Princes in South Africa for charity ride
Brad Morgan
20 October 2008
Britain's Prince William and Prince Harry are in South Africa, taking part in the eight-day Enduro Africa 2008 motorcycle rally to raise money for charity. Their presence has helped significantly to boost fund-raising efforts.
The goal was to raise £150 000 (over R2.6-million), but that amount has already been doubled, and the princes have surely had a lot to do with that success.
Enduro Africa begins and ends in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape, taking in towns such as Alicedale, Queenstown, Coffee Bay, Mazeppa Bay, Hogsback and Port Alfred.
Prince William and Prince Harry are expecting the terrain to be very testing; they've taken a light-hearted wager about who will fall off more during the eight-day journey!
To participate in Enduro Africa 2008, riders had to raise a minimum of £4 995 in sponsorship. From that amount, the sponsors promise to donate at least £1nbsp;500 to charity. There is a total of about 80 riders.
Charities
Four charities will benefit from the money raised, namely the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), Sentebale/The Princes' Fund for Lesotho, the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, and Touch Africa.
The Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, founded by South Africa's esteemed former President in 1994, according to its mission, "strives to change the way society treats its children and youth".
Sentebale means "forget me not", and the fund was established in 2006 by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of the Lesotho Royal Family. It is named in memory of Harry's mother, Diane, Princess of Wales. The aim of the charity is to transform the lives of Lesotho's orphans and vulnerable children.
Touch Africa has four key issues that the organisation works towards: reducing poverty; increasing global cooperation; sustainable development, equality and social justice; and environmental conservation and protection.
The money raised for Unicef will go towards the Born Free campaign, which forms part of Unicef's Unite for Children, Unite against Aids global effort. Its aim is to prevent babies getting HIV from their mothers.
A princely sum
Enduro Africa has previously enjoyed tremendous success. In 2006 the aim was to donate a new motorcycle plus a minimum cash donation £500 per entrant to the charity Riders for Health. The aim was exceeded by a long way as 114 motorcycles, valued at £149nbsp;910, and £80 000 were donated.
Smaller projects along the route of the Enduro in the Eastern Cape received a further £11nbsp;000 worth of donations.
In 2007 the success of the previous year was bettered as 132 motorcycles, valued at £173nbsp;580, as well as £149nbsp;000 towards the cost of running them went to Riders for Health.
Thus, in only two years, Enduro Africa has donated over £560nbsp;000 (almost R10-million) to charity. With the presence of Prince William and Prince Harry boosting the event, 2008 is going to be another record year of fund-raising - one might suggest a princely sum will be raised, pardon the pun!
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