Kaboutjie SA Mommy Blogs by Lynne Huysamen
The Munga, known as the toughest race on earth, and GivenGain, a leading online fundraising platform, have joined forces to inspire participants to make a positive impact while taking on the ultimate endurance challenge. GivenGain, which has partnered with various international and local mountain bike events like the Epic Series, enables riders to easily create custom fundraising projects for charities of their choice, making it simple for them to raise funds and support causes they care about.
The Munga, a gruelling 1000 km semi-supported race, has seen 14 riders raise over R400K on GivenGain since 2015 for 13 different charities, with donors from 16 countries and participants from 4 countries including the USA, Belgium, England, and South Africa. This year, Nika Capital, a non-profit organisation dedicated to funding allocations to selected schools, NPOs, and NGOs that share the mission of educating children and building them as valuable individuals and leaders, aims to raise more than R1 Million through their group of 20 dedicated riders (and their networks). However, The Munga is an open event, and participants can fundraise for any charity they choose.
“At The Munga, we celebrate what it is to be human. We know the daily fight. We know what it’s like to hang on to a thread, but claw and pull it back till it’s a tightrope, and walk that thin line, balancing the life and death of dreams, till at last we lean forward, and the momentum of action carries us inexorably towards our destiny! At The Munga, we know what it’s like to live, but really live!” says event organiser Alex Harris.
The Munga Grit Tankwa, The Munga Grit Cradle, The Munga Grit USA, The Munga MTB, and The Munga Equipe are some of the upcoming events in the series, taking place from April to December this year. While fundraising is not yet in full swing, two fundraisers have already set up projects on GivenGain, all in support of Nika Capital. More participants are expected to start joining throughout the year.
A standout fundraiser from 2022 provides inspiration for this year’s riders to aim high: Last year, participant Jaco Coetzee successfully raised R66,140 for the Cipla Foundation’s Miles For Smiles charity.
“Knowing that every kilometre I pedal has an impact on others is a great motivator to keep going with training as well as during the race. There are so many people going through so much tougher things in life than a long cycle journey, and this really just gave so much more meaning through my whole Munga journey,” said Jaco, when asked about how the fundraising aspect played into his training and The Munga ride itself.
GivenGain has been a trusted fundraising platform for events like the Cape Town Cycle Tour and ABSA Cape Epic for several years, helping cyclists raise over R13.3 million for more than 500 charities. Through GivenGain’s intuitive online platform, participants can easily create and share their custom fundraising projects, directly linked to registered charities, with their personal networks. This has made a meaningful difference in the lives of many, supporting South African charities during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond.
“We are proud to partner with Nika Capital.
Join The Munga and GivenGain in the mission to empower participants to ride for good and make a positive impact on their communities. To learn more about fundraising opportunities or to donate, visit GivenGain’s website at www.givengain.com and The Munga’s website at www.themunga.com.
About GivenGain Foundation
GivenGain is a global non-profit fundraising platform. Founded in 2001, they’ve helped charities raise hundreds of millions of rands across the globe, in over 100 countries. As a non-profit, they exist solely to help charities and don’t profit from fundraising. It’s these values combined with best-in-class technology and a team to match that means they’re trusted by world-leading organisations like Unicef, Deloitte and the Boston Marathon.
To find out more about GivenGain, visit their website, or find them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn.
