In April 2025, 5 mighty runners from the Sports4Ubuntu team will be taking on the iconic London Marathon to raise funds for Connected Planet Foundation's community-conservation work in the Greater Kruger, South Africa. 

The Sports4Ubuntu team is a sports social club that encourages South Africans living in the UK to get involved in walking and running - often taking part in events like the Marathon to raise funds for programmes and charities back in South Africa. In April, they will be running the streets of London, taking part in one of the world's most famous marathons, whilst raising vital funds that will help get local children into the Kruger to learn about the magic on the doorstep.

Despite living in close proximity to the Kruger National Park, many of the communities surrounding the park have never had the chance to visit. Crippling levels of poverty and lack of opportunities to visit this natural wonderland mean most will never have the chance to see wildlife such as rhinos and elephants. How can we expect people to protect what they do not know? This disconnect between the surrounding communities and the Kruger has resulted in a poaching crisis in the Park, which has seen the decimation of 10,000 rhinos in the last decade.

Connected Planet Foundation has partnered with Koru Camp in the Greater Kruger to provide opportunities for the surrounding communities to spend time in a game reserve, connecting with the wildlife and learning the importance of conservation. School children get to spend 3 days at Koru Camp, sleeping in tents under the African sky, going on 2 game drives a day, and taking part in many fun activities and games to teach them about the Kruger and conservation. For many of the children attending these camps, it is their first time seeing Africa's majestic wildlife, animals like the lion and elephant. These camps are designed to not only connect children to their wildlife heritage but also help find the next generation of South African conservationists. 

Every penny raised by the Sports4Ubuntu runners at next year's London Marathon will help fund these life-changing camps, and give children in the communities surrounding the Kruger the chance to connect with what is rightfully theirs - their wildlife heritage.