Lindy Stander. (Photo: Jhua-Nine Wyrley-Birch/Rhewal)
“Drought destroys everything. It destroys our herd, our land and to a large extent also our community, but if we go to farmers with donations from initiatives like this, we remind them that God knows who they are and where they farm.”
This is what Berto Archer, a farmer from the Kamieskroon area in the Northern Cape, says about Radio Sonder Grense’s (RSG) Save-a-farm-Camino hiking project, which is being organized for the second time this year in collaboration with the NG Church in the Northern Cape. Caritas Community Focus and Tankwa Camino are offered to offer humanitarian aid to farming communities in the disaster-stricken parts of the Northern Cape.
Participants and supporters of this walk contribute to the Caritas Community Focus drought relief project. The project helps to provide basic necessities such as fuel, school and university fees, as well as pastoral assistance to Northern Cape farm communities.
As part of this project, celebrities such as the RSG announcer, Amore Bekker, are going to the Domestics-actress, Lindie Stander, singers Jak de Priester and Elvis Blue, as well as the writer and entrepreneur Johannes de Villiers, will undertake 166 kilometers from Williston to Verneukpan to raise money and raise awareness.
About 105 brave RSG listeners will accompany them on this challenging journey.
Lindie, who is known for her role as Elise in Domesticsspoke to Rhewal about her involvement in this project.
“I think especially us city jays live like this bubble, we forget what a lasting impact this drought had. Each farm is a community on its own, so we are talking about at least thirty magics per farm that need to be fed and taken care of. That’s why I’m fired up to take on this hike.”
The route from Williston to Verneukpan. (Photo: RSG)
Lindie is a keen hiker herself and in 2022 braved the famous Lycian Way hike of 540 km in Turkey and documented her journey on social media.
She says that she was then approached by Esté van der Merwe, marketing manager for the Caritas Community Focus, to take part in the Save-a-farm Camino.
She admits that this “flat route” between Williston and Verneukpan doesn’t look very difficult on the surface, but does present its own unique challenges for walkers.
“Walking between 20 and 25 km every day is not only hard on the body, but also on the head. Especially with a flatter route because there is no nice descent to look forward to after a difficult ascent. Where we go for a walk there is literally nothing. It’s all the time just you, your fellow hikers and your own thoughts.”
Yet her excitement for it is greater than her nerves.
“I’m really looking forward, not only because this is for an incredibly good cause, but also because I like the little hardship that comes with it. This is my way of becoming humble again before creation, because in nature there is no one famous NO.”
She encourages members of the public to open their hearts and hands to this initiative.
“I may look a lot tough, but I have a huge soft spot for real ‘salt of the earth’ people, and that is absolutely the definition of our country’s farming communities. That’s why I decided without hesitation to get involved and hope that members of the public will do the same.”
- Participants in this walk contribute to the Caritas drought relief project at. For more information, please call 063 355 7815 or send an e-mail to [email protected].
- If you cannot participate, you can still follow the group virtually on social media and make a donation. click here for more details.
- Watch Rhewal’s interview with Lindie here:
