12 riders plus guides will set off on the 5th Waterberg Trust Challenge Ride on Sunday 27th January, for 6 days, riding 200 km across 7 game reserves. It will be hot, dusty and demanding on horse and rider, the aim being to raise sponsorship, 50% of which will go to Save the Waterberg Rhino and 50% to health, education and welfare initiatives in the region.

• A rhino is killed every 8 hours in South Africa. Despite international campaigns to raise awareness, rhino populations are still at critically endangered levels and poaching syndicates operate with greater levels of sophisticated technology and hardware. The illegal wildlife trade is the 4th largest criminal industry in the world. 
• Home to the 3rd largest population of rhino in South Africa, the Waterberg is a rural community upon which falls the responsibility to protect this iconic species against the horrendous threat of poaching. This is a massive challenge, financially and operationally, and is interwoven with socioeconomic problems of unemployment, education and health issues. Investment in keeping the rhino safe brings greater security and well-being to the local community, which in turn benefits health and education in the area. It is vital to protect this rural haven and its wildlife before it is too late.
• Each rider is covering the total cost of the trip, flights, accommodation, so every penny raised in sponsorship will go to funding anti-rhino poaching security, plus other essential projects such a school nurse who offers health education to local children, an eco school that offers ground-breaking environmental awareness.
  

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