Step up for change. Step forward for hope. Walk together with Be The Good NGO.
On Saturday 6th December 2025—six students, five of them from University of Stellenbosch and one from Texas—set out on an inspiring 98.5 km trek to test a route for the upcoming Karoo Children Food Drive. Starting at 17:00 from Helderbosch Spar in Somerset West, they braved gale-force winds with only headlamps, limited support, and sheer courage to guide them. Their journey took them towards Hermanus, serving as a reconnaissance mission to prepare for future fundraising walks.
The aim of this drive is to raise funds for Be The Good NGO, supporting Louise in Fraserburgh, who will step in during December and June to help supplement meals for schoolchildren in Fraserburgh and Williston.
Gale-force winds had the better of them. Facing 80 km/h gusts head-on, the team braced the elements with grit and determination. Their first stop was a carbo-load and water refill at East Coast Fisheries, before marching forward. The second stop came at Pringle Bay, where a food drop was made in the same punishing winds, but still they pressed on.
Unfortunately, old rugby injuries caught up with three of the men, forcing them to stop, while the remaining three continued to Betty’s Bay, refilling water at the local petrol station and pushing onward. Two young warriors, Tiaan and Conrad, utterly exhausted, stumbled into Kleinmond. Knocking on the door of Just Delicious, they pleaded: “Tannie, we need food!”
The team at Just Delicious opened their hearts, wowed by their story. They warmed up pasta and served a truly delicious meal to Tiaan and Conrad, giving them the strength to carry on. Against more gale-force winds, a 64.5 km hike was completed—proof of courage, resilience, and the spirit behind the Karoo Children Food Drive and the upcoming Be The Good Marathon Walk for Food.
The walk is a reminder to supporters and participants of the heartbreaking reality faced by children in the Karoo. Some, as young as five years old, walk up to 20 kilometres for a safe haven and for food—the Fraserburg 2 story. In Britstown, children walk 12 kilometres to ask teachers and people they know for food.
These are stories that unfold quietly during school breaks, following the discontinuation of the state school funding scheme. It is a reality that very few people are aware of, but one that urgently needs attention.
How to do I get involved?
Join Be The Good on this epic hike, created in support of the young hikers from University of Stellenbosch and Texas, to make this a truly meaningful quest.
Participants will take on distances of 20, 40, 60, 80, or even 100 kilometres, with sponsors pledging support for one or more walkers. Along the way, rest stations will provide places to hydrate, cool down or warm up, receive foot and leg care, and recharge before carrying on.
The hike is a mission to turn the grim reality faced by children in the Karoo into positive action.
Every food donation makes a difference for Be The Good’s Food Drive in December 2025 and June 2026. Your support helps ensure that children in the Karoo have the meals they need to grow, learn, and thrive.
To learn more about how you can get involved and support this food drive, email info@bethegood.co.za or fill in the form below.
Want to get involved?
Please get in touch with us and find out how you can help make a difference.
