Sonja Kruse is an extraordinary woman, blessed with a well developed sense of adventure and enormous faith in humanity. She has recently completed a year long solo trip around South-Africa on foot and by thumb. She set out with a 33lt backpack, a camera and a R100 in Oct 2009 with an open heart and an open mind.

Her aim was to follow her dream; to remind South-Africans of the positive events that happen in her native South Africa on a daily basis; to bring to light the stories of hope and love that is omitted from newspaper headlines; to
show the other side of the coin.

Without means of supporting herself, she depended on her fellow South-Africans for all her daily needs. She reached her goal through the kindness and hospitality of her fellow South-Africans: Staying with 150 families of 16 different cultures, spanning 114 towns across all 9 provinces.

She became known as ‘the UBUNTU girl’ and sees herself as one of many UBUNTU ambassadors spreading stories of embracing diversity globally. She was invited to the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, COP16 in Mexico in 2010, where she was a panelist on the topic of Communication: The impact of social media on communicating important messages. 

Sonja is busy writing a book about this Epic adventure, to spread the message of goodwill. Whilst on the journey, Sonja discovered that people are hungry for stories of hope. She shares UBUNTU stories from boardrooms to crossing borders. From classrooms to Diversity Workshops.

Because of the varied nature of the journey, she covers a range of topics with ease, engaging the audiences with her warm and witty approach. Invariably allowing them to relax and relate in her company and welcoming interaction with the audience.

The Spirit of UBUNTU in modern context

Living in the flow of the dream

The Civil city of Diversity

The Gifts we have

Sonja uses the age-old tradition of Storytelling as it is an honest and non-threatening way of communicating with an audience. She uses a modern zoom-style presentation that takes the audience on a journey of their own.

In our society we can hugely benefit from reconnecting with one another. Political, economic and media environments, do not always allow us to experience a sense of belonging. Acknowledging our interconnectedness lies at the core of peaceful co-existence.

UBUNTU; Pre-conceived-ideas; Humanity; South-Africa Positive; Purpose; Gratitude; Overcoming obstacles; Living the Dream; Focus; Walking with presence

Many individuals have stated that listening to Sonja’s stories of UBUNTU, has made them realise that they have very strong pre-conceived ideas about people