GEORGE NEWS - Allan Morris (70) from Wilderness completed a five-day, 500km cycle in Kenya on Thursday last week with 75 other riders from various countries.
He was part of an annual fund-raising event for Child.org that does community development work in Africa.
"I shall remember the past week as one of excitement, pain, camaraderie and gratitude. So many ripples of inspiration, created by each and every rider in their own lives during their preparation and on the ride, will now touch many more people in all their lives," said an elated Morris after finishing. The route passed through lovely scenery with lots of hills, some rain, some very rocky roads, deep sand and altitudes of between 1 500 and 2 000 metres. Among the places they saw were Hell's Gate National Park and Lake Naivasha where riders marvelled at zebra, giraffe, warthog and buck of all kinds. "At one stage on a rocky section, the vibration of riding over the rocks loosened some front wheels to the extent that they actually fell off, leading to several major crashes."
Morris said they were made to feel very welcome. Their reception by locals at the stopovers in the evenings was always noisy and exuberant. Their ride ended in Meru where they visited a rural project of Child.org. They learned more of the work the organisation does. "It was an emotional day, both happy and profoundly sad. Young girls are being taught about their choices on female genital mutilation, teenagers with children are counselled over their role as mothers, and older women with families are learning the rudiments of growing sustainable food for themselves and for sale. Mending other threads, like teaching men how to fulfil their original roles as functional husbands and fathers, may need a seismic shift in African society that will take far longer and prove more difficult, but is arguably even more fundamental."
He says he learned a lot about himself. "That is why we do these things. Also the people you meet inspire a new outlook and who knows where that may take you?"
The public can still donate. The link for Morris's donation page is: child.org/node/2572. Monies go directly to Child.org. There is a window period of one month after the event for further donations. For any queries, contact Morris on 072 063 0228.
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