Thanks for visiting my fundraising page.

I am preparing to do a 450km sponsored cycle ride in Zambia next May, to raise money for a vital development project there run by the charity Transaid.  As you can see below, I have donated £1500 myself to cover all the expenses associated with the trip, so that 100% of all other donations go direct to the project.

You may be wondering why I have become involved in this project. I began working closely with Transaid in March and have been ramping up my involvement ever since. It may not seem the most obvious way of supporting the welfare of people in Africa, but once you understand the projects Transaid is involved in there, the benefits and logic become clear.

Safe, clean, efficient transport is a vital ingredient in economic growth and social development, particularly in developing countries. Its value often goes unrecognised in the highly developed world of Europe, where public opinion often focuses on the negative impact of expanding transport infrastructure and fails to consider the value it brings to us all in every aspect of our lives. But in Africa, lack of access to affordable transport holds back the opportunity to develop for many people. The transport that is available is often poorly managed, poorly maintained, or downright dangerous. It absorbs disproportionate amounts of public sector resources from the health and education sectors, killing and maiming increasing number of people with a devastating impact on lives, livelihoods, and economies.

Road crashes are responsible for 1.2m deaths and 50m injuries per year globally and are a bigger cause of death in Africa than malaria. They are the second cause of death in 4-29 year-olds and the financial cost is estimated at $65bn per year. Tragically it is the lower income families who are most affected and who are being driven deeper into poverty by the loss of breadwinners and the added burden of caring for members disabled by road traffic injuries.

Transaid has identified that there is a severe shortage of trained drivers in Zambia and its neighbouring countries and is working with the government-backed Industrial Training Centre (ITC) in Lusaka, Zambia to develop professional commercial driver training standards. Neighbouring countries have indicated that they will also put in place similar structures once the Zambia project has become a proven success, creating a snowball effect throughout southern Africa.

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Transaid gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

So please sponsor me now..

In doing so, you become part of an amazing project that will bring long-lasting benefits to millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa.

Thanks,

Will.