Izitini Zolwazi – or the Izzi Trust – is a children’s charity whose philosophy centres on empowerment through education. Our three main areas of acitivity are as follows: Running outreach programmes at underprivileged schools and crèches; Providing bursaries for financially disadvantaged children; Encouraging and facilitating environmental, cultural and academic events that bring together children from our country’s many different economical and social groups

On Friday 18th September, at 14.30, we shall host an 11km sponsored walk at Pecanwood College at the Hartbeespoort Dam. 11kms is the average distance that children walk in order to get to Re-E-Lwele School in Broederstroom, NW, where we are raising funds to buy a school bus. YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE IN OUR PART OF THE WORLD IN ORDER TO BE INVOLVED!! Wherever you are in the country – or even the world! - if you can run, cycle, walk or hobble your 11kms on 18th September, at the gym, or around Parkview, Irene, New Malden or Fourways, it will be counted as a contribution to our cause. What we need is people who are thinking of Lerato as they run, and taking on board the fact that, while it’s a challenge for us (and certainly, definitely, no question whatsoever for me!) to be running 11kms, for most children in our country, this is just a reality that they have to face. A reality that they shouldn’t have to face. And this is the very reason why we need to buy them a bus.

Email felicity@izzitrust.co.za for the Bus for Us / Do It Day SPONSORSHIP FORM. Then ask your mates to give you a few rands for every km that you walk or run. If just 100 people get 25 people each to sponsor them R10 per km for 11 kms, that will raise R275,000 for the Bus for Us campaign – more than a quarter of the funds we need to get a bus for Re-E-Lwele School in Broederstroom.

Beneficiaries

A lack of transport is perhaps the biggest single hurdle to education in rural and semi-urban areas in South Africa. Many school children leave home before 6 in the morning, to walk 11kms to and from school, arriving hot in summer, cold in winter, and wet on rainy days. Most importantly of all, they arrive hungry and exhausted and unable to study productively.

The Bus for Us campaign aims to raise funds to buy buses to transport children to school and back every day, so that they will be able to learn, play and have fun at school – which, after all, is what you are supposed to do there.

Special Skills Required

Runners, Walkers, Cyclists.

Impact

It will raise awareness of the Bus for Us campaign, involve people in our project, and hopefully raise funds as well.

Problems

None