Ballito husband and wife blaze trails at the Put Foot Rally

If your life were to flash before your eyes right now, what would you see?

This question was the inspiration behind the start of the Put Foot Rally in 2011.

This year Ballito resident Michelle Westcott was lured out of her comfort zone to take part in this journey of personal adventure and discovery.

Its charity, the Put Foot Foundation gifts brand new school shoes to young underprivileged pupils across Southern Africa.

The volunteer-based, proudly South Africa NPO was born out of the need to tackle the daily plight and indignity of children with no shoes.

Teaming up with her husband Kobus, Michelle, a doctor by profession, said the idea to take part started as a dream to tour Africa by car.

“When I heard about the Put Foot Rally I realised that this was a great opportunity to tour Africa and at the same time do something for charity, rather than a private tour,” said Michelle.

She said they registered 10 months in advance as the trip required a lot of planning.

“Route planning has to be done in detail. We had to choose a name for our team, organise where to stay, and start fundraising for the Foundation including a charity of our choice, The Smile Foundation.”

The rally places participants in the heart of their own personal voyage to discover why Africa is loved, admired and respected.

“We traveled in a convoy of about 30 to 40 vehicles. The different people you meet makes it a really social adventure.”

The rally sees teams navigate about 8 000 kms across five countries in 18 days and is an opportunity to experience different cultures, traditions, languages and Africa in its purest and wildest form.

The journey takes ‘put footers’ through South Africa to Namibia, Zambia, Malawi and finally to Mozambique.

There are five check-points along the way but you can essentially follow your own route should you choose to.

One of the main focuses of the foundation, which has ex-springbok rugby captain Bobby Skinstad as its director, is providing school children at pre-identified schools along the routes with brand new school shoes.

The school shoes have reflector strips on the back and under the laces, making the children visible to motorists as they walk to and from school on dark winter mornings and at night.

The shoes are 100 percent tough leather and are locally made.

“Taking part in the rally gave us such a sense of accomplishment. We met so many different people along the way, saw incredible animals, experienced magical sites of natural beauty and got to experience new countries and cultures.”

Michelle said the community outreach aspect left a long lasting impression on her as it was an opportunity to give back to the continent that has so much to offer.

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