The Character Company (TCC), which runs a vital mentorship programme for boys growing up without fathers, is calling on family and friends, neighbours and colleagues to form teams and run, walk, swim or cycle for 100km to raise funds for 100 new boys to join their programme.
The non-profit organisation has over 250 boys currently enrolled, and a waiting list of hundreds more.
Founder and director of TCC, Jaco van Schalkwyk, said: “When you consider that 70% of South African children are growing up in single-parent homes, and four out of five boys do not have a consistent, positive male role model in their lives, we have to accept that broken masculinity is rife in our country.
“This is linked to high rates of gender-based violence, crime and corruption, gangsterism, substance abuse, mental disorders and suicide.”
He added that the programme is based on character-building values of honesty, courage, kindness, respect and self-discipline.
Boys enter the programme at a young age, between five and 10 years, when having a positive male role model has a striking impact.
The organisation has 52 mentors across the country who meet with the boys in their care once a week and engage them in fun, bonding and learning activities.
“Our aim is to get the boys outdoors as much as possible, completely away from screens. There’s no gaming or television, instead they’re out in the fresh air, on camps, on a hike or a night walk, visiting the beach or swimming in the river.
“These are great opportunities to give the boys a taste of healthy living by enjoying physical activities, having quiet time to reflect in nature and experiencing being a valued part of a supportive team,” he said.
South Africans from all over the country are invited to join in TCC’s 2022 FUNdraiser by finding sponsors for their teams and getting outside on October 22 or October 23 to clock up 100km.
TCC aims to raise R500 000 which will enable them to enroll 100 additional boys over a year. The programme also reaches out to support the boys’ mothers or caregivers, as well as to connect with their teachers.
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