Durban teacher tackles 150km cycle to raise funds for school
The local teacher from Durban Preparatory High School will be attempting to cycle 150km to raise money for Ethembeni School.
BEACHGOERS can expect to see Pieter Mouton (right), on his handcycle at the Durban Promenade this Friday (23 April). The local teacher from Durban Preparatory High School will be attempting to cycle 150km to raise money for Ethembeni School which caters to more than 200 children with disabilities in Inchanga.
“I’ve always been involved with children with special needs because my father is the principal at Ethembeni School which is a special needs school. The handcycle is new to me, I thought it was appropriate to challenge myself with the handcycle as if I was one of the learners facing challenges everyday. I decided to put myself in their shoes as much as possible,” said Mouton.
“On Friday morning, I will start at uShaka Beach and my route will take me all the way along the promenade to the Umgeni River Bird Park and back. That is about 20kms and I’ll do the route six and a half times,” added Mouton.
Also read: Stop by charity fundraiser
Ethembeni School principal, Braam Mouton said the school usually raises funds through the Comrades Marathon.
“The school is in Inchanga near the R103, on the Comrades Marathon route. Since we are on the route, we started using Comrades as a fundraising opportunity for the school. At first it was just marketing our school, but then we got involved with international runners. We organised for them to tour the route. The tour would end at our school and our learners would put on a show with some Zulu dancing,” he said.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the Comrades Marathon has been cancelled, leaving the school in the lurch. Braam said the school was raising close to R1 million each year through the Comrades Marathon.
“We get a subsidy from the state of R2 million and parental contribution adds about R1 million, but our running costs are about R8 million a year. To keep running the school at a high standard, we need the funds. I spend 90 per cent of my time on raising funds for the school. These are used to buy text books, run the hostels, buy assisted devices, wheelchairs and specialised lifts for the disabled to get out of the bed and the bath.
“When we are full we have 245 scholars and 135 staff living here in six hostels. At the moment we have 119 scholars living here due to Covid-19,” said Braam.
Mouton said he has faced several challenges while training for his mammoth cycle on Friday.
Also read: Glenwood school embarks on glass recycling project
“Dealing with the fatigue in my arms has been a major challenge. The most I’ve ever done is 50km so doing 150km is quite daunting, but I am confident I can handle it. Another challenge is wind. You really have to push harder which takes a lot more energy than usual,” he said.
While Mouton set a target of R10 000 for the fundraiser, he said he has already raised more than R9000 in the build up to the event. He has been sharing his process in his Facebook and Instagram pages.
He hopes to exceed his target and raise as much as he can for the school. Mouton has set up a GivenGain page where supporters can log on to donate. He will be sharing updates on his social media pages on Friday and welcomes spectators to visit the promenade to cheer him on.
Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za)
Do you want to receive news alerts via Telegram? Send us a message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 060 532 5535. You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Berea Mail Telegram number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple
