🏆 38 Days Across Africa, 12 Years Later

In 2015, I rode from Cairo to Cape Town as part of the team that set a new cycling world record of 38 days, 12 hours and 16 minutes. One of my fellow riders was David Kinjah — a good friend of mine who runs Safari Simbaz in Kenya, a charity using cycling to give young people opportunities, skills and a way forward.

This time, I’ll be riding in Kenya with my son, who will be 18. He is a rugby player rather than a cyclist, so I suspect I may have my work cut out getting him round! But it was entirely his idea that we should use this father-and-son ride to support the Simbaz. He was only six when I rode Cairo to Cape Town, so there is something very special about returning to Kenya together to support a cause that grew out of that journey.

🚲 Turning Practical Skills into Recognised Qualifications

Safari Simbaz already gives young riders extensive practical training, mentoring and experience in cycling, bike mechanics and tour leadership.

What we want to support now is a new Skills & Employment Programme that builds on that work by helping selected Simbaz turn their existing skills and experience into recognised vocational qualifications and stronger routes into paid employment.

The programme will focus on practical, hands-on training in areas such as:

* First aid and safety, including recognised qualifications relevant to outdoor and tourism work.

* Cycle mechanics, developing existing trailside repair skills into more formal workshop and technical competence.

* Recognised vocational assessment, giving Simbaz the opportunity to demonstrate practical skills and gain qualifications that employers recognise.

* Train-the-trainer qualifications, helping experienced senior Simbaz gain formal instructor skills so they can deliver more structured training to younger riders.

* Safari and tourism guiding, initially for a small number of suitable Simbaz, to test whether recognised guiding qualifications can open up genuine employment opportunities.

The aim is not simply to pay for courses. It is to build on the skills Safari Simbaz already develops and give young people the recognised qualifications and practical tools they need to turn those skills into employment.

At the same time, supporting senior Simbaz to become qualified trainers will allow more of that knowledge to be passed on from within the organisation itself.

Every donation will help us test and build this new pathway — and establish which qualifications genuinely lead to work for young people in Kenya.

Thank you so much for your support.