Matla A Bana celebrates cyclist’s long journey
During a recent meeting, as the police's year officially started, Matla a Bana invited fierce supported Mike Henning to thank him for his recent contributions to their cause.
The story behind the formation of the Matla A Bana charity organisation is heart-wrenching.
In 2000, Monique and Callie Strydom survived the harrowing events of being taken hostage while on a diving holiday in Malaysia and held on another island by an Islamist separatist group. They did all they could to survive the next four months until they finally could return to South Africa.
The Callie and Monique Strydom Charity Trust subsequently was founded, and after being asked to chair a task team that investigated child rape in South Africa in 2002, Monique established Matla A Bana. Lizel van Eeden, Matla A Bana project manager explained that it is the only charity organisation of its kind that has a permanent memorandum of understanding with the police on national level.
The organisation is still going strong, touching countless lives across South Africa and helping families affected by violence.
Lizel operates from Krugersdorp and, on Friday, April 1 she held a meeting with a few Gauteng Police officials at the Ana-Paula’s coffee shop to discuss their plans for the rest of the year.
She also invited retired former police member Mike Henning and his wife Bernadette.
Earlier in the year, Mike set off on a journey of self discovery and a personal test of endurance to Cape Town with just his trusty mountain bike and a few supplies. The roughly 1 600km journey took 16 days to complete and, during this time, Mike kept the world updated on social media and tried to raise funds for Matla A Bana.
Also read: Mike completes his cycling journey to Cape Town, raises R110K
Lizel wished to thank Mike for raising more than R100 000 and gift them a breakfast voucher and a bouquet for Bernadette to show their gratitude. Bernadette supported Mike before, during and after the trek to Cape Town, every step of the way.
Lizel explained that just the day before, she and her team had finished packing 1 000 comfort packs which were sent to other provinces to help children who have fallen victim to abuse. She added that the organisation consistently needed help.
Visit the Matla A Bana website’s Contact Us section to find out how you can help.
