About

My tenth desert race was the six-day, 250km Fire and Ice Ultra from 27 August – 1 September 2018 in Iceland.

Given my involvement with various African NGOs over the past 25 years, both professionally and through my desert running efforts, I dedicated my participation in the Fire and Ice Ultra to the African NGO sector.

During the final 50 days leading up the race, 9 July – 27 August 2018, I implemented the #NGOs4Africa Campaign which aimed to celebrate NGOs’ unique contributions across the continent, generate support and awareness for their work, and reflect on the state of the sector.

The campaign consisted of the following components:

• Publishing profiles of 50 African NGOs that I have admired, supported or worked with over the years;
• Publishing 17 guest articles by NGO leaders and experts about critical challenges and opportunities facing NGOs in Africa;
• Publishing 7 articles about people using sport to raise awareness and support for good causes in Africa;
• Publishing regular updates about my training and preparations for the race, including updates about my campaign.

I hope the various NGO profiles and articles provided the followers of the #NGOs4Africa Campaign, and the general public, with the necessary context and insights to better understand and appreciate the work of NGOs in Africa.

By finishing the Fire and Ice Ultra, I became the first African to complete one of these races on all seven continents.