On the 8th of July 2021, Henry Cock (34), a business owner from Sandton, Johannesburg, will attempt to smash the Guinness World Record for most consecutive half marathons in a row, to uplift South Africans struggling with mental health, particularly during the lockdown.
Henry, who is admittedly not a professional athlete, is training to take on 133 consecutive half marathons over 133 days, covering a distance of 2800km from Kosi Bay, KwaZulu-Natal, to Vioolsdrift, Namibia, to break the current record for men, which stands at 75.
Shattering Mental Health Stigma
Having battled depression and anxiety in recent years, due to the dissolution of his long term relationship, the strain that the ongoing pandemic has had on his businesses, as well as the daily personal struggles we can all relate to, Henry wants to dismantle mental health stigma with his mammoth challenge and be a beacon of hope to those who suffer in silence.
Henry Cock
“I only became aware of my mental health issues in 2019. The more I started to delve into my personal experiences, the more I began to understand how important mental health is, and the more I learned that it is still a very stigmatised and taboo subject. It took me months of therapy to work up the courage and put myself on medicine, and admit to the people I cared about the most that I suffered from anxiety. It takes great courage to speak out and recognize that you suffer from a mental disorder. The more we can open the conversation surrounding mental health, the greater the understanding and empathy will be with those that suffer.” – says Henry.
Crowdfunding on BackaBuddy
With a crowdfunding campaign launched on BackaBuddy, Henry has also set himself an ambitious goal of raising over R6 million to support The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG), an organisation on the forefront of patient advocacy, education, and de-stigmatisation of mental illness in South Africa.
According to SADAG, one person commits suicide every hour in South Africa.
Henry Cock and with friend and supporter, Jake Franklin.
Since the launch of his ‘Mentally Aweh’ campaign, Henry has thus raised over R250 000, with contributions from 77 donors both locally and internationally which will be used to help those without the means to prioritise their mental health and access treatment.
‘It’s time for togetherness, not individualism.’
With the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a ‘new wave of mental health concern’ says Henry, as people have struggled with isolation, fatigue, illness, and the death of loved ones on a larger scale than we are accustomed to.
“My hope is that as many South Africans as possible can have access to the help they need, and that is why I have set up my BackaBuddy campaign. I want people to know that it is okay to tell people you’re struggling with your mental health. It doesn’t mean your life is over, or that you’re different or weird – and it’s OK to take medication for it. These things all help, they’re not there to be stigmatized or laughed at or looked down upon as a weakness. The misconception that this problem has no solution is simply not true” – says Henry
Support Henry’s campaign on BackaBuddy by donating here:
Born to an underprivileged family, Robert Maposa (43) from Mamelodi East, Pretoria, learned to make the most out of his limited opportunities.
Determined to build a better life for his wife, Hitahlula, and their two sons, Wonderful and Timothy, Robert worked as a gardener and did odd jobs to put himself through matric at the age of 28 and then went on to study a law degree.
Despite the obstacles in his path, Robert exceeded all expectations, passing his LLB degree from UNISA with distinction.
As finding a job has proven difficult without a vehicle of his own, Jonathan Smith (23), who has known Robert for the past 15 years, as he has worked for his family, launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy to surprise Robert with a second hand car to expand his work opportunities as he prepares for his board exams.
“I have been so fortunate to grow up around Robert, when I was younger he would tell me stories and let me help in the garden. As I’ve grown, I’ve learned to appreciate his kind spirit even more and I couldn’t be prouder of what he has achieved. I know given the slightest chance that he will be a major success” – says Jonathan.
Jonathan Smith
Overwhelmed with support, Jonathan’s campaign to purchase a set of wheels for Robert has raised over R40 000 towards the fundraising target of R60 000 with contributions from 85 donors.
“We are so excited to read Robert the messages of support he has received and let him know that we have been raising funds for a car for him in ‘secret’. He has worked so hard and so diligently for so long, he really deserves all the praise” – says Jonathan.
Jonathan says additional funds raised by the campaign will be used to purchase Robert a laptop and smart work clothes as he begins his new journey.
Donors have started to respond with kind messages of support:
“Most inspiring story. Blown away by your commitment and dedication. Wish you nothing but all the success you deserve. ” – Caz Lea
“You are one of the few who build a door when there are none to knock on. Well done!! Good luck ” – Christine
“Thank you for all your hard work and for looking after me. You deserve this! Im so proud of you!” – Ina smith
“Every setback is a set up for a come back, and your comeback is nothing short of exceptional. To a man who defied circumstances, I wish you nothing but the best. ” – Tatton
“Robert, you are an inspiration! I’m grateful for the opportunity to support your dream ” – Leah Scholtz
In July 2020, Shaun and Bianca Pretorius from Benoni, Johannesburg, learned the devastating news that their son, Shaunie (11), a bright and happy young boy, was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive, and terminal type of brain cancer called Brainstem Glioma.
A devastatingdiagnosis
At the beginning of lockdown, Shaunie was struggling with fatigue and constant vomiting. Thinking that his condition was perhaps brought on by school stress and adapting to online learning, his parents took him to a number of doctors to see what was wrong.
Matters soon got worse when the antibiotics he was given did little to remedy his condition. Shaunie began struggling with his eyesight, had difficulty moving around and battled to communicate.
Shaunie having a CT scan at Linmed Hospital
To determine the cause of Shaunie’s rapid decline, he was taken for CT scan at Linmed Hospital in Johannesburg. The heartbreaking results of the x-ray determined that Shaunie has a cancerous tumour in his brain stem, a fatal condition known as Brainstem Glioma, which has a median survivalrate of only 9 months.
With doctors unable to operate on Shaunie, he underwent 12 aggressive Radiation Therapy sessions to shrink his tumour and alleviate some of his pain.
To shelter Shaunie from the severity of his condition, his parents haven’t told him that his tumour is cancerous, but he understands why he has begun losing his hair and that he is unwell.
“Hearing that your child, who has always been perfectly healthy, is fighting a deadly disease and only has a few months left to live is devastating. We don’t know how to tell Shaunie that he is dying. We still have hope that God will hear our prayers and that he will make it through” – says Bianca
As there is no cure for Shaunie’s condition, he is currently being treated symptomatically with cannabis oil and steroids to help the swelling on his brain and increase his appetite.
Shaunie’s Birthday Wish
As only 1% of children diagnosed with Brainstem Glioma live up to 5 years, the Pretorius family are focused on keeping Shaunie as healthy, as pain free and as comfortable as possible so he can enjoy the time he has left with his parents and his little brother, Mattie (3).
Shaunie with his little brother, Mattie.
Focusing on all the things that spark joy for a young boy, Shaunie’s uncle Juandre Botha has launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy, to fulfil Shaunie’s ultimate dream of owning a Playstation 5, just in time for his 12th birthday on the 9th of March.
“Sadly we do not know exactly how much time we have left with our little man, so we really want to make every single day as special and as comfortable as possible for him. As I’m sure anyone can imagine this battle is really hard on him but he’s a very strong-willed little fighter and we are so proud of him.” – says Jaundre
With generous support, Shaunie’s campaign has already raised over R 9000 towards his fundraising target of R12 000, with contributions from 16 donors across the country.
Additional funds raised will be used to cover Shaunie’s additional medical expenses, specialized food and living expenses.
Quote This Woman+, an organisation founded in 2019, which works to amplify the voices of women in the media, is celebrating over R60 000 raised on BackaBuddy to continue bridging gender gaps as they enter 2021.
Currently, less than 20% of sources quoted in the news are women.
Kathy Magrobi, founder and director of the non-profit, said that the public support shows the importance of promoting women’s voices in the media.
The organisation’s key focus this year has been building its database of women+ experts, as a resource for media organisations to diversify whose voices get quoted in the news.
QW+ volunteers have grown the database exponentially since the onset of Covid-19, and it now hosts over 370 women+ experts, including leading public health figures and specialists in fields from agriculture to zoology. The + in the name means that the database encompasses all marginalised voices.
Magrobi said that the funds through their crowdfunding campaign will help the organisation expand its work in 2021, including adding new members to its database of experts, and focusing on further fundraising and sustainability.
“Every donation, large and small, makes a difference. Every donation is a stitch in our safety net for 2021, a year that will need women’s voices more urgently than at any time in our history,” she said.
Quote This Woman+ is a non-profit company based in Hilton, KwaZulu-Natal, but working throughout South Africa. Their aim is to contribute to gender transformation of the media landscape through the use of woman+ voices and narratives that better correlate to South African demographics.
They are building a body of woman+ experts in traditionally male-dominated fields to appear on panels and in the news, and are collating new narratives from this database with the aim of broadening the news agenda. Contact Quote This Woman+
Create a crowdfunding campaign
BackaBuddy has supported more than 10 000+ individuals and charities in setting up fundraising campaigns for medical fees, tuition and various causes in South Africa. The platform has thus far raised over R200 Million.
Since the beginning of lockdown, Chad Nathan (27), a photographer, videographer and social media influencer from Sea Point, Cape Town, has been documenting the effect the coronavirus pandemic has had on the less fortunate in the Western Cape, Gauteng and Mpumalanga.
In working closely with non-profit organisations in Cape Town, namely Cans With Purpose, Ladles of Love, Breadline Africa, and Courage, Chad felt it was his responsibility to ‘take action’ and use his platform to carry out random acts of kindness.
”With no cars on the road, it pained me to see people digging in trash cans looking for food. I could see how the homeless were going to suffer and I knew I had to do something about it” says Chad.
With a crowdfunding campaign called “Raising Hope”, launched on BackaBuddy, Chad set out to raise R100 000 to lend a helping hand to those in need.
After reaching out to his Instagram followers, he soon exceeded his fundraising target, raising over R620 000 with generous contributions from 1253 donors both locally and internationally.https://www.youtube.com/embed/mFtMlhLNyk8?feature=oembed
The Impact of ‘Raising Hope’
With the success of his campaign, Chad has been able to support over 35 non-profit organisations and communities across the country in dire need.
With funds raised:
Over R100 000 was donated to support over 850 refugees in Kensington with food, tents, clean clothes, toiletries and other essential items.
Over R80 000 was donated to Ladles of Love Soup Kitchen.
Over R80 000 was donated to Courage, a COVID-19 community response initiative.
Over R70 000 was donated to Afrika Tikkun’s Cans With Purpose project to feed families in need.
Over R30 000 was donated to Breadline Africa who build classrooms, toilet facilities, and kitchens in ECD centers as well as primary school libraries across South Africa.
Over R15 000 was donated to The Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children as well as Uyinene Mrwetyana Fund to help victims of Gender Based Violence.
Over R15 000 was donated to Tears Animal Rescue, Woodrock Animal Rescue and Care For Wild Rhino Sanctuary to support animals in need.
Over R10 000 was donated to One Bag Full to help communities in Langa.
Over R8000 was donated to Living Hope to support the thousands of individuals displaced by the Masiphumelele fires.
With generous donations, Raising Hope, has fed many families in need.
As the number of coronavirus infections rise in South Africa, Chad is hoping to raise a further R400 000 with his campaign to support feeding schemes in Langa, Mannenberg, Hanover Park, Delft, and many more.
“I am so thankful for each and every person who has donated to my campaign and I hope we will get the chance to change the lives of many more people. Everyday thousands of South Africans are losing their lives, jobs and their livelihoods to this virus. Together we can ease the suffering and come out stronger” – says Chad
Make a donation to support the ‘Raising Hope’ project:
With the implementation of the national lockdown to flatten the curve of the COVID19 pandemic, many families were been left destitute without the means to earn an income and provide for their families.
Focusing on Pietermaritzburg and surrounding areas, Porky’s People, created a campaign on donations based crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy, which supported as many families as possible with food and other essential items during the lockdown.
Honoring social distancing guidelines, funds raised by their campaign was be converted into digital food vouchers that were redeemed at any local Shoprite supermarket.
The campaign went live on the 19th of April 2020 and has raised a total of R 14 803.69 with contributions from 36 donors.
“With our campaign, we have done our best to help as many people as possible on a first-come, first-serve basis. The public has joined us in raising funds as we strive to overcome this global pandemic.” – Porky’s co-founder, Theresa Pienaar
The platform also welcomed donations in the form of food parcels, if any individuals or small businesses would have liked to join their efforts to feed the vulnerable families during this time.
View Porky’s People campaign in feeding vulnerable families in Pietermaritzburg here:
South Africa’s leading crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy has supported more than 10 000+ individuals and charities in setting up fundraising campaigns for medical fees, tuition, and various causes in South Africa. The platform has thus far raised over R270 Million.
Henry Cock
Henry Cock and with friend and supporter, Jake Franklin.
