Biking for more play time!

Southern Africa 2020

Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 restraints, the biking for more play time initiative is placed on hold. We were able to cycle 1000 km from Cape Town, South Africa to Aussenkehr, Namibia, and then various lock downs came into effect. We were able to raise funds to support the community projects with their immediate needs during these challenging COVID-19 times! Thank you for your ongoing support!


The initiative

Hi there, we are Juan and Maryke and we have a great love for Africa and a desire to serve its people. This year we are going to support a couple of community projects in Southern Africa and we aim to visit some of these projects.....by bikepacking there! Yes that's correct, we set ourselves the goal to cycle 3000 km's from Cape Town, South Africa, through Namibia and Botswana to reach our main project in Zimbabwe in 3 months. We hope to support the projects financially through our GoFundMe.com campaign and presenting workshops on the importance of play and hygiene promotion in the community. Check out our bikepacking trip and projects below!

The goal

Our goal is to support 4 community projects in Southern Africa by raising €1,- for every 1km that we are going to cycle.

The workshops

The workshops that we are going to present will be aimed at and focus on:

  • The caregivers - to promote the importance of playing for a child and also to show the caregivers how they connect with their children through play.

  • The teachers - to provide a workshop for the teachers about using play techniques in the classroom when interacting/educating children.

  • The children - Lastly we will present a fun filled afternoon for the kids, where we will promote the importance of good hygiene (reinforcing healthy practices such as hand washing with soap) through a puppet show and various play activities.

The projects

Start up of the Early Learning Centre in Harare

Zimbabwe

This project is focuses on the fulfilling in psychosocial (emotional, social, educational and spiritual) needs as well as providing food and a safe haven for more than a 1000 orphans in 4 different areas in Zimbabwe (Chivu, Derembe, Mutare and Harare). Now this project is endeavouring to start an Early Learning Centre (crèche) for the orphans living in Harare.

Ha Matela Youth Centre

Lesotho

The Ha Matela Youth Centre is located in Morija, Lesotho. It is an after-school centre with a small library that provides our young neighbours with a quiet place to read, study and have fun. Foreign volunteers run the Centre, assisted by young adults from Ha Matela. You can read more and see photos on Facebook: www.facebook.com/hamatelayouth.

John 3:16 Outreach programme

Botswana & Zambia

The John 3:16 is an outreach programme is part of the KSM church of South Africa. Every year the outreach programme supports two community projects in Botswana (a crèche and church ministry in Sepupa) and Zambia (David Livingstone Secondary school). Their mission is to help, support and equip the next generation of the local community to be in a deep, honest and living relationship with God. hey do this by supporting and serving in the community projects and by ministering in the different communities of Sepupa in Botswana and in Livingstone, Zambia.