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Using social platforms for good

After months of trying, I finally got the opportunity to speak to Mike last week Friday. I asked him how Put Foot was born:

“Daryn Hillhouse is an ex-British army officer with over 10 years’ experience in operations, logistics and social development in the military and private security sector. After his time in the UK, he came back to South Africa and started the Put Foot Rally. The aim of this event is to put a spotlight on southern African countries and show that travel through the region is safe, affordable and can be done in any vehicle.

“The first Put Foot Rally was in 2011. Myself and Dan Nash, who founded South Africa’s best entertainment blog BangersAndNash, went along on the journey and documented it.”

hrough the funds that were raised from that first rally, Daryn, Mike and Dan were able to give school shoes to children in Namibia and Zambia. With the money that was left over, they were able to buy shoes for South African children who are not able to afford shoes.

“After that first event, we really noticed how engaged people were, not only with the rally but with the difference they could make in the lives of the people in the different countries the rally went through,” said Mike.

Spurred on by this, these three guys formed the Put Foot Foundation at the start of 2012. They used social media and their online followings and platforms to show off the potential of what the foundation could do when you get enthusiastic young people involved in giving back.

The foundation’s website sums up the foundation perfectly : “The Put Foot Foundation is all about participation for all, from our volunteers, school teachers, supporters, donors, partners and anyone who wants to get involved in what we do … We’re all here because we want to be, and we’re operating at maximum energy!!”

Images were supplied courtesy of the Put Foot Foundation website.

Author: Lia Marus is the editor of HR Pulse. She has a BA in French, Italian and Linguistics from UCT, an MA in translation from Wits and a Postgraduate Diploma in Management from the Wits Business School. She is currently studying towards her LLB through Unisa. Lia started her career off in corporate communications, where she worked as a sub-editor, researcher and marketing coordinator. She then heeded the call of the publishing world and went into the business-to-business publishing field. She worked as a sub-editor as well as a chief sub-editor. Before joining ITWeb, she managed an HR guidebook at a leading international publishing company.