Two dynamic South African women, sponsored by Singapore Airlines, will trek 250 gruelling kilometres through desert terrain to raise money for helpless abandoned babies.

Simone Bishop (Honorary Consul General of Costa Rica, Director of Alpha Travel and Director of Latitude South) and Kimberly Dods (Pam Golding International Estate Agent) are participants in Racing The Planet's 'four deserts'.

Having conquered two of the deserts, the Atacama and the Sahara, their next challenge is The Gobi March, which takes place in the Gobi Desert in Xinjiang Province, China, on the 14 June 2009.

The windiest desert on earth

The Gobi desert is known to be the windiest desert on earth and Time Magazine has labelled this endurance race as one of the top 10 endurance competitions in the world.

Bishop and Dods will be carrying their own mandatory equipment and their backpacks will weigh anything from seven kilograms to 15 kilograms.

With this hefty weight on their backs, they will cross a wide range of terrains from river crossings and donkey trails to gorges, mountains and rocky terrain, not to mention the expansive distance over flat desert.

The course covers roughly 250 kilometres over seven days, reaching altitudes of about 3000 metres, but nothing is as it seems when one enters the Gobi Desert. Routes may change daily depending on weather conditions, water levels and the levels of dust.

Competing in this endurance race — the largest international sporting event held in Western China — are 150 individuals from 30 different countries, with only 20 percent of these individuals being female — two of which are our own extraordinary South African ladies.

Giving abandoned babies a chance

What is Simone and Kimberly's motivation behind this? To give abandoned babies a chance at life.

Bishop and Dods along with the Singapore Airlines team in South Africa came across a safe haven for abandoned babies in Berea, Johannesburg. This is the Door of Hope.

Every month between 40 and 50 babies are abandoned on the streets of Johannesburg alone. Helpless, these infants are left to starve to death in the cold city streets.

The Door of Hope, run by The Berea Baptist church, stepped in by building a 'Hole in the Wall'. This is literally a 'hole in the wall' of their church, which has a baby bin on the other side. Mothers are able to place their unwanted babies in this crib as opposed to leaving them abandoned on the streets to perish.

The bin is equipped with a sensor and as soon as a child is placed in the bin an alarm goes off in the house, alerting the caregivers of the new arrival. They rush out and the baby is welcomed into a warm and loving home.

From there the baby is registered with adoption homes as the search begins to find the child a loving family to grow with. But until that day arrives the child remains in the loving care of the Door of Hope.

How the Door of Hope manages to make ends meet is a miracle, as they survive on a hope and a prayer in the middle of Berea, whilst carrying out the work of angels.

The Door of Hope touched the hearts of these individuals, Simone, Kimberly and the staff at Singapore Airlines, and so the initiative was put in place to raise money in order to give abandoned children the chance they deserve.

We invite you to climb on board, travel the desert with Simone and Kimberly in spirit and support the lives of abandoned children. Every single rand makes the biggest difference to that one child who has been forgotten by those who brought him into the world.

Bishop and Dod's trek for good doesn't end after the Gobi March! Next challenge Antarctica…

To make a donation:

Door of Hope Project
Nedbank Current Account
Account number: 1972164473
Branch code: 19720533
Swift code (for international transfers): NEDSZAJJ

For more information go to: www.desertofhope.wordpress.com