Cold Courage Challenge
30 seconds of cold. A lifetime of impact. Move for those who can no longer move.
What Is the Cold Courage Challenge?
The Cold Courage Challenge is MNDA SA’s flagship national awareness and fundraising campaign, launching in 21 April 2026 and peaking on International MND Awareness Day, 21 June.
Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is a progressive, fatal neurological condition that affects the nerves controlling movement, gradually robbing people of the ability to walk, speak, swallow, and breathe. There is no cure. Families face this diagnosis with enormous emotional, physical, and financial weight, often with very little support.
MNDA SA is the only dedicated national organisation standing with these families, and this campaign exists to change that.
This isn’t a bucket of ice dumped over your head for laughs. It’s a deliberate 30-second cold water immersion, a moment of controlled discomfort that asks you to sit with something difficult, the way MND families sit with something difficult every single day.
How It Works
30 seconds of cold. A lifetime of impact. Move for those who can no longer move.
Take the plunge
Post your challenge
Tag MNDA SA
@MNDAofSA & @mnda_southafrica.
Nominate three people
Donate
Visit our campaign page to make your contribution.
Health & Safety Disclaimer
Never plunge alone, do not exceed 30 seconds, and exit the water immediately if you feel unwell.
Participation is voluntary and entirely at your own risk. MNDA SA accepts no liability for any injury or adverse reaction arising from participation in this challenge.
Event at a Glance
30 seconds of cold. A lifetime of meaning
Three community plunge events
Donation Goal
Years Supporting Families: 25+
Every Donation Helps a Person Living with MND
Helps connect a person living with MND to a care advisor (home visit support)
Provides educational resources and emotional support to an individual with MND
Contributes to updating our equipment library
Funds a BiPAP machine for a patient in need
Why It Matters
MND costs South African families between R210,000 and over R1,000,000 per year to manage. With 84–85% of South Africans relying on the public health system, most families face catastrophic out-of-pocket costs with little support.
Your participation and donation help MNDA SA provide:
Assistive equipment including wheelchairs, communication devices, BIPAP machines, commodes and shower/bath chairs
Equipment bank maintenance and logistics: delivery and servicing
Personal home attendances by our lay advisors (mostly trained nurses with MND experience)
Family and patient support portals offering counselling, education, and peer services
Awareness, data capturing, and advocacy so that patients get the help they need ASAP
Join the Movement
The Cold Courage Challenge mobilises athletes, wellness communities, and corporate South Africa behind a single unifying act. On 21 June, we rise together — for every person living with MND who no longer can.
Are you ready to take the plunge?
About MNDA SA
We believe no one should face MND alone — and every rand raised through the Cold Courage Challenge goes directly towards making that belief a reality.
Be part of the journey – be part of the solution.