Social runner, Themba Mathebula is attempting to raise R60 000 for school shoes and sanitary towels to keep underprivileged children in school. He will run 450 kilometres from Centurion to Bushbuckridge (04 -15 December 2020). Tomorrow, he will cover 38 kilometres between Centurion and Ventershof via M18 and R25 road, number of social runners will be running with him tomorrow.

Themba Mathebula to run 450KM from Centurion, Gauteng to Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga for school shoes and sanitary towels.

Members of the media are invited as follows:
Date 04 December 2020
Time: 05:00
Venue: Irene Athletics Club (Centurion, Gauteng)

“Denying young girls access to education is another form of gender based violence which needs to be tackled and eradicated. Girls in rural areas deserve an equal opportunity to stay in school all year in order to realise their dreams,”

The campaign has garnered more than 79% (R 39 583.06) of the R60 000 target in donations from generous South Africans. The Imbumba Foundation, through its Caring4Girls project, has committed to a brand match of sanitary pads up to a total value of R15,000. The commitment means the campaign can reach more underprivileged young girls and help them to stay in school in 2021.
The commitment is a massive boost as the campaign can now increase the number of girl beneficiaries by up to 100%, ensuring that more girls stay in school.

Commenting on the commitment and donations received to date, Themba said, “I am grateful for the generosity of South Africans and the Imbumba Foundation for helping to ensure that children from underprivileged backgrounds are not denied access to education because they cannot afford basic necessities such as school shoes and sanitary towels”. Young boys and girls in rural communities dropout of school because they lack school shoes and cannot walk barefoot during the freezing winter months. It is estimated that young girls miss up to 50 days of school in a year because they lack access to adequate sanitary towels due to high cost.

“Denying young girls access to education is another form of gender based violence which needs to be tackled and eradicated. Girls in rural areas deserve an equal opportunity to stay in school all year in order to realise their dreams,” said Themba
The campaign is inviting South Africans to play a part by donating a pair of shoes or packs of sanitary towels through the BackABuddy platform on https://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/themba
Ends

About the campaign:
The 450Km run for school shoes and sanitary towels campaign plans to raise at least R60 000 to help keep 450 young boys and girls in school in 2021. The campaign is hosted on BackABuddy for electronic donations. The BackABuddy Foundation has been appointed to administer the funds.

To donate and for more info: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/themba
About Imbumba: The Imbumba Foundation is a non-profit organisation focusing on empowering the youth, specifically investing in the education and development of the girl child. For more info: www.caring4girls.com

Themba Mathebula Bio:
Themba is a 36 year old social runner based in Gauteng. He was born in Bushbuckridge in a small village called Hlamalani ka Mpisane. He started running in 2015 with the goal to lose excess weight and lead a healthy lifestyle. This time he has turned his passion for running to benefit a good cause close to his heart – access to education. He is an External Communications and Reputation Management expert at Vodacom, and an MBA candidate at Henley Business School Africa.

Contact:
Themba Mathebula,
Email: thembamat@gmail.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/runner_bae
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themba_runner/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/450KMRunForAPurpose
BackABuddy: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/themba
Hashtag: #450KMRunForAPurpose