Kingsley Holgate, Africa's supreme adventurer and philanthropist, will begin his next malaria-prevention expedition in Africa by presenting the United Nations Global Fund with a US$240 000 (about R1.6 million) cheque raised through the sale of United Against malaria beaded bracelets. The sale of the bracelets also goes towards buying mosquito nets for Africa.
The All Africa Expedition will traverse the last five countries not reached by the Holgate's and their One Net, One Life campaign. The expedition will cover Ghana, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad and the Central African Republic and it is believed it will see the Holgate family become the first to have set foot in all of Africa's 54 countries.
Kingsley Holgate says: "We are very excited to be completing our mission to bring malaria prevention equipment and information to all of Africa. The last five countries are certainly not the easiest but we think many stories and memories will be formed here. The expedition covers a 20 000km journey that will take the One Net, One Life campaign to the last remaining countries. I am so proud that this time, it is Africa that is making a donation towards stemming this deadly disease in its own back yard. This campaign would not have been possible without the help of sponsors like Captain Morgan, Nando's, Land Rover and the many others."
The expedition and malaria prevention campaign has the support of health ministries in all five countries. The expedition team will distribute more than 10 000 malaria nets and deliver malaria prevention education in schools, clinics and rural communities. In addition, research to measure the severity of the disease in each of the countries will be undertaken at the same time.
"Starting from Ghana, the expedition will cross over into Burkina Faso, Niger and then negotiate the great Sahara Desert in the north of Chad before reaching our final destination, the Central African Republic," says Kingsley.
The campaign will devote most of its work to the Central African Republic, where malaria is endemic and mostly affects children under the age of five. It is estimated that every 30 seconds a child in Africa dies from malaria, and that 91% of malaria deaths occur in Africa.
Liam Crause, brand manager for Captain Morgan Black says "The One Net, One Life campaign is a truly African campaign that not only encourages legendary behaviour but also saves lives. We have consistently encouraged ordinary men and women to support this worthy cause. We see the fight against malaria as a shared responsibility, and together with Kingsley we have created space for two volunteers to join the expedition for 17 days. Our aim is to raise awareness about the disease so that everyone becomes aware of the importance of this campaign and what it aims to achieve. We also would like to commend Kingsley for his humanitarian efforts and anticipate another successful journey that will save and change lives."
As a symbolic gesture for the completion of his exploit, Kingsley Holgate will hand over the expedition to his son Ross Holgate, who will lead the expedition from the Central African Republic back to South Africa. This leg of the expedition is aptly known as The Return Dash Expedition.
"Upon our return to South Africa, we will celebrate the culmination of the expedition by emptying the Zulu Calabash filled with water from the five countries. We have embarked on many expeditions, but when we finally empty the calabash to mark the end of this expedition, it will also be a celebration of having extended our malaria fighting efforts to the rest of the African continent," explains Ross Holgate.
The Holgate family's humanitarian work in Africa also includes the fight against illiteracy, providing sporting material to under privileged schools and the Right to Sight Campaign, which donates spectacles to poor sighted people.
Fans of Kingsley and the expedition team can follow him on here.
