Having waded through numerous rivers, conquering treacherous mountain passes, and powering through vast open plains, the Kingsley Holgate Foundation has reached its first major milestone in its Afrika Odyssey Expedition: approximately 1 700 mosquito nets distributed in Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, constituting the Southern African leg of the expedition.
The foundation, in June this year, embarked on its latest humanitarian expedition aimed at preventing the spread of malaria in Africa. This latest journey continues the Kingsley Holgate Foundation’s malaria prevention work that has already helped approximately 3 million people in Africa.
Powered by two Defender 130 D300s, the heroic adventurers will embrace the seemingly impossible, traversing an estimated 50 000km of the harshest terrain and off-road routes across 12 African countries to distribute mosquito nets in high-risk communities, with a special focus on pregnant women, mothers and young children.
Legendary explorer, Kingsley Holgate, explained the achievement: “Despite our vast experience in navigating the African continent, this particular trip has taken some major unexpected turns, forcing us to deviate from our originally planned route.
“We encountered numerous obstacles almost from the start of the journey, mainly because of routes that are no longer viable due to political and safety reasons, or severe degradation. Consequently, the anticipated total mileage for the entire trip is now far beyond the initially estimated 50 000 kilometres.
“However, our Defenders have been unstoppable, aided by their legendary all-terrain performance to effortlessly cope with the demanding logistics and extreme road conditions. They have inspired confidence in the entire team to achieve what we set out to accomplish when our journey started in June.”
The heroic performance of the Defenders has led to another important milestone for the Kingsley Holgate Foundation - the naming of their vehicles.
“This is a momentous psychological milestone for the team, often symbolising triumph over significant challenges during the expedition,” Kingsley explains.
The lead Defender, piloted by expedition leader Ross Holgate, has been aptly named Isibindi, which means courage in isiZulu.
“Ross, in his Defender 130, has expertly adapted to the continuously changing logistics requirements to ensure that everyone arrives safely at all our destinations. He has shown great courage and exemplary leadership to get us where we are today. That’s why the name ‘Isibindi’ is so fitting for his vehicle,” says Kingsley.
The second Defender, with Kingsley at the helm, has been named Moyo – a popular African name meaning heart in Swahili.
“The name was adopted by the team following the warm reception we received when we arrived in Malawi, which is affectionately known as The Warm Heart of Africa.”
The naming of their expedition vehicles is a long-standing tradition of the Kingsley Holgate Foundation. 'Stanley' was the name given to a much-travelled green Defender 130 that undertook countless geographic and humanitarian journeys, following in the footsteps of the early explorers.
Another 130, christened 'Ndhlovukazi', meaning ‘the great She Elephant' carried the kit for the gruelling Heart of Africa expedition to locate the geographic centre of the continent, deep in the rainforests of the Congo.
“Our favourite Defender 130 - 'Mashozi', is still part of the KHF expedition team. She joined us in 2013 and has accumulated hundreds of signatures and hand-written messages over the years to become a billboard against rhino poaching in support of Project Rhino,” says Kingsley.
The expedition encompasses Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique, Rwanda, DRC, the Republic of Congo and Central African Republic, South Sudan and Chad in North Africa, and concludes in Benin, West Africa.
For updates on the Afrika Odessey Expedition, follow the Kingsley Holgate Foundation’s Facebook page.
