six more children.
CEO of the South African Rugby Legends Association, Stefan Terblanche, and ad-venture athletes, Bruce Hughes and Mike Morris delivered as promised. And today (Thursday, 12 December) saw an amount of R690 000 handed over to Ingane Yami.
Stefan commented, “It’s these moments that make all the strain we took worth it. The response from donors during this challenge was incredible. And because of the generosity and caring of everyone who gave to this great cause, six children in need will now have a permanent loving home. I would do it all again”.
Bruce Hughes said, “Mike and I have done a lot of charity challenges. But this one was something truly special. We had the kids there with us, cheering us on all the way, and even helping a little bit with some of the rowing! This was a really memo-rable experience, and we’re so happy with the result. Thank you to everyone who supported us”.
The Ingane Yami Mandela challenge was an extremely taxing journey for all three athletes. Bruce and Mike rowed on a rotational basis in one-hour shifts, while Stef-an took over as the impact rower during the dark evening and early morning hours, allowing the other guys to sleep for six hours. But with a bit of celebrity encourage-ment and the children of Ingane Yami to cheer them on, they completed the chal-lenge in style.
Ingane Yami Children’s Village accepts donations all year round. And your contri-bution could change lives for more underprivileged children at the Village. Contact Patricia Deacon, Ingane Yami Marketing Manager, on 078 342 0539 or email her on tricia@inganeyami.com to find out how you can help.
