How many cyclists does it take to effect change in the world? 22 cyclists, 2 398km of road and one cause is all it takes to change the lives of African youth and their communities forever.
The 22 cyclists will battle blood, sweat and tears for 108km in the 38th Cape Town Cycle Tour to raise funds for scholarships for students who otherwise would not have the means to study at tertiary level. This is life-changing as one of the only sustainable ways to change society is to ensure that as many people as possible are able to access high quality education to enable them to become independent, contributing economic citizens.
Creating an innovative learning community that graduates entrepreneurial leaders who Ignite Opportunity and social change has been the Tertiary School in Business Administration’s (TSiBA) mission since they were founded in 2004. TSiBA is a private, fully accredited non-profit tertiary business school providing young people with an opportunity to jump ahead in life by giving them access to high quality, accredited academic courses that are focused on developing entrepreneurship and leadership.
TSiBA students are on full, or part, tuition scholarships and contribute, according to their means, to scholarships for their peers. The philosophy of Paying it Forward is a vital part of TSiBA’s culture where students are not required to pay back their education monetarily, but rather to Pay it Forward by transferring their knowledge, skills and resources back into their communities.
For first time TSiBA’s charity Cape Town Cycle Tour team will be joined by three TSiBA students who will cycle to help the TSiBA team raise funds for their scholarships. Team captain, Paul Mphamba, first year Bachelor in Business Administration (BBA1) student at TSiBA Cape Town sums it up when he says that ‘as a proud scholarship TSiBA student I am very excited to be part of the Cycle for Change initiative, because it will give our sisters and brothers the opportunity of a lifetime to further their studies and ultimately break the cycle of poverty in our communities’. Paul is originally from Gauteng and completed two undergraduate programmes at TSiBA’s Eden campus in Karatara, Knysna, before beginning his Bachelor’s degree at TSiBA Cape Town this year.
The Cycle for Change project was initiated in 2014 when 20 local and international cyclists joined the TSiBA Cape Town Cycle Tour team and raised almost R100 000 towards student scholarships for 2015. The cyclists raised funds in so many different ways like the Coffee for a Cause event at Truth Coffee, a music gig at the River Club by the Lauren Powell Band and the youngest cyclist, 10 year old Amy Irlam, held a pizza party with her friends raising R500.
Without even touching a bicycle you can show support and make a difference by joining the cause and backing this project by donating any amount on the the Thundafund crowdfunding website www.thundafund.com/cycleforchange.
For more information on how to get involved please contact Val Tapela, val@tsiba.org.za or 021 532 2750
Article supplied by TSiBA Education