Our Charity

#HelpUsHelpOurRhinos

The Cycle of Life™ Story

In 2014, at the height of rhino poaching, three friends – Simone, Faye and René – entered the Cape Town Cycle Tour to raise funds to support the anti-poaching efforts in Zululand of the dwindling rhino population. We were joined by three more friends, two Germans and a South African who were also concerned about the situation and determined to assist. We chose Zululand as at the time it was the hotspot of the rhino-poaching crisis.

Our main supporters, abMedica, who have become our key sponsor over the past 4 years, provided branded cycle kit for the six of us. The following year, through word of mouth, our team grew to 61 riders and by the 2017 event, a team of 112 riders were kitted out to participate as The Cycle of Life team.

What started out as a once off fund-raiser, has grown into an annual event and with the interest and encouragement increasing each year, we look forward to more and moresupport for our rhino conservation campaign.

We strongly believe that our children are our future and that it is essential that we do all in our power to conserve our heritage and raise awareness. With this in mind, we launched an inter schools challenge. Teams of 8 learners, at various schools, have been encouraged to cycle as part of the team, and raise funds. Adults, too, are encouraged to fundraise and the top fundraiser of both teams will win a trip of 2 nights to a luxurious lodge on Phinda Private Game Reserve sponsored by &Beyond and Bayala Private Safari Lodges.

The funds raised to date, have been spent in many areas

Rhino dehorning – all the rhinos at Phinda were dehorned over a 2 year period. There have been no rhinos poached this year as a direct result of these efforts.Horns regrow and require trimming every 18 months so this is an ongoing project
Surveillance equipment installed
Anti-poaching guard equipment and uniforms. Plus, an anti-poaching guard house was built to provide the guards with facilities while off duty.
Orphaned animal support by way of food and medical costs
Medical expenses for injured animals
An endangered species boma at the vets clinic provides space for medical treatment on site and while injured or sick animals recover
A large animal trailer was purchased and is used to transport injured or sick animals where required
Community support – purchasing stationery and school bags for learners at schools in the community
Financial support towards the Zululand Reward Fund to pay for intelligence that leads to the arrest or conviction of poachers
Rohrer’s Rest, a deck built for use by Bishops and other schools during their ranger and conservation courses

All of this would not be possible without the commitment and dedication of our solid team of experts who bring a wealth of experience from their different fields of expertise to the management of the charity.

We would like to clarify that we work voluntarily, not drawing any salaries from the donations made to the charity. Bank fees and relevant administration fees are deducted from the interest that is earned on our account and NOT from the donations.

We are an officially registered NPC in South Africa with Section 18a tax deduction status as well as a German registered NGO where a certificate for the tax authority is also issued for any donation.

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Who we are – meet our team

Sabine Gruber: Trustee | Debby Hickman: Director & Trustee | Simone Wilke-Godfrey: Director – Marketing & Founder |
René Lanfear: Director – Finance & Founder | Karen Clohessy: Director

Simone Wilke - Godfrey

Director - Marketing | Founder

Simone moved from Germany to South Africa after completing a degree in Economics in Tourism, and her love of adventure and travel led her to work for an incoming tour operator in Cape Town, which inspired her to start The Cycle of Life Charity and launch a travel company that combines sports activities and unusual adventures while supporting conservation projects

René Lanfear

Director - Finance | Founder

René graduated with a B.Com degree and worked at Standard Bank for 17 years before pursuing her passion for philanthropy, where she raised funds for abandoned children and rhino projects. René uses her strong financial and negotiating skills to oversee travel itineraries for The Cycle of Life™ Travel.

Karen Clohessy

Director - Legal

Karen is a lawyer who started her own legal services business after working for various legal and financial groups. Karen uses her legal skills to provide pro bono services for wildlife and the African bush, while also serving as an independent trustee on several corporate trusts and employee benefit funds. Karen plays an active role in policy drafting, contract management, governance and compliance matters as well as corporate secretarial services for The Cycle of Life Charity.

Sabine Gruber

Trustee

Sabine studied and worked internationally in the hotel industry prior to relocating to South Africa from Germany over 30 years ago. On arrival in Cape Town her deep passion for Africa and wanting to invest in its future led her to establish her own recruitment agency and travel business based in The Mother City. Read More

Dedicated to making a meaningful difference, she has been involved with various international and local humanitarian projects. She has actively supported the Cycle Of Life Charity Funds since its inception and is invested in offering her invaluable assistance and expertise in all areas of its conservation initiatives.
We are privileged to have her join our team and look forward to working closely together with her in the future.

Debby Hickman

Director and Trustee

Debby was born in Cape Town and grew up on a farm near Piketberg, in the Western Cape. After completing her schooling, she went on to study at the University of Stellenbosch, where she completed a BSc Agricultural degree, majoring in Vini- & Viticulture. Although she worked in this field for about 5 years, soon after she married Tom, who is a qualified chartered accountant, she decided to further her studies, and after completing a BCom degree at the University of Cape Town, did her articles at Deloitte and qualified as a chartered accountant in 2020. She has never looked back, and now is the proud owner of a small auditing and accounting practice in Fish Hoek.

Debby is passionate about people, and prides herself in building strong and lasting relationships with most people she meets. She is also passionate about travelling, both locally and internationally, and especially loves the Bush, a passion instilled in her and her 3 siblings by her parents from an early age.

Debby believes that her strong accounting and financial skills, and attention to detail, will play an important role within the Cycle of Life Charity Funds group.