Qunu ~ Miller Mission Challenge

In 1925, Nelson Mandela walked 34 kilometres with his mother from their Qunu home to Miller Mission to access healthcare, at the tender age of seven years old. The Donald Woods Foundation is launching the “Qunu ~ Miller Mission Challenge” to mark this event and to highlight the hardship endured by people living in rural areas like Mbashe, who have to walk long distances to access healthcare.

This came about during a 20 minute conversation in 2005, when Foundation Chief Executive, Dillon Woods described to Mandela the work of the Foundation in and around Miller Mission in Mbashe. It was then that Mandela recalled his great endeavour as a youth, later adding “and there was no road in those days!”

When Mandela mentioned that the doctor in question was Dr Lex Soga, Dillon was able to add the significant role Dr Soga played at the birth of Donald Woods, just eight years after Mandela’s visit to Miller Mission.

The first "Qunu ~ Miller Mission Challenge" took place in March 2008, when South Nottingham College 16 – 19 year old students + staff and drivers ran 34 kms in relay. This route retraced Mandela's walk on what is today a stony dirt road. On arrival, the students ran the last leg in unison, and were greeted in jubilant song and dance by Soga Clinic staff, nurses, HIV Support Group members and others from the local community.

Next to the government-built Soga Clinic at Miller Mission, the Donald Woods Foundation has completed a R210k refurbishment of a crumbling building which now serves as an HIV Clinic with a thriving Support Group. The clinic also serves as a centre for orphans and vulnerable children and for TB treatment.

The students went on to develop their "Balls to Poverty" programme in the Hobeni community with the distribution of 600 footballs, the building of several football pitches and matches against the local sides.

The Foundation is now exploring ways to continue the campaign of highlighting the difficulty of accessing healthcare in rural areas through the possible creation of an annual “Qunu ~ Miller Mission Challenge”, which could take many flexible forms, depending on participants.