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On 4 June 2025 I’m setting off to the Central African country of Burundi to take part in ‘Bike for Burundi’ to raise money for life-changing work in this country and the work of Great Lakes Outreach (GLO).

Burundi is a beautiful and well-resourced nation, filled with bold, passionate people. It is bordered by the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Rwanda. Much of its Western border is the world’s second-largest freshwater lake, Lake Tanganyika.

Ethnic groups in Burundi include the Hutus, Tutsis and Twa (Batwa or pygmies). The pygmies are former forest dwellers who have been displaced from their hunting ground. They often still live in mud huts with no sanitation.

The country has suffered terrible genocides rooted in tribal tensions, like Rwanda but far less publicised.

In the years following the election of 2015, political unrest suffocated the economy, which has not yet recovered. Over 400,000 fled the country and over 100,000 were internally displaced. Some have since returned but many are still refugees in other countries including Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Bike for Burundi has been running for over 10 years, with tens of thousands of pounds/dollars raised for GLO's transformative work. I’ll be cycling with a group of intrepid cyclists from all over the world and will spent seven exhilarating, gruelling days on the stunning roads of Burundi, with an average of 60 miles/day and a total of 38,000ft elevation tackled. The ride is headed up by Simon Guillebaud the founder and director of GLO who promises “Fun, Sweat and Tears”.

In addition to the physical challenge, the trip is also an opportunity to stop off at multiple projects of GLO partners, and see the impact of the fundraising.

Great Lakes Outreach (GLO) works with visionary local leaders to transform Burundi through education, sport, business, healthcare and more, bringing hope to thousands of the most vulnerable.

They identify, equip and empower the best local leaders of passion, integrity, gifting and vision for the transformation of the nation. GLO has identified a network of exceptional Christian leaders in Burundi now representing multiple projects. We help these partners to develop, enabling them to increase their self-sufficiency. The results are exciting and encouraging despite Burundi’s many challenges.

Please support me by making a donation today. For more information please see: greatlakesoutreach.org/get-involved/bike-for-burundi

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