A little known tourist gem in Gauteng: The Krugersdorp Game Reserve

My Sunday morning started like many others, with coffee on the balcony at home listening to the birds. Except on this particular morning 30 minutes later I was driving between Black Wildebeests, Gemsbok, Eland, Springboks and even jackal! Who knew that such an authentic slice of African bush could be found so close to home at the Krugersdorp Game Reserve? Not me that's for sure! Now let's be clear this is no Kruger Park but considering the other options within the same distance of Jozi, it is a welcome escape I definitely will be taking advantage of again!

    Ground Squirrel 

The 1500 hectare reserve is home to at least 28 mammal species and over 200 bird species. Some are rare, like the endangered Black Wildebeest, some roam the reserve in massive herds, like the Red Hartebees, and some are just plain entertaining, like the hippos or hundreds of ground squirrels that inhabit the reserve. There are also lions! They are in a separate 200 hectare enclosure within the reserve but at least live in their natural environment - and in fact do so, so well we were only able to spot 5 of  the 14 lions despite driving around their section at least 5 times. It is a much more realistic experience, than for instance The Lion Park, and since there is no petting of the lions it's also much more animal-friendly and sustainable tourist activity.

    Male mature lion 

As if it's size and proximity to Johannesburg were not enough there are also all sorts of activities for the adventurous. You can learn to 4x4, stay over, mountain bike through almost all of the reserve - the main non-entry area of course being the lion area - as well as take a guided horse back tour through the park (again skipping the lions!) On Sundays at midday you can watch the lions be fed and there are plenty of great picnic spots to wile the hours away in. Again let's be clear you're not going to get a full on big 5 game experience, but it's much better than a zoo and a really great way to spend a day, especially if you don't have the time to get out of the city. Many parts and roads in the Reserve are currently being renovated and one can only imagine what could be done if they had some earnest support. There have been claims of mismanagement of this Reserve in the past but hopefully these are signs that things are changing - the facilities, based on my experience this past Sunday, were old but all well maintained. So who knows maybe one day Jozi, just like Nairobi, will have it's own big five game reserve with a cityscape backdrop...

    Horse back tour of the Krugersdorp Game Reserve, Sunday 28 July 2013


FYI: From Krugersdorp, travel towards Rustenberg on the R24 and you can contact the Reserve on + 27 (0) 11 950 9900. Entrance is R80 and self-drive hours are 08:00 to 17:00, but earlier hours are available to mountain bikers. 

Words and photos by Tracy Angus-Hammond (@T2T_Trace)

T2T & Thundafund Crowdfunding Update 2

By Tracy Angus-Hammond (@T2T_Trace)

T2T & Thundafund Crowdfunding Update

By Tracy Angus-Hammond (@T2T_Trace)

A Proven Track Record

The primary goals of the T2T expedition are to 1) expose people to information that will make them #SeeAfricaDifferently 2) make a sustainable difference by planting 45 school food gardens along the way and 3) explore and offer alternative measure of poverty.                               

Food security was what we chose to focus on in terms of making a difference because we believe that all other efforts relating to education, health care, economic development and even democracy are futile without this. Inadequate nutrition is linked to delayed brain development, an impaired ability to learn and a lack of academic achievement. Attaching a means of addressing this issue in a long-term and sustainable way to institutions of education thus seemed a logical link. Achieving a successful and sustainable garden is not as easy as simply arriving one day, planting some seeds and leaving...we know because we've done it before.

In 2005 the T2T team became involved with the Nkanyezi Stimulation Centre for children with multiple disabilities in Soweto (South Africa). The centre's major issue was a lack of funding and this affected everything from the crafts that could be done, state of the buildings, adaptive equipment available and even quality and quantity of  food served. We started where we could with what we had available which was land, a few seedling donors and some willing hands. After consultation with the staff, parents & volunteers we established which space would be best to use (so as not to impact on any of the centre's other activities  as well as what sorts of fruit and vegetables would be most desirable. We then spent some time doing a bit of research and speaking to a few experts to establish which of these would grow in the environment we were in. Once this list was created we took a Saturday to clear the ground, a Saturday to prepare the ground and another Saturday to plant the seedlings. These pics are from the seedling planting day in 2005:

Once the garden was planted the easy bit was done! Now that seedlings were in the ground we needed to set up a network of volunteers, a task list and then match the volunteers to the task list. We then had to add timelines so everyone knew when they had to do what and here's where the secret ingredient was added: love. The group of dedicated volunteers - young, old and from all walks of life -  tend to the garden daily, water it and carefully watch for any changes before then educating themselves on what these could mean and how to best deal with them.

Fast-forward to 2013 and the garden has flourished! It is now 4 times the size of the one first created in 2005, has a Green House (kindly donated by the City of Johannesburg) and creates enough produce to provide food to the centre on a daily basis . The garden yields peas, onions, cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, pumpkins, lettuce, beetroot, spinach, potatoes to name a few!

So why am I telling you this? In October this year we will be heading off from the southernmost to northernmost points of the African continent and as we pass through the 24 countries en route, create 45 more gardens like this. To this end we are currently crowdfunding for seedlings, hosepipes and organic fertilizer on Africa's very first crowdfunding platform Thundafund (www.thundafund.com/t2tafrica). Since we're asking strangers to back our venture we thought it only fair to provide a little more background to prove our credentials. If you would like anymore information or even to visit the first garden featured give us a shout! We'd love to hear from you

By Tracy Angus-Hammond (@T2T_Trace)

Crowdfunding

Let’s start with a definition: the practice of funding a project or venture by raising many small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the Internet.

What started out as a 17^th century Subscription business model has now taken the fund-raising world by storm. In the current economic climate the more traditional funding sources are tightening up and potential investors drying out. This age-old model combined with the internet has revolutionized the way in which people attempt to realise their dreams. Crowdfunding creates a platform where the public has the power to decide which ideas will come to life without the fiery hoops of traditional funding models. People can help fund ideas and projects that they believe in whether it be it to make a movie, start a business, save an endangered sturgeon, or in our case drive across 24 countries in Africa planting school food gardens along the way (45 gardens in total).

 

Crowdfunding success stories are countless for example Matthew Inman's $1.4m people-powered crowdfunding campaign to build a Tesla museum convinced the New York state government of public interest in the project to the tune of $850,000 in matching government funds. As we speak James Franco is using crowdfunding to raise money for his next movie. Hopefully the Tsitsikamma to Tatouine Expedition will be one of these success stories.

  

Their now exists over 450 different crowdfunding platforms. With choice aplenty, it was important for us to find a platform that speaks to our philosophy and shares our beliefs. We then heard about the launch of Africa’s very first crowd-funding platform and knew we’d found our people! As such our Tsitsikamma to Tataouine Campaign has chosen the Thundafund (www. thundafund.com) platform as our crowdfunding home. It is an online crowdfunding cafe for creative and innovative projects that will have a strong, positive social and economic impact – “Together; we can make great things happen”. 

Through their support we aim to raise R225 000 to plant 45 school food gardens, across 24 countries in 165 days. Each milestone that we reach will allow us to better equip each school with the range of seeds, tools and fertilizer that they will need to make this venture truly sustainable.

Check out our campaign where for as little as R50 (or as much as R5000), you can be apart of this incredible journey: 

www.thundafund.com/t2tafrica

By Ishtar Lakhani (T2T_Ishtar)

(Images courtesy of http://thechrisvossshow.com/how-crowdfunding-works-infographic/)

Our new route – out of the CAR, into the Congo!

Those of you who have been following our expedition for a while might have noticed that the planned route has been taking us from South Sudan, through the Central African Republic (CAR) to Cameroon.  But in recent months there has been a coup d’etat in the CAR, and a detachment of South African soldiers was involved in a fierce gun battle with rebels as the former president fled the country.  As South Africans, the team members have now found it very difficult to get visas for the CAR, which when added to the lawlessness and instability the country is now experiencing would make it almost impossible to pass through.

So where does that leave us?  In the old days of African overland expeditions there were not many options for getting across central Africa.  One route went northwards and through Chad, northern Cameroon and northeastern Nigeria, but that route is also not advisable for us for security reasons.  So the only real option remaining to us is to go through the Democratic Republic of Congo.

From Juba we’ll head southwest to Yei (Yay!) before crossing over into the DRC, where the first stop is Garamba National Park, now running again after many years of war.  Then we head south to the Ituri forest and the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, which is back up to full strength after a rebel attack last year.  The chance to see one of these incredible animals in their natural habitat is a fantastic fringe benefit of what is going to be a very tough route.

(Photo courtesy Chicago Zoological Society)

From Ituri we make haste for Kisangani, the great inland port on the mighty Congo river.  Our plan is to put the vehicle on a barge heading downriver, before spending at least two weeks on what is essentially a floating town drifting slowly down a river that is a mile deep in places.  The trip has been described as life changing, rather than pleasant, but we can’t wait!  Our destination is Brazzaville, where we rest briefly before heading towards the Congo Republic’s second city, Dolisie.  Running parallel to the coast we head up through Gabon and into Cameroon, where we rejoin our original route.

This route is about 7,000km longer than the other one, and it will take us a bit longer, but most of that extra distance will be spent on the river.  It adds two extra countries to our total, as you might have noticed on our social media profiles and website.  The chance to see the Congo river in so much of its raw glory is something that makes us feel privileged, if slightly nervous!  There is so much to see and experience in the Congos and Gabon, look out for Tracy’s Travelers’ Tuesday infographic tomorrow!

By Matthew Angus-Hammond (@T2T_Matt)

What does $1.25 a day mean to you?

Living under $1.25, isn’t that the definition of poverty? Yes, according to the World Bank this is the definition of ‘extreme poverty’ with under $2 a day being defined as ‘moderate poverty’. This is a definition that is held by the majority of states, private, educational and civil institutions around the world. This statistic informs global policies (such as the Millennium Development Goals), national priorities all the way down to civil society interventions. But what does this statistic actually mean?

Percentage of population living on less than $1.25 per day, 2009

Using the purchasing power parity can only take us so far. The poverty line of an individual shifts depending on the country, area, cost of living, their family circumstance, cultural practices and access to social capital. For example survival in rural South Africa cannot be equated to survival in urban South Africa. Also, this statistic hinges on the idea of monetary income as the universal indicator of wealth and subsequent well being, this is not always the case.
I spent a year living in India, surviving on what would be defined as ‘moderate poverty’. This was extremely challenging in the city, having to negotiate transport, ration water, hustle the cheapest food (note the cheapest, not necessarily the most nutritious or balanced) and overhauling completely what I thought to be my priorities (little did I know that I could in fact survive without cheese). However, I also spent time in a rural village where I did not spend a cent in a week. I lived in a communal family dwelling, spent the day working in the rice paddies which earned me a meal from greens harvested in the community garden. The river was used for water, washing and ablutions (I recommend you research the uses of neem, it will change your life), dried cow dung for fire and the local drunk uncle was the entertainment. Needless to say if I had $1.25, I wouldn’t have known what to spend it on. 
Choosing a definition for poverty is tricky. Is poverty an absolute or relative condition? What is a decent standard of living? Is income the most important factor to take into account? How is it that individuals, families and communities ‘make a plan’? These are some of the questions we are hoping to explore and make real for ourselves by living on $1.25 a day in various major cities in Africa. How do we construct a definition that can speak to the reality experienced by millions?  

                                                                  Urban Ahmedabad

Rural Panchgani

By Ishtar Lakhani (@T2T_Ishtar)