No Pain, No Gain, for SANGONeT's David Barnard

Now in its third year, the 2012 campaign will be bigger and more challenging than ever before. Three desert foot races, which include both sand and snow - the Namib Desert Challenge, Namibia (26-30 March); Gobi March, China (10-16 June); and The Last Desert, Antarctica (16-22 November) - will see Barnard run in some of the toughest and most demanding conditions on the planet.

Doing it himself

NGOs often link their fundraising activities to the participation of athletes and public personalities in various sporting events (e.g. ultra-marathons such as the Comrades Marathon). However, it not common practice for staff members of these organisations, or in this case the CEO, to take up the challenge on behalf of his/her organisation. Furthermore, running self-supported through three deserts will be a unique and extreme physical challenge to be linked to fundraising and awareness-raising activities.

"We are very excited about the 2012 "No Pain No Gain" campaign as we celebrate SANGONeT's 25th anniversary. David's effort to conquer three deserts closely resembles the commitment demonstrated by SANGONeT over the past 25 years in serving NGOs with a wide range of information, communication and technology services", says Tebogo Makgatho, Chairperson of the SANGONeT Board of Directors.

The objectives:

The objectives of our 2012 "No Pain No Gain" campaign are two-fold.

Firstly, SANGONeT would like to raise R1m linked to Barnard's successful completion of the three desert races. Money raised will be used to expand key SANGONeT services such as the NGO Pulse Portal (www.ngopulse.org), the Prodder NGO Directory (www.prodder.org.za), the SANGOTeCH technology donation portal (www.sangotech.org) and others in support of NGOs in South Africa and the rest of Southern Africa.

All these services are already making an important contribution to the work of the NGO sector, but SANGONeT needs more support to reach a larger number of NGOs with a wider range of services.

Secondly, SANGONeT will use the campaign to raise awareness about the important work of NGOs in South Africa. Over and above SANGONeT's ongoing activities in support of the sector, it will publish detailed weekly profiles about various NGOs on the NGO Pulse Portal as of 23 March 2012 until the end of the campaign on 30 November 2012. Daily profiles will be published during each of the three desert races to maximise our awareness-raising efforts in support of NGOs in South Africa.

A special year

The campaign will also highlight the work of TechSoup Global in Africa and other parts of the world.

"This is a very special year for everyone associated with SANGONeT as we celebrate a significant milestone - our 25th anniversary. Given the overall focus and scope of our work, and our relationship with a wide spectrum of NGOs in South Africa, we would like to use our 25th anniversary year not only to celebrate SANGONeT's achievements, but also to recognise the unique contribution made by NGOs to South African society in general", says Barnard.

For more information about the "No Pain No Gain" campaign and to make a donation, go to www.ngopulse.org/NPNG.

SANGONeT is a Non-Profit Corporation (NPC) and registered Public Benefit Organisation (PBO) and all donations received are tax deductible in South Africa under Section 18A of the Income Tax Act.

To follow David Barnard's preparations and participation in the three desert races, go to http://www.facebook.com/Sangonet.NoPainNoGain.

More about the Southern African NGO Network (SANGONeT) (www.sangonet.org.za)

Established in 1987, SANGONeT continues to support thousands of NGOs and other development agencies in South Africa and the wider Southern African region through strategic technology, information and advocacy services. Increasingly, SANGONeT provides a strategic entry point to news and information for and about the NGO sector in Southern Africa.

Images:

Top: David Barnard pictured next to the Pyramids in Egypt after one of his earlier 'No Pain, No Gain' marathons.

All following images are sourced from Wikimedia Commons and show, respectively, the Namib Desert, the Gobi Desert and - ice as far as the eye can see... the Antarctic.