Danish adventurers Jonathan Jakobsen and Charlie Christensen are walking across Africa to raise awareness and funds for clean water projects in rural communities.
The pair have already walked more than 15 000 kilometres through more than 25 countries as part of their mission to raise awareness about limited access to clean water and help fund public boreholes in rural communities across Africa.
Their journey recently brought them to Namibia for a few days before they returned to Angola to continue their walk.
Charlie began the journey in Denmark in 2015, initially driven by an experience that would change the direction of his life.
In 2013, he volunteered for six months at an orphanage in a remote Maasai village in Tanzania. During his stay, he witnessed the daily struggle faced by villagers who had to walk 19 kilometres to reach the nearest source of clean water.
The lack of water affected almost every aspect of life, from health and education to people’s ability to earn an income.
That experience stayed with him after he returned to Denmark.
He eventually came up with the idea of combining his love for adventure and African cultures with a greater purpose: walking across the continent while raising awareness and funds for clean water projects.
One of the most meaningful moments of that journey came years later when he was able to return to Lengasti, the same Maasai village in Tanzania that had inspired the expedition in the first place.
After more than three years of walking and fundraising, the project helped provide a solution to the water challenge that had first moved him to act.
“For me, Lengasti remains the most memorable and important project. It was where the whole story began, so being able to return with a solution to the problem that originally inspired the journey was incredibly meaningful,” Charlie said.
Along the way, Charlie has experienced some of the extremes that come with crossing a continent on foot. He has encountered ancient rituals and political transitions, been jailed, endured illness and narrowly escaped death from malaria and typhoid.
Yet, he says, it is not one incident that defines the journey.
“The hospitality and generosity I encounter time and time again in some of the least privileged places on the planet never cease to inspire and humble me,” he said.
Jonathan joined Charlie’s expedition in Kinshasa and has since walked alongside him for about 800 kilometres. Before coming to Africa, he worked as a dog-sledge guide in Greenland.
Together, the two have adopted a simple lifestyle on the road.
Between cities, they generally sleep in tents or hammocks in the bush. They wait until the evening, when people have returned from their farms, before finding a secluded place to set up camp.
At times, they approach villages and ask for permission to camp near schools, churches or trees.
Cities can present a different challenge.
Because camping is not always safe or practical, they rely on local hosts, online communities and platforms such as Couchsurfing. They also approach hotels and campsites to ask whether they would be willing to support their mission by providing accommodation.
In Windhoek, they spent two nights with a local Namibian through Couchsurfing before receiving another two nights of free camping at Urban Camp.
They believe travelling slowly allows them to experience communities in a way that would be impossible from a vehicle.
“Walking is a great way to travel because you meet people at eye level,” Jonathan said.
“When you walk through a village, people come out to talk, children follow you, someone offers you water, and suddenly you are part of what is happening around you.”
The pair have had to contend with muddy roads, tropical diseases, difficult officials and basic facilities. But there are also less obvious challenges that come with constantly being a guest.
Despite the challenges, the body eventually adapts to the demanding routine.
Walking 30 to 40 kilometres a day becomes less about physical exhaustion and more about finding a rhythm.
Being the centre of attention in almost every town and village they pass through can be exhausting, making a peaceful night’s sleep just as important as physical recovery.
Their brief stay in Namibia did not allow them to experience as much of the country as they would have liked.
The pair had hoped to meet some of Namibia’s traditional communities, particularly hunter-gatherer communities in the north-east.
However, they were in the country mainly for a visa run and needed to return to Angola to continue their route. After being offered a lift north with overlanders, they left Windhoek after only a few days.
Despite the short visit, Namibia has left them hoping to return one day with more time to explore.
Their expedition can be followed on Instagram through @charlieswalkforwater and @Jonathansj123.
*– hnalupe@nepc.com.na *
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