By Our Reporter
A team of seven who embarked on an epic journey from Cape Town through Africa to London in October 2014 as part of DHL’s Africa as One campaign have finally arrived at their final destination after traveling through 45 countries.
During an 11-month journey, the team crossed 102 border posts, travelled 70,854 kilometers, spent over 856 hours on the road, all while introducing the game of rugby and what it represents to 3,370 children in Africa. The ambitious DHL Africa as One journey formed part of the build-up to Rugby World Cup 2015 in England and involved the team passing a single rugby ball from hand to hand across Africa.
This first-of-its-kind campaign saw the team face many challenges, including terrain, security, health and safety issues. DHL Africa As One Team leader, Louise Otter, says Africa is not for the faint-hearted.
“However, the incredible experiences along the way, from the local music and great ruins of Zimbabwe, snorkeling in Lake Malawi, learning about coffee and the Black Pharaohs in Ethiopia and Sudan, to name a few, kept the team going and provided much encouragement and enthusiasm. Moments spent with locals across the continent have also been a highlight. When visiting Guinea Bissau last month, we discovered that rugby is an entirely new concept to the locals, and that many had never seen a rugby ball before,
