Bidding for The Unlimited Dusi 2012 Charity batch has closed!

 

About the Charities

The Unlimited Child Unless children aged 0 to 6 years old are stimulated through educational toys, their potential in life will be severely stunted, forever. For example, if a child is born with a potential of 10, but has no stimulation, then that child will only ever reach a potential of 2. Not even the best teachers in the world will be able to improve that child's potential much beyond 3. In South Africa, over 6 million children don't have access to educational toys. As adults, they will be untrainable. They will never learn a skill. They will never find a job. By providing educational toys and caregiver training, The Unlimited Child enables underprivileged crèches to give children the stimulation they need to achieve their full potential in life. Click here to read more about The Unlimited Child

SPCA The Pietermaritzburg SPCA recognizes the need for extensive outreach projects in remote rural areas. In the past, the costs of running these essential projects has impacted on the financial situation of this Society and, unfortunately it is only where ever additional funds have been available specifically for projects of this nature, that successful campaigns have been undertaken. After identifying the need for animal welfare in the Duzi Valley and discussing this tragic situation with Mr Rob Humphry, who is an ardent animal lover, he proposed and successfully motivated for the Pietermaritzburg SPCA be one of the charities benefiting from the Duzi Canoe Marathon, some four years ago. Read more about the work that the SPCA does here: It was acknowledged that we had the experience and infrastructure in place to conduct successful animal welfare clinics. We were then able to conduct an outreach program in the Dusi Valley using money allocated by the Duzi Canoe Management specifically for the upliftment of the rural communities through the welfare of the animals. The over population of domestic animals, especially dogs, in any rural area can impact negatively on the community. Homeless marauding dogs form packs which then become uncontrollable and destroy live stock and wildlife in their search for food. Rabies and disease control and population management through sterilization, as well as euthanize/removal of sick, injured or unwanted animals, has changed the face of animal welfare in the area and effectively reduced the suffering of hundreds of animals. These impoverished communities in remote rural areas have no access to animal welfare and therefore welcomed the intervention and assistance of the SPCA. In order to continue and hopefully expand this essential project, we require the ongoing financial support from funds generated by the Duzi Canoe Marathon event. The amount of success we achieve can be directly attributed to the amount of funding we receive!.

DUCT What is DUCT about? While much of the Dusi Canoe Marathon’s route is still beautiful, the sad truth is that the urban sections in particular have over 150 years of human settlement become increasingly trashed. Instead of just being angry and depressed about this degradation, a group of paddlers (many of whom who were professionally involved in river health related issues) formed an organisation in 2006 to champion the health of the uMsunduzi and uMngeni Rivers. We don’t just point out the problems, but have created capacity to work towards the solution of the problems in a constructive manner. It’s an ambitious goal and we won’t turn the Dusi into a pristine stream overnight, but we are making progress. It is said that if you want to make a difference, you have to organise. That’s what DUCT has done, and we have done it for the rivers and for you the paddlers. Read more about DUCT’s work here: The uMngeni River with its main tributary the uMsunduzi sustains a population of over four million people, nearly half kwaZulu-Natal’s population. From its headwaters in the Dargle, the Karkloof and the Elandskop valleys, the river cuts its way through the beautiful Valley of a 1000 Hills on its way to the Indian Ocean. It sustains a rich and biologically important diversity of flora and fauna, and is moreover part of the cultural heritage of our region. To some, a river means a place to cool off and play in the summer heat, a happy memory to carry into adult life. To others, a river is a place to go for ritual cleansing, or to lay to rest the ashes of a loved family member. To yet others, this river evokes the challenging yet exhilarating three day Dusi canoe race from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, the crucible of South African canoeing, an annual tradition since 1951. But rivers are vulnerable ecological systems, and few more so than the Duzi and uMngeni Rivers, which not only have to yield most of their water for the sustenance of Durban and Pietermaritzburg, but which become sumps for too much of the waste that these cities produce. The state of our rivers is a reflection of some of the core values in our society. When they are contaminated with sewage, industrial effluent, solid waste and choked with invasive weeds and silt, that is a stark reflection on the way our cities and our land is being managed. As one of Duct’s patrons, Dr Ian Player, has said: “If your river is sick, your city is sick”. Through a combination of official neglect, public delinquency and public apathy, our urban rivers are in serious trouble. Chlorophyll levels in Albert Falls dam have risen 400% in the last 15 years, a clear reflection of increasing pollution loads. The Duzi and uMngeni Rivers choke up every year with water hyacinth and water lettuce, both indicators of pollution, and these have to be controlled at great expense. After heavy storms rafts of solid waste come floating down the Duzi river, emanating from sections of Pietermaritzburg which have gone for several years without a functional waste removal service, a terrible indictment of the city’s management. Also after rain over Pietermaritzburg sewage invariably spills from our sewage system into the Duzi river, and this is a clear reflection that our maintenance and management priorities need examination. So, whose problems are these? We have good laws that provide a framework for the management of our cities, our land, and our water resources. Responsibility for this management is shared between a number of municipalities, government departments and parastatals. Jointly these organisations have an annual budget of tens of billions of rands and a staff of tens of thousands of people. One would therefore think that all should be well with our rivers. Sadly, this is not the case. This prompted the establishment in 2006 of the Duzi-uMngeni Conservation Trust (Duct), a Section 21 non-profit public benefit organisation that exists to champion the health of the uMsunduzi and uMngeni Rivers. Duct acts as a professional network, a lobby group, a think tank and an action group. Government budgets and programmes are determined by perceptions of what is important, by what is deemed to be possible, and sometimes simply by whoever shows up when meetings are held. We are having some success in challenging the notions that nothing can be done about our deteriorating rivers, and that nobody cares. Many care, and much can be done. It is simply a question of priorities, of plans and of action. Duct does not just identify problems. We are in the business of identifying solutions, and of implementing those solutions. Duct has eight strategic focus areas. These are: • Minimisation of faecal waste in the rivers • Reduction of solid waste in the rivers • Reduction of industrial pollution in the rivers • Control and eradication of invasive alien plant vegetation on the river banks and in the rivers • Improvement of land care and reduction of soil erosion in the catchments • Reduction of water borne diseases in the rivers • Improvement of management of mining operations in the Valley • Implementation of an environmental flow schedule below the major dams, as provided for in the National Water Act of 1998 Just a few highlights from Duct’s work in these eight areas over the last five years have been: • The establishment of 10 River Care Teams on the Duzi-uMgeni system, each with a designated length or river to work on. These teams work on alien vegetation clearing and control, removal of solid waste, and monitoring of pollution (either from sewers or industry). Each team comprises ten workers with a supervisor and a bakkie. • Improved monitoring of bulk sewers in the Msunduzi catchment • Working in partnership with Water Affairs, the introduction of bio-control agents to limit the spread of aquatic weeds (hyacinth and water lettuce) in the uMngeni River system. • Work with biocontrol agents, ongoing spraying and physical clearing of hyacinth to keep the uMngeni River below Inanda open • A study carried out on behalf of the Water Research Commission which has tackled the question of why the Pietermaritzburg sewer system is so susceptible to stormwater inflows, and what can be done about it. Several very practical and effective measures have been proposed by the study. • The development of a floating trash boom which has been installed above Campsdrift which intercepts a large percentage of the floating trash which comes down the river. Duct maintains this boom and bags the waste it catches. • Lobbying in various forums and media for better management of Pietermaritzburg and Durban’s solid waste. Duct has highlighted the fact that millions of rands granted by national government for solid waste management in poor areas is not used effectively. • The organisation of an annual community river clean-up day in September each year, in conjunction with the international Coastal Clean-up and Clean-up the World days. In parallel Duct has organised a primary schools environmental art competition, reaching 3 000 children. • The initiation of the Durban Green Corridor Project, a joint exercise with the eThekwini Metro. This project is developing a number of tourism and environmental rehabilitation projects from Foley Marianney bridge to Blue Lagoon. • The establishment of a conservancy in the Baynespruit catchment in partnership with local business and the Sobantu community to reduce the levels of industrial and sewage pollution in the Baynespruit, a tributary of the uMsunduzi. • The establishment of active community monitoring of sewage pollution in the Howick and Mophomeni communities, and the building of sound relations with the uMgungundlovu District Municipality to improve the management of the sewers under its jurisdiction. • A partnership with the KZN Department of Agriculture’s Invasive Alien Clearing programme and the Msunduzi Municipality, which has resulted in a significant reduction in the amount of invasive vegetation in the Pietermaritzburg section of the uMsunduzi (work ongoing). • In association with the Department of Water Affairs and UKZN, the initiation of a land care programme in the upper uMsunduzi cathment, which has enabled a community team to learn and practice the principles of erosion control. • In partnership with Umgeni Water, WSP Environmental and Talbot Laboratories the regular testing of the uMsunduzi and uMngeni Rivers for faecal pollution, and the dissemination of this information to the public (published on the Duct website). Education regarding measures that can be taken to minimize and prevent the spread of waterborne diseases. • Aerial surveys of mining operations in the uMsunduzi and uMngeni valleys. Engagement with the Department of Minerals and Energy and other bodies about how to better regulate and manage sand winning operations. Reporting of illegal sand winning operations. • Assistance to the KNCU in liaison with Umgeni Water and the Department of Water Affairs regarding environmental releases from dams on the uMngeni River. Lobbying for implementation of the ecological reserve flows (as provided for in the Water Act) in the uMngeni River.