The concept of a Trust, to support super-talented underprivileged endurance athletes, was borne when Perfect Dlamini broke the Oxpecker record in May 2017 yet he was unable to afford the final installments on his entry fee.
The Gijima Trust was thus founded by Andrew and Gina Ryan as a charitable, non-profit venture, managed and operated by Trustees and volunteers who have a passion for South Africa, her talented people, the natural environment, endurance sport and education, in order to support such athletes. South Africa has an abundance of undeveloped endurance talent – currently the trust financially supports three athletes in their racing endeavours – Perfect Dlamini (fire fighter), Ayanda Shabalala (student) and (team captain) Kwenza Ngubane (gardener). Gijima runners have performed exceptionally in every race they have participated in so far in 2019, having won the Howick Trail run, DNT and the African Oxpecker.
The trust relies solely on the generosity of donations – these may come from the endurance athlete community as well as corporates and any other benefactors who appreciate the cause. If endurance sport is your passion, then we urge you to take this opportunity to give a little back to those less fortunate than yourself. Contact us on 0826008673 to discuss further how you can help or scan the Zapper barcode for a quick, easy donation.
