ROAD RUNNING
sincere gratitude for all the help . It really touched my heart . These people who work for charities are just incredible . They encounter such ugliness every single day , and I know I couldn ’ t deal with that , and they have a strength that I would never have , so the best I can do is try and help by raising funds , which is what Akanani is all about .
Hazel Moller
Jeffrey Adams
Overwhelming ... Humbling ... Eye-opening ... Mindblowing ... Exhilarating ... That was the experience with the Akanani crew . It was my maiden trip , and it provided me with more insight on what sacrifices each one of the running crew , and the support crew , had made during this charity run . It was just not about us , but about the kids who have endured such a lot during their lifetime ...
I learnt so much being out on the road with seasoned campaigners , like how they applied their experience to execute their runs . For me , what was key to all of this was to adjust , adapt to a new environment as well as a completely different approach to long runs
# Runners4Change crew , an absolutely fantastic , amazing , fun-loving , hilariously funny , heartwarming bunch of runners ! Every minute with you out there was worth it , I simply loved it , and I ’ m so glad for the opportunity to have you all beside me !
Jeffrey Adams with Chantel Memziwe
Entering Amanzimtoti Stadium with the # Runners4Change crew , I experienced so many emotions as tears filled my eyes . The applause and praise for us after a really gruelling few days of running , and then listening to the gratitude of the recipients of these much-needed funds that we were aiming to raise to make this Christmas a bit merrier than ever before !
A huge thank you Mr Haroon Emam for inviting me to be part of such a great initiative and accepting me with open arms ! Jenny Emam ... Ma ... Bernie ... Ahmed for the wonderful support and patience with us every day out there on the road ! The
Lucky packets for kids along the route
Running for the Bobbi Bear Foundation
Linda Venter
When I was 10 months old , I nearly died due to gastroenteritis , and my parents were told that due to the fact that my brain was without oxygen for too long , I will be left completely brain-damaged . However , I survived , and recovered completely . Only later on was it detected that I had a hearing problem and needed hearing aids . Even before this , my mom made a point of telling me to look at her when she talks , and this is how I learnt to lipread , without anyone realising that I had a hearing problem .
Chantel , Keshnie and Jeffrey with Ahmed of the support crew
I was sent to Sonitus School for the Hard of Hearing , which became like a second home . I went on to study after school and am currently a forensic science analyst at the South African Police Service . My hearing problem is my ‘ normal ,’ as I don ’ t know what normal hearing is , but COVID has been very hard for the hearing-impaired , because the wearing of masks prevents us from reading lips and thus ‘ hearing .’
I see every challenge as an opportunity to show the world that hearingimpaired people are completely normal , and that we can do everything that normal people can do . We just don ’ t hear as well and need some assistance and patience in this regard . So , when this Akanani Charity Run came up , it was another opportunity not just to show the world that disabled people just have certain limitations , but also an opportunity to give back to the less fortunate , by doing one of the things that I love most , running !
41