William Chirwa is one of the men who works with Project Noordhoeked; he found a passion for trail running, and his inspiring story has been turned into a documentary.
Noordhoek, South Africa (12 August 2024) – William Chirwa came to South Africa for opportunity. He left his family in Malawi and found his place in the Project Noordhoeked team. In working hand-in-hand with Karoline Hanks, the Project Noordhoeked founder, she saw his delight in running. She started nurturing his passion and in early December 2023, William got to run his first trail run.
the project is a community-funded, job-creation greening initiative based in Noordhoek which was founded in 2018 by Karoline Hanks and Filippo Faralla. The men employed for the project, work around three days a week on various projects.
William joined Project Noordhoeked in 2019, teaming up with Edgar Phiri, David Mohale and Jacob Mohale. In 2022, the team of four guys assisted at one of the RMB UTCT trail race (100 miler) aid stations. William indicated his interest in competing so Karoline and Filippo, who are avid trail runners themselves, took William under their wings.
William Chirwa made his team incredibly proud after taking up the hobby of trail running and earning a top 10 spot in his first race up Table Mountain! Watching his talent for the sport grow, his passion for his job continue to inspire and wanting to highlight his story, a short documentary was created.
Highlighting the stories of these men who do so much for the community has been a big hit! Edgar Phiri, William Chirwa, David Mohale, and Jacob Mohale work tirelessly to protect the wetlands, beaches, and any space that is common for litter in Noordhoek.
They even took the initiative to start a composting business, turning the food waste and horse manure generated by the community into a resource to help nourish their projects and give back a wholesome product to the community.
They have also been the biggest support for William. They are his family here in South Africa. They stand on the sidelines, cheering him on and supporting him after his races. William credits Karoline, Fillipo and the Noordhoek community as his “Destiny Helpers” guiding him along his journey to reach his destiny.
You can keep up to date with the work these beach heroes do via the Project Noordhoeked page here.
Good Will Running: A Journey of Hope and Dignity by Rudi Gremels
The short was created by Rudi Gremels and it is deeply moving. Edgar even got to add his voice to the documentary by singing, another proud moment for the team. You can watch the documentary below:
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