Cycle Africa Project Outline (Registered Charity No.

1139411) March/April 2011

Introduction: Cycle Africa is a journey and a high-profile media, advocacy and fundraising campaign that is
aiming to make a difference in the lives of children living on Africa’s streets. Cycle Africa is seeking
sponsorship, contacts and support to help realise the potential of this London to Cape Town bicycle
journey.
The Journey: A team of six cyclists will leave London on 7 August 2011 and will cycle 12,000 miles through nearly 30 countries in
Europe, the Middle East and Africa to arrive in Cape Town one year later. The route will take us through England, Belgium, France,
Luxemburg, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia,
Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland, Lesotho and South Africa.
The core team will be joined by celebrities, high profile advocates and friends for the first day (London to Brighton) and other specific
stages. The team will also be joined by groups of street children (Nairobi to Uganda and Durban to Cape Town), the Ugandan cricket
team (Uganda), the Rwandan cycling team (Rwanda) and up to 40 other fundraising individuals for shorter stages of the journey.
The Campaign: Cycle Africa is different to other long-distance cycling trips that have adventure as their sole motive and, at best, raise
a modest sum for charity. In partnership with the leading street children charities we intend to make a lasting difference in the lives
of street children. The aim of the campaign is to challenge the stigma of being a street child by
gathering stories from street children, project workers, former street children, politicians,
celebrities and members of local communities to give a more balanced picture of the issues. By
raising funds we also hope to help more children to be safe, get back into school, into work and to
reconnect with their families and communities.
Impact: The impact of Cycle Africa will be in four key areas:
1. Raising awareness of the issues among key audiences through the media in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Africa;
2. Advocating and informing key decision makers to make changes in policies that will positively impact street children;
3. Raising more than £100,000 for Street Action and local street children projects along the route;
4. Establishing a network of grassroots street children organisations that can share ideas, resources and advocate together;
During the journey a series of events in cities like Istanbul, Amman, Cairo, Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Kampala, Kigali, Lusaka, Harare,
Maputo, Durban and Cape Town will focus media and advocacy activity, bring local charity partners together with other providers,
potential donors, SOAS alumni, as well as other individuals who can offer professional expertise to the projects.
Charity Partners: The charity partners include: Street Action (lead partner), Retrak, AMREF, Action for Children in Conflict, Street
Child Africa, Railway Children, and the Consortium for Street Children:

SOAS
(School
of Oriental and African
Studies): Cycle Africa is working with SOAS to help deepen the connections with its alumni in Europe, the Middle East and
Africa and to highlight the school’s unrivalled African academic expertise.
Media and Communications: Cycle Africa will generate substantial significant new media content before, during and after the
expedition, through its website www.cycleafrica.org including video blogs, Tweets, Facebook updates, and local press interviews.
Cycle Africa will be providing regular podcasts for the Guardian’s Global Development project in partnership with Street
Action and is also confident of coverage on the BBC, Al-Jazeera, ITV, national newspapers and radio programmes en
route. Cycle Africa has already secured the support of Charley Boorman (see below) and Lord Boateng (Labour Peer) and
through its network is confident of involving Robert Green (England goalkeeper), Boris Johnson (Mayor of London),
Zeinab Badawi (BBC News Presenter), John Salako (Sky Sports presenter), and a number of others.
Sponsorship and Opportunities: Through its networks Cycle Africa intends to secure sponsorship of the expedition and financial
support of the lead charity partner through discussions with a number of companies like Virgin, Standard Chartered, Barclays, British
Airways, and others that wish to maximise the marketing potential of this venture. Cycle Africa will also be approaching
manufacturers and suppliers for in-kind donations of equipment to reduce the cost of the expedition in return for brand exposure.
Cycle Africa presents a unique marketing opportunity for partner organisations and sponsors with on-the-ground visibility in key
markets and excellent international media opportunities before, during and after the expedition in the UK, Europe, the Middle East

“It’s a huge struggle for the millions of children that live on Africa’s streets. I can’t imagine what they have to deal with
every day but I am sure that Cycle Africa can make a difference – it’s an ambitious project, a great adventure, and a
worthy cause. I wish the team the very best of luck and urge you to support them in any way you can.”

Charley Boorman (TV Adventurer and Travel Writer – The Long Way Down, By Any Means)
 Visit www.cycleafrica.org to find out more and to see how you can get involved!
and Africa. More than half of the expedition costs (£30,000) will be paid by the team and £10,000 has been raised from partners.
Cycle Africa is aiming to secure additional sponsorship worth £15,000 for the expedition, including donations of equipment.

"The Cycle Africa Team are blazing a trail in a great cause. The more sedentary amongst us, myself included, can
do more than just stand and stare on the sidelines in admiration - we can get actively involved and support them!“

Lord Boateng ((Former Cabinet Minister, former British High Commissioner to South Africa and Patron of Street
Action)
 Cycle Africa Project Outline (Registered Charity No. 1139411) March/April 2011

The Cycle Africa Team:

Craig is the founder of Cycle Africa. He is an experienced
fundraiser who has raised more than £15m for UK and
African charities in the last eight years and was the
AMREF lead on the Guardian’s groundbreaking ‘Katine
Project’.
"For me, Cycle Africa is a huge opportunity. An opportunity to experience and
discover, to become part of something much bigger, to spend time in Africa, to
overcome a massive physical challenge and all while making a real and lasting
difference in the lives of street children along the route. I can't wait!"
Loretta is a Paediatric Clinical Psychologist currently working at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford with children who
are experiencing acute and chronic illness, and their families. Her interest in street children was inspired during visits
to projects in Peru and Cambodia. "I am looking forward to combining my love of adventure and travel with the
possibility of making a difference for street children in Africa."

Gareth is a primary school teacher in London. Being born in the rolling hills of Shropshire gave him an early love of
cycling and working on a conservation project in Tanzania inspired a love of Africa. "Cycling the length of Africa is a
great excuse to take a sabbatical from teaching and to combine two things I feel really passionate about."

Scott is an accountant who has worked in the City of London for the last 12 years. “Being part of Cycle Africa will give
me a chance to explore a continent that I’ve only heard about but I’m also looking forward to seeing more of Europe
and the Middle East.”

Jodi has worked and travelled in Southern Africa, Ghana and Central America.  She is currently a speech and language
therapist in Burnley, working with young children with communication and swallowing difficulties. "This is a chance to
break free from the usual daily routine, to have new adventures and to make a difference to the lives of street children in
Europe, the Middle East and Africa.”

Martyn has previously worked for volunteer projects in Botswana and Mexico City and currently works as
a content editor for a website in Manchester. "Cycle Africa is my chance to see the real Africa, to
challenge myself and to push my boundaries in aid of some very worthwhile charities."

How You Can Get Involved

There are a number of ways to support Cycle Africa, some of these are listed below, however we are open to ideas and new
partnerships that will help make this project a reality so do get in touch to discuss your ideas!
 Donate – making a donation to Cycle Africa will support the partner charities to save the lives of more street children;
 London to Brighton – take part in the first day of Cycle Africa as the team rides 60 miles from London to Brighton to raise
funds for street children projects in Africa.
 Cycle Africa Sponsorship and Equipment Sponsorship – for the right companies Cycle Africa could provide excellent
marketing opportunities and exposure to markets in the UK and along the route.
 Advice – expert legal advice, advice on equipment, the route and borders, logistics and medical issues would be welcome;
 Support the team – all offers of help would be welcome, from a place to stay in Tanzania to a book exchange in Turkey;
 Media – if you can help us to raise the profile of Cycle Africa we would be delighted to be interviewed and provide
content.

Contact: Craig Pollard | craig@cycleafrica.org | +44 (0) 7545 734598 | http://twitter.com/cycleafrica | www.cycleafrica.org

“It’s a huge struggle for the millions of children that live on Africa’s streets. I can’t imagine what they have to deal with
every day but I am sure that Cycle Africa can make a difference – it’s an ambitious project, a great adventure, and a
worthy cause. I wish the team the very best of luck and urge you to support them in any way you can.”

Charley Boorman (TV Adventurer and Travel Writer – The Long Way Down, By Any Means)
 Visit www.cycleafrica.org to find out more and to see how you can get involved!

"The Cycle Africa Team are blazing a trail in a great cause. The more sedentary amongst us, myself included, can
do more than just stand and stare on the sidelines in admiration - we can get actively involved and support them!“

Lord Boateng ((Former Cabinet Minister, former British High Commissioner to South Africa and Patron of Street
Action)