FIT member Aurora Daniels will be swapping kangaroos for baboons on her morning runs when she embarks on a volunteering adventure in Cape Town from February.
Aurora is heading to South Africa with the Australian Volunteers program and will spend the next 12 months as a mentor in the charity sector, working with charities supporting people with HIV and those at risk of contracting the disease. With a background in journalism and more recent experience in branding and social media, Aurora’s focus will be to pass on her knowledge of the media and how charities can use the media to build community awareness and increase their funding.
Probably the biggest hurdle to overcome will be the critical shortage of water in Cape Town. News agencies suggest that the city could run dry within the next three months. Aurora has been putting quite a bit of thought into this issue and could spend a bit of time lining up for water at one of only four water stations in the city to get water for bathing, cleaning and laundry. She says she anticipates using “a lot of wet wipes and deodorant” as well as buying drinking water, although her Australian Volunteers allowance may not stretch quite that far. “I am trying to convince myself that I choose to do [this] when I go camping so I need to see this as just as much fun…”
Aurora will receive a small grant from Australian Volunteers which will cover rent and food. The program provides opportunities for skilled Australians to contribute to a variety of projects that “have an ongoing positive impact both abroad and at home.” Assignments range from three months to two years and can provide cover for partners and children to join you for the duration.
Aurora has been running regularly in Canberra since 2010 and has been joining FIT runs weekly since 2014. Keen to hit the ground running on arrival, she’s been looking for clubs in Cape Town that will help keep her moving and allow her to meet some of the locals early on. Aurora says she “was thinking of hiking Table Mountain … but hikers got stabbed there last week so I am not so sure now.” No, nor are we!
Aurora’s adventure kicks off soon. She will be having a farewell on 3 February – all welcome at Lennox Gardens from 3pm – before leaving Canberra on 6 February. All of us at FIT wish her the best of luck for this exciting year and look forward to updates.
More information about the Australian Volunteers program can be found at: http://dfat.gov.au/people-to-people/volunteers/Pages/volunteers.aspx and https://www.australianvolunteers.com/opportunities/
If you’re thinking of visiting Cape Town, check out these runs: http://greatruns.com/location/great-runs-in-capetown/ (just don’t go too early in the morning, and watch out for baboons!)