Cycling Southern Africa from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean
January 19, 2012
n 20th June 2011, Edmund along with his good friends Michael, Charlie and Jonny set off on adventurous 70 day bike ride, beginning on the west coast of Namibia, through Botswana and finishing at the Indian Ocean in Mozambique. In Edmund’s word’s “some considered me naïve even arrogant to have considered myself worthy of a challenge of such magnitude.”
We here at the MicroLoan Foundation are thankful to Edmund, Michael, Charlie and Johnny for their amazing feat across South Africa, which resulted in approx. £5,000 for the MicroLoan Foundation. This money means we can continue to reach the remotest women in sub-Saharan Africa, offering them a hand up, not a hand out.
We received Edmund’s account of the team’s bike ride through sunburn, sweat and tears across all sorts of challenging terrain stopping off to sleep at the side of roads at times. I don’t think we can do Edmund’s story full justice on this one page so we’ve lifted a paragraph from the final stage of their bike ride as they get ready to head towards the Indian Ocean.
“In the fresh and rosy morning we rode; under the burning midday sun we rode; till dusk we rode; into the night we rode; beneath the stars we rode; through the blackness we rode; towards the dawn we rode; back into the heat we rode; up each new hill we rode. A sign appeared, 15km, I ate my last Kendal mint cake and snicker as Houston and Sole gagged on their last half empty tin of mackerel. On we went, there was no more pain, joy had replaced it. We cycled expecting to see the Ocean from each new ridge. Up one last hill, ‘this is it’ we shouted’ ‘we fucking have it’. As we reached the top, words cannot describe the feeling but I shall never forget it. The Indian Ocean lay in front of us. Mission accomplished. Success. The greatest moment of my life. We cycled on to the beach and ran into the sea. There is nothing more to say, now it is just a memory, reminding me of that one moment when time stood still, when I was for just a few minutes, completely free.”
Thank you again to Edmund, Michael, Charlie and Johnny for fundraising for the MicroLoan Foundation. If you are interested in fundraising for us or just want to say hello, do get in touch.
About MicroLoan Foundation
The MicroLoan Foundation is a responsible and non-profit UK microfinance charity that provides microfinance (small loans of on average £70), business education and ongoing mentoring support to impoverished women in sub-Saharan Africa. This provides them with a “hand-up not a hand-out” so they can develop self-sustainable livelihoods for themselves and their families, and work their own way out of poverty. 99% of the loans are repaid and then recycled in full to help more women year after year.
In addition to visiting the MicroLoan Foundation, more information is available via Twitter,Youtube and Facebook.
MicroLoan Foundation contact
Rupy Kaur
Digital Marketing and Communications Manager
Rupy.kaur@microloanfoundation.org.uk
020 8827 1691
Media Contacts
Helena Reid
AxiCom PR for the MicroLoan Foundation
Helena.Reid@axicom.com
+44 (0)20 8392 4077
On 20th June 2011, Edmund along with his good friends Michael, Charlie and Jonny set off on adventurous 70 day bike ride, beginning on the west coast of Namibia, through Botswana and finishing at the Indian Ocean in Mozambique. In Edmund’s word’s “some considered me naïve even arrogant to have considered myself worthy of a challenge of such magnitude.”
We here at the MicroLoan Foundation are thankful to Edmund, Michael, Charlie and Johnny for their amazing feat across South Africa, which resulted in approx. £5,000 for the MicroLoan Foundation. This money means we can continue to reach the remotest women in sub-Saharan Africa, offering them a hand up, not a hand out.
We received Edmund’s account of the team’s bike ride through sunburn, sweat and tears across all sorts of challenging terrain stopping off to sleep at the side of roads at times. I don’t think we can do Edmund’s story full justice on this one page so we’ve lifted a paragraph from the final stage of their bike ride as they get ready to head towards the Indian Ocean.
“In the fresh and rosy morning we rode; under the burning midday sun we rode; till dusk we rode; into the night we rode; beneath the stars we rode; through the blackness we rode; towards the dawn we rode; back into the heat we rode; up each new hill we rode. A sign appeared, 15km, I ate my last Kendal mint cake and snicker as Houston and Sole gagged on their last half empty tin of mackerel. On we went, there was no more pain, joy had replaced it. We cycled expecting to see the Ocean from each new ridge. Up one last hill, ‘this is it’ we shouted’ ‘we fucking have it’. As we reached the top, words cannot describe the feeling but I shall never forget it. The Indian Ocean lay in front of us. Mission accomplished. Success. The greatest moment of my life. We cycled on to the beach and ran into the sea. There is nothing more to say, now it is just a memory, reminding me of that one moment when time stood still, when I was for just a few minutes, completely free.”
Thank you again to Edmund, Michael, Charlie and Johnny for fundraising for the MicroLoan Foundation. If you are interested in fundraising for us or just want to say hello, do get in touch.
About the MicroLoan Foundation
The MicroLoan Foundation is a responsible and non-profit UK microfinance charity that provides microfinance (small loans of on average £70), business education and ongoing mentoring support to impoverished women in sub-Saharan Africa. This provides them with a “hand-up not a hand-out” so they can develop self-sustainable livelihoods for themselves and their families, and work their own way out of poverty. 99% of the loans are repaid and then recycled in full to help more women year after year.
In addition to visiting the MicroLoan website, more information is available on Facebook, Twitter and You Tube.
MicroLoan Foundation Contact
Rupy Kaur
Digital Marketing and Communications Manager
rupy.kaur@microloanfoundation.org.uk
020 8827 1691
Media Contact for the MicroLoan Foundation
Helena Reid
AxiCom PR
Helena.Reid@Axicom.com
020 8392 4077