A SCHOOL SHOE IS A MODE OF TRANSPORT
South African runner Nontuthuko Mgabhi runs to give a good pair of shoes to boys and girls who walk a long way to their school.
Nontuthuko Mgabhi (36) is a dedicated ultra-runner from Richards Bay. She participated in the Ultra ASIA, 160km Race in Vietnam from 6-9 March 2023.
But that was not about personal achievement or conquering the ultra-running world. Nontuthuko Mgabhi’s mission is about bettering the lives of rural schoolchildren in South Africa.
Through her various athletic adventures, including becoming the First Female from Africa to run 7 marathons on 7 Continents in 7 Consecutive Days, Mgabhi has raised over R3 million so far, which has been used to provide a variety of resources for learners living in poverty.
Her latest mission is to raise another R140 000 through a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy to provide 500 new pairs of school shoes to learners at five different schools in Mseleni on KwaZulu-Natal’s North Coast, giving children from deep rural villages a fair chance at education.
She says: “A school shoe is not a ‘nice to have’ for children from the rural village. A school shoe can stand in the way, and in some cases it does. Children in rural villages walk a long distance to school (+/- 6km), a school shoe is a necessity, it’s not about looking good but it’s about helping them walk the distance. A school shoe is a mode of transport.”
“I too come from a deep rural village, the village of Mseleni, and it is my desire to inspire hope, especially in the children from the deep rural village. I believe in equal opportunities and it is my wish that children from rural villages get a fair chance to succeed.”
Find more HERO STORIES in the SA GOODNEWS website: https://www.sagoodnews.co.za/running-160km-nontuthuko-hopes-to-provide-500-pairs-of-shoes-to-rural-children-who-walk-to-school/