SA celebs sign up for Bay initiative
SA stars to climb Kilimanjaro in aid of young women.
PROMINENT SA personalities have stepped up to climb Mount Kilimanjaro on Mandela Day in support of Richards Bay’s Imbumba Foundation.
The non-profit organisation initiated the Trek4Mandela expedition in 2012 to raise funds and provide impoverished young women with sanitary towels.
Celebrities who signed up for the trek on 18 July includes Isidingo actor Jack Devnarain, Morning Live news anchor Leanne Manas and eTV Sunrise presenter Penny Lebyane.
Imbumba Founder and CEO Richard Mabaso started the programme with his friend Sibusiso Vilane – the first black African to conquer the Three Poles Challenge, reaching the North Pole, South Pole and Mount Everest.
‘Over the past three years the programme has assisted over 100 000 girls and this year we are aiming even higher – to raise funds to support 270 000 girls in line with the 27 years of Madiba’s prison years,’ said Mabaso.
‘The fourth annual Trek4Mandela is unique. It is an executive expedition in which 27 executives,comprising of CEOs, Directors and celebrities will attempt to conquer the rooftop of Africa with one thing in mind – to ensure that girls do not miss another day of school due to the lack of access to sanitary towels.’
Local companies such as the Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone (RBIDZ) and the Umfolozi Casino have also taken up the challenge for the foundation’s Caring4Girls programme by adopting schools to support for the next year.
This partnership will see over 1 000 girls receive sanitary towels, puberty education booklets and branded drawstring bags.
