Lighthouse Project Run – Shedding the light on abuse

Posted in Children & Youth | Lifestyle | ShowMe Cares | Women

4 Women running 42 km per day for 42 days, touching 42 Lighthouses Shedding Light on Woman and Child Abuse.

Project aims to raise R1 million for cause

Today marks the “1 month to go” mark for this Epic Project – The Lighthouse Run project which launched at the Comrades Expo in June is proof that good ideas frequently emerge out of tragic circumstances. This is the case with The Lighthouse Run, a journey covering 1600km, touching 42 lighthouses and lasting 42 days across three provinces.

The project is the brainchild of Retha Schutte who watched her alcoholic father beat up her mother and brother until she was a 9-years-old. At this point her mother started divorce proceedings to protect the young family. Soon after their separation, Schutte’s father committed suicide and the youngsters faced the additional trauma of dealing with his death and growing up without a father.

This did not embitter Retha. On the contrary, it motivated her and as an adult now aged 40, she believes she can inspire others suffering a similar fate through her attitude of turning negative emotions into positive outcomes.

“I was just waiting for the right moment and the right people to translate my dream into reality,” says Schutte. The idea was born early one morning on a training run for the 2009 Comrades marathon. Retha with her two closest friends, Sorita van der Walt and Machelle Bremer came up with the idea of a charity run.

All three had firsthand experience of the impact of negative emotions related to abuse, and all shared a love of long distance running which became the tool for this campaign. The Lighthouse Run name was conceived, it grew out of the concept of lighthouses guiding vessels through darkness and away from danger, protecting them from what lies below the surface.

The journey starts on 17 November from CMH Chevrolet in Umhlanga, the first leg will take the runners down to the Lighthouse in Umhlanga and along the coast in a southerly direction. The running team will be complete about a Marathon every day for 42 days, touching 42 Lighthouses and the communities along the way. The final lighthouse will be visited on 29 December at Paternoster in the Western Cape.

The running team consists of Retha Schutte, Machelle Bremer, Lena Faber and Lindsey van Aswegen. All of them accomplished runners with more than 120 Ultra Marathons between them. Lindsey is a 3 times Comrades Gold medallist and Machelle has won the accolade of being the first junior at Comrades on two occasions.

As they run all the way through KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Western Cape, the women will tell their personal stories. They will be supported by advisors dubbed The Community Service Team, who will undertake ‘community service’ along the way. These sessions will be hosted by Chevrolet Dealers to the benefit of their local communities. This group is comprised of experts selected to bring hope and professional know-how to needy communities.

Guided by clinical psychologist Dr Eugene Viljoen, the team plans to conduct one-on-one counselling, workshops and group sessions with the focus on community empowerment. Life-coach and Pastor Kudzai Shoko shares his knowledge on the importance of “Fathership in Africa”, while Herman Schutte, an experienced facilitator with a passion for people development talks on Emotional Intelligence and Conflict resolution, he is also operations and logistics manager for the project.

“To demonstrate their opposition to abuse, we hope local Running clubs and their members will join us when we pass through their neighbourhoods,” says Bremer.

The team envisages raising the target sum through their run, donations, sponsorships, sms lines and the sale of Lighthouse Run memorabilia. They have also welcomed funding from existing NGOs for victims in immediate danger, as well as a second phase rehabilitation empowerment programme.

The 2013 vision is the establishment of The Lighthouse Fund to assist victims of abuse in three areas; Logistical help (safe houses and food), Legal help (restraining orders and custody) and Psychological help (previous hurts and rebuilding self-esteem)

“At last my experience of the dark-side will be put to good use and I’ll be able to make a difference in the lives of women and children who don’t know where to turn,” says Schutte.

For the Lighthouse Run team, The Lighthouse Run is just the beginning of a project they believe will give birth to like-minded projects beyond our borders.