A kick in the right direction
While many were preparing to indulge in chocolate eggs on Easter Saturday, Australian Michaela Holloway was putting in some serious sweat in an effort to fundraise for an HIV/AIDS charity in South Africa.
A former member of Sydney gay and lesbian sporting group, Frontrunners, Holloway took part in a 56km marathon to raise money for Kick4Life. The charity uses soccer to teach about HIV/AIDS and other life skills to under 18-year-olds under the banner ‘Changing lives through sport’.
Holloway began work in South Africa through Australian Volunteers International and has lived in Lesotho for six months, where she quickly became involved with Kick4Life.
“Being open about your HIV status is a big issue here,” Holloway said.
“The organisation mostly works with orphans and vulnerable children here in Lesotho. There’s a HIV prevalence rate of approximately 25 percent which has left many of them without parents.”
The Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town attracts close to 26,000 participants who can compete in the 56km ultra-marathon, the popular 21km half-marathon and the 5km or 2.5km fun runs. It is a gruelling test of fitness for both the elite and recreational runner, and attracts participants from all over the world.
Kick4Life will now turn its attention to fundraising drives as part of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa by offering tailored World Cup packages for groups and companies, with all profits supporting K4L’s HIV education program.
info: Visit www.justgiving.com/Michaela-Holloway or donate to Kick4Life at www.kick4life.org
