Christiaan Greyling Tackles Table Mountain to Raise Funds for Education

What would you sacrifice to make a difference to someone else’s life?

What do you take for granted? Perhaps your education, your family, your home, or simply this beautiful region of the world that we live in?

From Sunday, 8, until Friday, 13 May 2016, South African long distance mountain runner Christiaan Greyling will sleep in an electricity-free hut on Table Mountain for a week and run to work and back every day in order to appreciate all the privileges he takes for granted on a daily basis.

Yes, that means he’ll be running 24-km up and down a mountain each day (he’s either crazy or very committed)! Part time supply chain engineer at HomeChoice and part-time trail running superhero, Greyling aims to raise awareness for those without transport and shelter this winter. He’ll also be donating the R120 per day he would have spent on fuel to Starting Chance – a non-profit educational trust dedicated to making a difference to children in the Early Childhood Development sector in Mfuleni.

Greyling had this to say about his mission, “With today’s fast-paced lives we sometimes forget to pause and appreciate life and follow our purpose or make a change. We need to sacrifice to appreciate. I have a dream, and I believe I can give someone else a starting chance through doing what I love: running up a mountain. With a little sacrifice I will be saving R120 a day and donating this to an educational charity for children.”

HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED WITHOUT HAVING TO RUN UP A MOUNTAIN

Not all of us are trail running fitness freaks, so if you would like to support Greyling and get involved, there are easier and equally impactful ways to do so:

On Tuesday, 10 May, you can join Starting Chance at the Science Centre for a jazz and light lunch event that aims to raise awareness about the wonderful work the non-profit is doing. Greyling will be present to answer questions so you can interact with the hunky home-grown hero himself. If you’re keen to learn more, RSVP to Ali Corbett at +27(0) 82 491 1171.

On Friday, 13 May, guests can join Greyling at the Table Mountain camp from 5:30pm until 7:30pm to see where he’s been staying for the last week and raise further awareness for those without shelter and transport this winter. If you want to be one of the guests, get in touch with Ali Corbett at 27(0) 82 491 1171.

Lastly, you can donate to Starting Chance directly – any amount, no matter how big or small, will be appreciated.

MORE ABOUT STARTING CHANCE NON-PROFIT TRUST

Committed to fostering ECD in Mfuleni township, Starting Chance provides training and resources to more than 100 teachers in the region to improve access to quality education for over 2000 children aged between 0 and six-years-old. The trust also supports seven crèches in the area with teacher training and physical structure development, so that they can register with the Department of Social Development and qualify for fiscal government support. From building schools to providing skill transfer workshops for 45 crèches, the group’s sole mission is to improve education in South Africa in order to give our children a starting chance – after all, education is the foundation for everything. All proceeds raised from Greyling’s efforts will go towards building four new schools in Mfuleni for existing schools currently operating out of shacks.

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