Overcoming epilepsy, working full time and financial constraints, Rudy van Dieman hopes to climb Table Mountain 365 times this year to raise funds for a safe haven in Mitchells Plain.
Cape Town, South Africa (15 February 2022) – Inspired by Andrew Patterson, who climbed Table Mountain 365 times in 2018, 26-year-old Rudy van Dieman is taking up the challenge to raise funds for a safe haven for children.
Andrew planned to raise R1 million for Habitat for Humanity, One Heart, and The Sunflower Fund, and he ended up raising just under a million in his year of climbing.
“I watched Andrew climb table mountain every day through the summer sun and winter rain, I could never understand why he would do this. The more I watched him, the more it became clear to me, ‘to focus on today and what you can do right now to make South Africa better’ as Andrew says” – Rudy van Dieman
Rudy is a Table Mountain Aerial Cableway tour guide and started his 365 climb challenge on the 1st of January 2022. Rudy will be working full-time during this challenge and will face his own health challenges; he lives with epilepsy. He hopes to push through these life challenges to complete his goal.
“Just as life is difficult for so many people, this challenge hasn’t been a walk in the park, but I remain positive, and through God’s grace I am finding balance. I am putting one foot in front of the other, concentrating on the important things in life and trying my best to create positive change”
The challenge, which began on 1 January 2022, and will end on the 31st December 2022, came about as a means to show youngsters the power of a strong work ethic and demonstrate that they can achieve anything they set their hearts and minds to.
“What youngsters in our society need today, is a good role model, to show them that there are opportunities outside of drugs, crime and gangsterism. I hope my challenge will be a beacon of hope for those in disadvantaged communities”
Rudy has always had a charitable heart, having worked with various charities since he was in high school in 2014. He has selected Angels SA as the beneficiary for his challenge. Angels SA is located in Mitchells Plain.
He hopes that he can raise R1 million for the charity by completing his challenge, which will be put towards starting a safe haven for children older than five years.
“In Mitchells Plain, there are only three known orphanages, two are for babies until five years, and after that, children are placed in safe houses for three months then move from home to house until they find families to keep them longer. With the safe house, we want to create a stable life and environment for children, where they can stay until the age of 18, before entering the job market”
Rudy has climbed Table Mountain 44 times and has already covered over 100km. Rudy reached out to Andrew to discuss the challenge he hoped to take up. Andrew was all too happy to offer advice and encouragement.
“Rudy first contacted me in 2020 to tell me he wanted to tackle this challenge. Climbing Table Mountain every day for a year is a mammoth undertaking — but once I heard why he wanted to do this, I had absolute faith in him. Rudy is an incredible man with big dreams and an even bigger heart. I’m incredibly proud of him and supporting him with every step he climbs.” – Andrew Patterson
You can support Rudy’s vision for a children’s safe haven here.
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