After 109 days on his bicycle, cycling from Cairo to Cape Town as part of his Afrikalegburn adventure challenge, Grant Clark finally arrived at the Shine Literacy Centre in Zonnebloem on Monday March 6, where he handed out books from Book Dash to the children in the programme.
Mr Clark set off on his journey on November 17, last year, to raise funds and awareness for the Shine Literacy centre, which provides structured English literacy support to vulnerable children, and he handed out books along the way while spreading the message of the importance of childhood literacy.
Mr Clark struggled with countless punctures, long days of relentless hills, bumpy roads, connectivity issues, and a broken bike on his travels, but that, he said, did not overshadow the hospitality, company and kindness he experienced from individuals of all walks of life.
“Recently, and with a growing passion for the impact that literacy levels have in Africa on education and general knowledge, I’ve looked for ways to help inspire more children to read and discover the world of books. This has led me to Shine Literacy and volunteering for them. They do incredible work in South Africa and I’ve grown to respect and admire the time and effort they put into improving the literacy levels of young children in our country.”
“Haven’t you always wondered what it would be like to take the biggest thing on your bucket list and actually do it? That something stupid for me is cycling Cairo to Cape Town to arrive in time for the 40th Cape Town Cycle Tour. Then lining up for the Cape Epic a week later, then lining up on the start line of the Ironman 2017 a week later. (It’s) a journey that promises to throw up mental and physical challenges that I have never had to deal with and that, really weirdly, excites me,” said Mr Clark.
So this weekend Mr Clark will continue his adventures by taking part in the Cape Town Cycle Tour on Sunday March 12, then the following week he will be preparing for the ABSA Cape Epic. One week after completing this feat he will be on the start line for the Standard Bank Ironman taking place in Port Elizabeth.
So far, Mr Clark has raised R50 270 for the Shine Foundation and will continue to raise funds over the next leg of his journey. If you would like to find out more about Mr Clark’s adventure’s through Africa and why he has undertaken this challenge in support of Shine Literacy, you can visit his Facebook page – @afrikalegburn or his website on https://www.afrikalegburn.com/
