Members of Bidii Yetu and Vikings Cycling Club at Dingo's Pub before the start of their 74km journey to Balfour.
By
“We hope to inspire non-disabled and people with disabilities enough to be more effective in making South Africa inclusive.”
The founder of Benoni NPO Love Authentic, Baveesha Naran, couldn’t contain her excitement when her friends from the organization, Bidii Yetu, arrived at Dingo’s Pub in Lakefield on June 10.
The Bidii Yetu entourage, led by American adaptive cyclist Olaf Kula, made a detour to Benoni on their way to Balfour in their five countries-journey to raise awareness for people with disabilities.
The trip started in Swakopmund in Namibia on May 12, with a team of adaptive and non-disabled cyclists pedalling into Botswana and South Africa. They will then ride to Eswatini, and their 3 000km journey will end in Maputo, Mozambique, after 50 days of cycling.
Naran got involved in this adventure from the beginning. She said it was important they stopped in Benoni, where her activism found its ground.
“This adventure aims to assist people with a disability. We are also raising funds to support organizations that help people with a disability. This adventure is about going from coast to coast.
“My organization, which raises awareness for people with vitiligo, is involved with Bidii Yetu, and we aim to let people know they have to love their authentic selves,” she said.
Bidii Yetu, meaning ‘our resilience,’ started as an idea by Kula to travel across Africa, which he couldn’t pursue because of the pandemic.
Kula, who lost the use of his legs in an accident, used to be a cyclist, and as a non-disabled person, he said he used to ignore the needs of people with disabilities due to his prejudices.
With the 3 000km adventure across five countries, he aims to correct his mistakes.
“We want to demonstrate what people with disabilities can achieve once the barriers to their impairment are lifted and generate awareness of the poverty cycle in which millions of people living with disabilities are trapped.
“We also want to raise funds and equipment for organizations of people living with disabilities on our route,” said Kula.
One of the beneficiaries of Bidii Yetu’s drive is Vusi Marenene from the Western Cape, who linked up with the cyclists in Benoni.
Bidii Yetu gifted Marenene a hand cycle after an accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down last year.
“This has made me stronger and has taught me independence. I hope this initiative can inspire our communities to stop looking at us and think we can’t do things for ourselves,” he said.
Following some formalities, Kula, Naran, and their entourage rode to Balfour accompanied by Benoni’s Vikings Cycling Club.
“We hope to inspire able-bodied and people with disabilities enough to be more effective in making South Africa inclusive,” said Naran.
Source: Benoni City Times
