Leisure Wheels editor, Danie Botha and deputy editor, Gert van Rooyen will be joining Kia Motors for the second time to race across seven African countries in seven days in an audacious campaign to spread hope and raise funds for juvenile cancer patients.
The second annual Seven7 Campaign leaves from the Steve Biko Academic Hospital on 14 October 2016 for a whirlwind tour of paediatric cancer wards in public hospitals in Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho and Swaziland before returning to the Steve Biko Hospital on 21 October. At each ward, the team will visit the babies, toddlers and children struggling with cancer and surprise them with toys.
While spreading toys and cheer across Southern Africa, the team’s main goal is to create awareness of the plight of children suffering from cancer and the severe financial burden that this places on their parents. In some cases they are orphans. For this reason, the team has invited companies to fund R1 per kilometre travelled for a donation of R7 000 – or more – per company.
Since all expenses for the trip have been covered by sponsors and the team, all funds raised during the Seven7 Campaign will be paid directly to the Little Fighter Cancer Trust (www.littlefighters.org.za). Little Fighters is a South African NGO focused on helping children with cancer, especially those with no family or financial support and those diagnosed with terminal cancer.
KIA Motors South Africa is again supporting the Seven7 Campaign and has sponsored the team of adventurers with an all-new KIA Sportage.
“Our KIA Sportage will be stacked to the roof with toys and equipment, but the most important item takes up no space at all – hope,” says Danie Botha, expedition leader and creator of the Seven7 Campaign.
“It is easy to be overwhelmed by the plight of these little cancer patients. We believe that our small contribution will give them, and anyone who feels helpless in the face of these ills, a bit of hope.”
Botha will be accompanied by journalist GG van Rooyen on the trip, and the team will film the expedition for a later documentary. They will also record their trip through regular posts on social media and updates to the corporate and individual sponsors.
“We are once again proud to be associated with the Seven7 Campaign,” says David Sieff, Marketing Director of KIA Motors South Africa. “The team will be facing some daunting odds to make all their stops in just seven days, especially since they will be travelling great distances on dirt and deeply rutted roads, but we believe the new KIA Sportage gives them the best possible chance of completing the Campaign in time and according to plan.”
Several auxiliary sponsors have joined the Seven7 Campaign, including Bridgestone – which has supplied all-terrain tyres, 4×4 Megaworld – which has fitted the Sportage with IPF spotlights, and Front Runner, which custom-designed a roof rack for the new Sportage.
Companies keen on joining the campaign can contact Little Fighters directly (with Seven7 as deposit reference) or make a donation on its site www.littlefighters.co.za or contact Margaret Pretorius ([email protected]) or Leo Kok ([email protected]) to facilitate the transaction. Little Fighters Cancer Trust is a registered NPO with PBO status and a Level 4 BBEEE Contributor; corporate donors can also obtain a Section 18A Tax Certificate and BBEEE Documentation.
“We also welcome anyone to make an SMS donation on the dedicated SMS fund-raising line 40770 with the word “Seven”. The cost is R20 per SMS and all proceeds will be donated to Little Fighters,” says Botha.