It isn’t often that a nonprofit organization (NGO) actually lives the overland lifestyle both abroad and at home. Vox United (Vox) is one of those organizations.
Vox was born in the bush of rural Mozambique back in 2008. Moved by the staggering number of children sick and dying from preventable water-born diseases, they decided to roll up their sleeves and do something about it. The word VOX is Latin for “voice” and Vox’s motivation centers on bringing practical, real-time hope to the voiceless of the world.
Brian King, founder of Vox explained what they do quite succinctly; “Vox is a specialized development organization that implements and manages sustainable clean water programs in rural Africa. We’re registered and have operating hubs in the US, South Africa and Mozambique. The Vox community is comprised of hot-rodders and off-road truck enthusiasts who like to get stuff done.”
We dig what they are doing, so if you have 25 minutes, take a look at their video to learn more about Vox (and, of course, check out their Hilux and Unimog builds, they use to provide services to villages in Africa)
As a tribute to Brian’s dad Hersch, who sadly passed away last spring, his team and the folks from Hulst Customs in Merlin, Oregon are working to build a custom 2021 mid-travel Tacoma overland rig. Hulst Customs is a design and fab shop that builds high-end street rods and custom SEMA Striker trucks for Ford, so the outcome should be pretty amazing.
Rendering: Vox United / Hulst Customs
After the Hersch X features at upcoming events like Overland Expo and SEMA, the plan is to ship it to the UK where it will make a run from London, through Europe, and down the continent of Africa to Mozambique. The run will culminate in a large scale clean water project for off-the-grid communities.
We wish them much success!
Photo: Vox United
