A Lifetime Challenge

Elisabeth Lambert tells us about her personal involvement with a unique challenge: a bicycle ride for charity across Africa

For the majority of ex-pats leaving Japan and getting back to life in the home country there is a need for one last adventure to cap off the Japan experience. For many this will be a final trip to some of those places you haven't yet seen.

After spending seven years in Japan's Kansai area between them, British citizens Neville Keemer and David Oakes are saying their farewells to Japan and heading home — and setting up a different kind of last adventure.

On January 17, 2005, they will set off from Cairo, Egypt to cycle across the African continent until they reach Capetown, South Africa some four months later. They will expose themselves to conditions so intolerable and harsh that the current heatwave Kansai is experiencing will seem like a day by the seaside. The motivation to embark on such an event was born from of a number of different objectives.

“I was looking for one last thing to do be-fore going home to the U.K. and settling into a career track. After talking to Neville, I discovered he felt the same way and we decided to find something to do together — something that could also possibly benefit our Japanese community somehow,” explains David.

But riding through Africa on a pushbike?

“That was actually Neville's idea,” David continues. “He came across information on the internet about an organisation called Tour d'Afrique, who have run these types of expe-ditions before, and can provide the logistical support we will require to complete this.”
The pair felt that this plan would allow them to combine personal challenge with a real help to the Kansai community.

For the charity, the pair decided on Help the Children. The charity welcomed their initiative and the Across Africa Challenge
was born — “two guys, 10,500 kilometres, 10 countries, 120 days and some of the world's toughest terrain … on a bike!”

Raising funds for the trip has been a major challenge in itself.

“People have been eager to donate and help out — Neville and I have been very fortunate to get the help of our friends to attend JET conferences, football events and the like, to assist with collecting, but we are still looking for a major corporate sponsor to aid with the logistical costs of the Challenge,” David states.

Such a sponsor would enjoy the benefits of an assortment of highly attractive packages put together by the Across Africa Challenge including direct promotional opportunities in both the UK and Japan, as well as fantastic media exposure.

A variety of different events have already taken place in order to start collecting the necessary funds to get to the ¥5,000,000 that the boys are hoping to raise, through not only corporate sponsorship, but also donati-ons from both the local and foreign communi-ties in Japan as well. You may have already seen a number of posters advertising the Challenge in bars around town, as well as the collection tins sitting on bar tops — now that you know what we are about, drop in a coin!

And for those giving personal donations, please be sure to give your names for the “T-shirt Campaign”, as the boys will be proudly wearing t-shirts for the duration of the ride bearing the names of those who have helped along the way with donations and sponsorship. You will also be able to keep track of their journey, which will take them through countries such as Sudan, Ethiopia and Tanzania, through the Tour Diary on their website.

If you would like to give a donation, or find our more information on any aspect of the Challenge, including sponsorship, a list of donation collection points, and the many activities we have planned, please go to www.acrossafricachallenge.com

Text & photos: Elisabeth Lambert