*DisabilityWillNotStopUs

 

Dear Bidii Yetu Supporters,

I am writing with three objectives,

1. To express my gratitude for your support of Bidii Yetu’23, an epic adventure made possible by your generosity.
2. To summarize the adventure and share a slide deck of the trip, and.
3. To appeal for your generosity once more in support of Face of America, a two-day, 110-mile paracycling fundraising event for disabled veterans and first responders.

Thank you! Last year your generosity made Bidii Yetu ’23 a reality. In 39 days, a small group of adaptive and able bodied cyclists crossed southern Africa, through five countries,  covering 2,345 kilometers, and climbing 12,250 meters.

We are now in the final negotiations  with 4 disability groups , in Namibia, South Africa, Botswana and Eswatini to fund sports equipment, training programs and advocacy.  Your donations:

• covered the participation costs for two para cyclists from Namibia, eight from Botswana, and one from South Africa.
• Paid for a handbike which we shipped to a South African quadriplegic and medically retired police officer.
• Funded four grants totaling $8,000 for the purchase of sports equipment, advocacy, and training for persons with disabilities.

On May 12,2023, joined by another hand cyclist, Jataya Taylor, upright cyclists, Matt Gamser and Marcy Kelley, and videographer, Baveesha Naran, I set off from the Atlantic coast in Swakopmund Namibia on a journey across the continent to see if we could do it.

 Over the course of our journey, hundreds of cyclists joined us, able bodied and adaptive. FM radio stations in all the five countries tracked our progress, bike shops donated their labor to keep our handcycles in good working order. By the time we reached the Indian Ocean in Mozambique, Bidii Yetu   had grown into the germ of a movement to introduce play and sports to thousands of children, men and women living with disabilities and to expand the number of disability inclusive athletic events.

Click on the link with below for a slide deck introducing you to the riders, our support crew, and many friends we made along the way. It runs for 4 minutes.

Where are we now?

The board of directors of Bidii Yetu is using 2024 for reflection and planning. There was so much enthusiasm for Bidii Yetu that we are now in discussions about a Bidii Yetu’25, this time with more ownership and control by local organizations and donors.

What’s next? Face of America 2024

In two weeks, my friend and Bidii Yetu colleague, will take part in the 2024 Face of America ride, covering over 110 miles over two days from Arlington, VA to Gettysburg, PA. Face of America is an annual event to honor and support American veterans and first responders. This is an incredible event bringing veterans, first responders and citizen athletes together to create opportunities for those who have given so much to their country and communities. It is so important because sports and play are so important to mental health and recovery. For more information, check out this video, Nothing Compares to this.

This will be my third Face of America and Matt Gamser and I will be participating as members of Team Adaptive

Your generous support of Bidii Yetu demonstrated the power of your generosity. Please consider donating to Team America’s Face of America Gettysburg 2024.

Donations can be made by clicking on the QR code below, or by going directly to the Face of America website at the following link.

Thank you,

Olaf

Team Lead

Bidii Yetu: No limits LLC

 

 

 

6 March, 2022.  The Opening Ceremony of the 2022 winter Paralympic games

I cannot help but think about the connection between the Paralympics and Bidii Yetu 2023.  The athletes  who have earned a place in the Paralympics are elites in every sense.  

We, who will be participating in Bidii Yetu '23 by contrast, are ordinary people attempting to achieve something extraordinary.  Yet  much unites  the paralympic athlete, and Bidii Yetu participant.  

First and foremost,  the Paralympics and Bidii Yetu '23, are both events that demonstrate that the fifteen percent of the world's population living with a disability are capable of achieving extraordinary results, when the barriers to their fuller participation and inclusion are lifted.

When more of us play, more of us win.  Bidii Yetu '23 and the Paralympics underscore the critical importance of play, to nourish the human spirit.  For this reasons, Bidii Yetu '23 will be distributing  adaptive bicycles to youth groups in the countries through which we will be riding.  The more youth who are exposed to adaptive cycling, the bigger the pool from which paralympians  emerge.

Bidii Yetu '23 echoes the call of the International Paralympic Committe  (IPC) president, Andrew Parsons, called for peace, equity, and inclusion at the opening session of the 2022 winter games.  These goals are embedded in Bidii Yetu's primary obectives.

History confirms that inclusivity and equitable treatment of marginalized groups is rarely given; rather it is achieved through the struggle and efforts of those marginalized.   That is why Bidii Yetu '23 will be making grants to organizations of people with disabilities engaged in advocacy work.

In May 2023, a group of able bodied and adaptive cyclists will cross Southern Africa in under 60 days.  Like paralympic athletes, we will be pushing ourselves farther than we ever have before.  We will carry the torch of inclusivity and we will carry it to a population still largely marginalized.

If you are watching the 2022 winter Paralympics and you have not yet contributed to making Bidii Yetu '23 a reality,  please consider doing so now.

Gratefully yours,

Olaf
Program Leader
Bidii Yetu '23