Wits Students Take on 100 KM Journey for Anti-Human Trafficking Fundraiser – Notties 100
Johannesburg – The Wits Adventure and Environmental Society (WAES) recently took part in the Notties 100, a 100km trek organized as part of Breaking the Darkness.
This endurance event occurred last month on the 18th and 19th of September, aiming to raise funds and awareness for “Unchain Our Children,” a South African organization focused on fighting human trafficking and the exploitation of minors.
The trek meandered through the scenic hills of Nottingham Road in KwaZulu-Natal, divided into four segments of 25km each, with a six-hour time limit for completion.
Unfortunately, the weather was not favorable; the first half was soaked in rain, while a blanket of low clouds covered the latter part of the route.
Out of the 16 participants who commenced the trek, only three were able to finish the full 100km, while the rest made substantial progress along the way.
However, the organizers stressed that the distance was less significant than the significance of the day; the feeling of camaraderie carried the group from the start to the finish.
Following each 25km stretch, the group partook in a meaningful ritual central to the event: lighting a candle and writing a letter addressed to someone still confronting the type of darkness that this walk aimed to tackle.
For the WAES team, this activity altered the day’s experience.
Enduring through fatigue and harsh weather gave them a brief, deliberate taste of difficulty, acting as a stark reminder of the much greater challenges faced by survivors of trafficking and exploitation.
The letters became less about the walkers’ personal tiredness and more about showing solidarity: a written acknowledgment that those on the outside of the darkness are thinking of those still ensnared within it.
Established nine years ago, Unchain Our Children is dedicated to fighting child prostitution, human trafficking, and other human rights violations, helping victims find safe havens; silent and ongoing efforts that events like Breaking the Darkness aim to support and highlight.
For WAES, a society centered on adventure and the outdoors, the Notties 100 was a natural extension of their core mission: facing physical challenges as a team.
Yet, this particular walk infused that challenge with a purpose that went beyond the physical trail.
Every blistered foot and rain-soaked kilometer through Nottingham Road became a meaningful gesture of solidarity with individuals whose suffering is often ignored and unspoken.
By the end of the trek, WAES had raised over R26,000 for the cause.
The society aims for these funds to directly assist in safeguarding at-risk children and supporting survivors on their journey to safety, hoping this story inspires others to take a closer look at a cause frequently hidden in the shadows.