ELEVEN MILES – a novel based on Boikanyo’s life by Lance Greenfield
On 16th June we celebrated the International Day of the African Child which reminded Boikanyo of the novel that Lance Greenfield wrote based on her life as a child in her home village of Sexaxa near Maun, Botswana.
It’s an inspirational story of a young girl’s adventures as she follows her determined ambitions to gain a secondary school education so that she could go to University.
She lives in a remote village in the Okavango Delta in Botswana. The secondary school is in a town which is eleven miles from her home. There is no public transport, so she has to walk to school. After a full day of studies, she must complete her homework in the school, as there is no electric light in her village. Then she has an eleven mile walk to get home where she helps her mother with the chores.
She figures out that running to and from school will give her more time for other activities. Running 22 miles each day for five years naturally leads her to become one of the world’s greatest marathon runners. She uses her fame and prize money to contribute back into the community from which she came.
There are trials and tribulations, and some tragedy, along the way, as you would expect. But she overcomes all, and will fill readers and viewers with pride and motivation at the end of her story. There will be tears of sadness and tears of joy.
See here for more about the novel including links to buy the eBook or paperback version.
She lives in a remote village in the Okavango Delta in Botswana. The secondary school is in a town which is eleven miles from her home. There is no public transport, so she has to walk to school. After a full day of studies, she must complete her homework in the school, as there is no electric light in her village. Then she has an eleven mile walk to get home where she helps her mother with the chores.
She figures out that running to and from school will give her more time for other activities. Running 22 miles each day for five years naturally leads her to become one of the world’s greatest marathon runners. She uses her fame and prize money to contribute back into the community from which she came.
There are trials and tribulations, and some tragedy, along the way, as you would expect. But she overcomes all, and will fill readers and viewers with pride and motivation at the end of her story. There will be tears of sadness and tears of joy.
See here for more about the novel including links to buy the eBook or paperback version.
The kids of Sexaxa Village near Maun, Botswana walking 11 miles to school as Boikanyo used to do many years ago! (Actually she used to run there and back!)
