Story
Why am I doing this?
As I have come to the end of period of almost seven years working on the M-Pesa, the mobile money service which is helping to provide financial inclusion to over 50 million people in Africa, and I decided I wanted to give something back to Africa for the opportunities M-Pesa has presented to me. I then learnt about the Vodafone Foundation Trans Alp Cycle Challenge which is one of several epic challenges that are part of Vodafone Foundation’s “Save our Planet” campaign. I have never participated in a fund raising event of this kind before, but this one resonates with me because it combines my passions for cycling, wildlife in Africa and marine life in our oceans.
What does this involve?
The challenge in September is to cycle across the French Alps from Grenoble to Nice, travelling over 500km across the Alps and climbing over 12,000m of mountain roads, including seven mountain passes at over 4,000ft within 5 days.
To prepare for this epic ride I have set myself three training targets between February and August:
- Loose 10Kg in weight to drop from 80Kg to below 70Kg - Dropped to 69.8Kg on 31 Jul
- Climb over 100,000m which is the start of outer space - Reached on 24 Jul
- Complete the Everesting Cycle Challenge (https://everesting.cc) : "FIENDISHLY SIMPLE, YET BRUTALLY HARD. EVERESTING IS THE MOST DIFFICULT CLIMBING CHALLENGE IN THE WORLD.” - Completed on 24 Jul: this was an insane ride of 197km, climbing a singe hill 70 times to reach 8848m, the height of Everest
How will the benefit of contributions be maximised?
As part of my commitment to this challenge and to these charities, I will personally match all contributions made up to half of my target amount. Furthermore, all money raised will be matched by Vodafone Foundation, hence all initial contributions will have a times four multiplier applied to maximise the benefit your contribution will make to these charities.
Thanks for your support!
The Route
If you are interested in finding out more about the route please follow this link
The Beneficiaries
The foundation is supporting 2 amazing charity’s and more information is found below
TUSK TRUST
This UK based charity has a vision for a future in which people and wildlife can both thrive across Africa. Founded at the height of the last poaching crisis in Africa when 100,000 elephants were being slaughtered every year for ivory, Tusk are on a mission to ensure we are not the generation that lets Africa's unique wildlife disappear. Through progressive conservation initiatives using technology, the conservation of healthy habitats and involving local people in the solutions, Tusk are paving the way for a sustainable future for Africa's incredible wildlife.
https://www.tusk.org/
THE OCEAN CLEANUP
This Netherlands based charity is working to rid the world's oceans of plastic. Plastic pollution is set to quadruple by mid-century, impacting our ecosystems, health and economies. That's why The Ocean Cleanup team are embarking on the biggest clean-up in history, to remove 90% of floating ocean plastic pollution by 2040. On top of that, they're developing advanced solutions to intercept plastic in rivers, to halt it before it can enter the ocean.
https://theoceancleanup.com/