Running to help gogos win their race in life
Even though Wendy was unable to finish the Comrades Marathon due to a serious hip injury, she raised nearly R16 000 for the organisation.
THIS year, Wendy Ndlamlemze, a local mum donned her favourite running shoes and took to the road to help raise much-needed funds to support the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust’s granny support groups programme. The mother of three trained hard for the ultimate human race, all while balancing her busy family and work life.
She was determined to tackle Comrades for a second time, choosing to do this run in aid of the organisation.
“HACT would like to thank Wendy for taking up this gruelling challenge and for her commitment to making a difference in our grannies’ lives and the Valley of 1000 Hills community at large,” said Candace Davidson, CEO of HACT.
Her fund-raising target was R8700, which she said roughly equated to R100 per kilometre.
To make donating easy for the centre’s many international donors, she opened an account on the Do It 4 Charity website. Her message on the site read, “Help me support our gogos (grannies) by sponsoring my Comrades Marathon run. I’ll be raising money for Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust which works with more than 2000 gogos and their grandchildren, many whom are orphaned.”
HACT helps the gogos and many others learn how to generate their own income by teaching them valuable skills, such as dressmaking, beadwork, vegetable gardening, and baking.
The gogos also keep healthy through sports and learning about nutrition as well as take part in parenting courses and receive bereavement and trauma counselling.
“Gogos are mothers to their children and grandchildren, they are wives, leaders, nations builders, breadwinners, carers and entrepreneurs. Their lives are full of persistence, faith, courage and wisdom that you need to run a race, but theirs is the tough race of life.
“They have witnessed the brutality of apartheid, the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the challenges of poverty. Their tiny pension has to cover putting food on the table for their families and the schooling of their grandchildren. Let’s help them to win their race,” said a determined Wendy.
Unfortunately, Wendy’s race on the big day didn’t go as planned as she suffered a serious injury to her hip, ultimately preventing her from completing the race. She will have to undergo surgery to repair it. Despite this disappointment, a very brave and positive Wendy has already pledged to run again in next year’s event for HACT along with members of Team Nteneshe, the new local running club which she recently started in the Valley of 1 000 Hills.
“On behalf of all our gogos, we would like to thank and congratulate Wendy and everyone who contributed to her 2017 Comrades Marathon fundraising campaign,” said Granny Support Group manager, Cwengi Myeni.
The organisation was thrilled that Wendy far exceeded her initial target and raised a staggering R15 648.45 for the ongoing support, training and economic empowerment of local gogos.
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