Accomplished long distance swimmer Cameron Bellamy will speak at a reception on Monday, February 11, from 6-8 p.m. in San Francisco, CA about his extraordinary feat of swimming the Oceans Seven (the equivalent of climbing the world’s seven highest mountain peaks) and his second successful swim of 96km (almost 60 miles) around the island of Barbados. The reception is open to the public. Proceeds from the event will go to Bellamy’s charity, Ubunye Challenge. Reception to be held at the offices of Cobaltix, 1095 Folsom St., San Francisco.
A native of South Africa, Bellamy is one of the world’s great endurance athletes. In 2015, Cameron was part of the first team to row from Australia to Africa. In June 2018, he became only the 11th person (and the first from Africa) to complete the Oceans Seven swims. At the Barbados swim in November, Bellamy became the first person to swim around the island of Barbados, a 96km, 40-hour-plus swim, and the 4th longest distance unassisted sea swim by a human being. The swim took place on the last day of the Barbados Open Water Festival, an event where long-distance swimmers from around the world gather for 3-days of open water swimming. At the upcoming San Francisco reception on February 11, Bellamy will also talk about his plans to swim from Cuba to Florida!
Bellamy on his 96km swim around Barbados. Photo Courtesy: Kristina Evelyn
Bellamy is driven in his endurance adventures to support his charity, Ubunye Challenge. The charity’s focus is to bring early childhood education to residents of isolated, rural communities in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa – one of the poorest areas of a country. In these areas, children have little or no access to preschool services and by the time they enter formal schooling, they are already behind in terms of their development and less likely to do well in school and in later life as a result.
Bellamy with junior swimmers from Barbados. Photo Courtesy: Carol Ann Gollop
By working in partnership with community groups, Ubunye has been able to establish and support the growth of nine preschools in the Eastern Cape, providing daily services to over 250 young children and their families. At the cost of only $150 per student annually, Ubunye is ensuring young children get schooling they otherwise would have no access to.
Because Ubunye is all-volunteer, 100% of funds raised go directly to benefit the on-the-ground projects the charity supports. Ubunye is asking each attendee on February 11th to give a minimum gift of $75, which funds 6 months of schooling for a student in need.
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