Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 117, April 2019 | Page 26

ADVERTORIAL
Falke Partnership
Helps Bring Visibility
to Those Who Need It
Sometimes the power of witnessing a tragedy can be the catalyst for creating
something positive from horrible circumstances. This was the case when Carla Koch
witnessed a farm worker being hit by a car while crossing the road. She decided that
she wanted to do something that would help save lives on South Africa’s roads, and
so Visibility is Life was born.
T
he mission of this organisation is to promote
road safety for pedestrians, not only through
adequate reflective gear, but also through
education about something that many of us take
for granted, how to safely cross the road. For that
reason, the organisation focuses on school children,
and improving their safety on the roads.
“I realised that I can proactively and positively
contribute to building up our youth through
education on road traffic rules, and the effectiveness
of visible clothing and gear while travelling to their
destinations, with the hopeful result of a brighter
South-African future,” says Carla. “Through
educating and securing our children, we persistently
save young purposeful lives and build hope into
the next generation. With such success, I believe
we have contributed to hopeful communities and a
brighter future.”
The safety of these children is a grave cause for
concern when one considers the way many drivers in
this country behave on the roads, and the risks these
children face daily as pedestrians is frightening!
Visibility is Life has already provided more than 3000
reflective backpacks to learners, and while that
number may seem small, considering the vastness
of the problem, Carla sees this as just the beginning
of ensuring that the children of South Africa are kept
safe on our roads.
These backpacks have reflection on the front and
shoulder straps, plastic piping to hold their shape,
and are water repellent, so they not only increase
physical visibility of the learners on the roads, but
also provide the children with an essential tool that
they need for attending school, a reliable, protective
bag for their books.
FRIGHTENING STATISTICS PARTNERS IN SAFETY
When you look at the statistics, you quickly
understand what drives the Visibility is Life project.
In South Africa, 10.9 million school learners travel
more than 30 minutes to get to school every day,
with 71% of them walking to school. That’s a
staggering number of just over 8.7 million learners
walking to school, many of them alongside busy
roads, often leaving home in the early hours of the
morning to get to school on time, when visibility is
reduced. So how is this achieved? Through key partnerships
with key brands, projects like these are made
possible. For the last three years, Falke Euro Socks
has produced a specific range of socks for Visibility
is Life, and when you purchase these socks, you
support the organisation to supply more learners
with backpacks and education on road safety. Other
organisations that also offer support to Visibility
is Life are Ciovita International, Anatomic, Dole
International and the Christian Revival Church.
If you would like to support the amazing work that the Visibility is Life organisation does,
and support South African learners to get to school safely, you can buy a pair of Falke
‘Visibility is Life’ socks online or at the Two Oceans Marathon Expo from 17 to 19 April at
the CTICC in Cape Town.
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ISSUE 117 APRIL 2019 / www.modernathlete.co.za