In the early hours of Tuesday, July 18, 2017 we began our journey of hiking Table mountain (1 085m long) as part of the #67Minutes International Nelson Mandela Day. I was joined by several students from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) Cape Town campus.
The idea behind hiking the mountain was to give back to our bodies. Most times we tend to focus on alot of things like getting to work on time or class on time and our focus tend to shift easily from exams to projects. Our minds and bodies are normally under a lot of stress and we tend to make things worse by the food we eat. That fast food rib burger...that fried chicken and chips; things that are not healthy for us.
The hike was a successful one. All of us conquered. Everyone reached the top of Table Mountain and we all descended safely. It was cold but worth it.
From there we went to The Haven Night Shelter in Green Point, whereby we spent #67Minutes. In that time we had the opportunity to interact with the residents of the shelter. We took time to view the shelter, the dorms they sleep in, the conditions of the shelter, their shower rooms and their daily schedule.
We spent some time cleaning their kitchen and assisting with food prepering. We took time to interact with each individual that we could and tried our best to fit on and not be strangers. We promised them that we would come back again soon.
It is worth mentioning that we also made donations of clothing and blankets to the shelter. This was done in collaboration with the ANC Ward 115.
The idea of hosting such an event on Mandela Day came from YALI where I am a 2017 Fellow. Initially, I planned the event solo and only made contact with other organisations post organizing the event. At some point I was worried about the turn out as Tuesday was the day our institution was reopening and classes were expected to commence.
In the end, the event turned out well. The students enjoyed themselves and giving back to the community and the best thing about the day was the smiles on the people who reside at the shelter.
To the students of CPUT who made the day possible, THANK YOU. It was good to know that you enjoyed yourselves and most importantly had fun. Also when it came to hiking Table Mountain (which has an elevation of 3 558 foot) it was challenging for some of you but you never gave up. You carried right through the challenge until we reached the top despite the cold weather. May you take what you learnt from the day and carry it throughout your life and share your experience with others.
The hike was attended by female students, I was the only male student. POWER TO WOMEN! Again proving that the is nothing women can't do!
No comments:
Post a Comment