An epic motorcycle expedition by two daring charitable adventurers is set to depart Pretoria for Madrid this Saturday the 16th of September and the media and public are invited to the send-off. Expedition H2O will traverse about 20 African countries, in benefit of the Direct Transact Foundation’s water relief initiatives for disadvantaged communities in the rural Fee State.
On 16 September 2023, two old friends from Pretoria University’s Sonop Residence, Dr Jean Cooper, now a world-renowned organisational psychologist, who is the Chief People and Culture Officer at fintech company Direct Transact, and De Witt Oosthuizen, an acclaimed emergency medicine doctor from Wangaratta in the Australian Outback, will depart on a 16 000km motorcycle journey from Pretoria, along the West Coast of Africa, to Madrid.
The send-off party will first gather at KTM Moto in Silver Lakes, Pretoria, at 9am on Saturday and will then at 11am take a spin around the Fountains Circle and other Pretoria landmarks before riding off in the direction of Botswana. A few supporters will ride along on the first day and join the party on their first stopover just outside Zeerust in North West Province. On Day 2, Cooper and De Witt will set off alone for the Botswana border. From there they will ride through Okahandja in Namibia on Day 4, followed by Angola, DRC, Congo, Gabon, Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania, Western Sahara, Morocco and Spain. They have contingency plans to reroute along the way if any issues arise – the route is not set in stone and will be played by ear.
“We are attempting this without any ground support staff to make it a journey of epic proportions over a planned period of three months. It is a great dream come true for us, as two middle-aged men, to attempt something like this. Many of the consulates where we applied for visas were surprised, reacting with a mixture of awe and suspicion that we were even attempting this, but we are inspired to do this. We do this for a great cause, and we do this to prove to ourselves, our children and our communities that anything is possible if you set your mind to it,” says Cooper.
The expedition’s ultimate mission is to raise funds for water tank installations in under-resourced communities in the Warden area, and awareness about water conservation and leadership through the photo stories, interviews, blogs and social media posts they will share all along the journey.
“Our goal is to raise R3.2m – R200 for each kilometre that we will be riding. This will cover our costs and install a further 100 tanks – enough to supply water to 4800 people! Every 3.5km (R700) gives access to water to one person. Every 14km (R2 800) to one family. And every 160km (R32 000) will sponsor one tank – enough for 12 families.”
To make their mission a success, Expedition H2O needs South Africa’s help. “We call on our community in Pretoria, and all people in South Africa who believe that everyone in this country should have access to safe drinking water, to support our project. We hope to exemplify the type of leadership needed to transform our continent’s water crisis – leadership that takes action and puts one foot in front of the other. We all need leadership that takes it back to basics, pragmatic and collaborative, that does not give up when things get tough or when government support is lacking – leadership that takes things forward in the spirit of ubuntu.”
The Ezenzeleni community outside Warden had no reliable access to running water until the Direct Transact Foundation got involved two years ago. Community leaders joined hands with the Direct Transact Foundation and today 45 rainwater tanks supply the community of Ezenzeleni, and 20 tanks supply water in neighbouring Tweeling, all together providing water to 3120 people. Fruit trees planted beside every tank also provide nourishment to the people of these communities. “We want to extend this campaign to more communities in the Warden area that are equally in need of help and who also have the will and drive to use this gift to help themselves,” says Cooper.
To contribute, please donate via Back-a-buddy, or make an EFT directly to The Direct Transact Foundation Trust, Standard Bank Account Nr 013358197, Branch Code 051001, using the reference “H2O”. Article 18A certificates will be issued to all donors upon request.
