Cyclists cross Alps and raise funds for Missions of Hope Intl school

A British man living in Dubai will ride across the Alps next week while raising funds for a Missions of Hope International school in the Mathare slums of Nairobi, Kenya.

Tim Hooker, his American wife Fiona Petrocelli, and their son Quinlan became acquainted with the work of MoHI, CMF’s child sponsorship partner in Nairobi, when they were planning a luxurious safari holiday in the Masaai Mara in 2011. Fiona wanted to add a different perspective to the trip by spending a day doing some type of service for local people.

“Some friends of ours put us in touch with Mary and Wallace Kamau at MoHI,” said Fiona. “I didn’t want to arrive empty-handed, so Quinlan and I collected 100 pairs of used Crocs from friends and teachers at his school, and passed them out at the Baba Ndogo school.”

“The school was very tiny then, 200 children squeezed into a makeshift building made of corrugated tin,” said Fiona. “It was heartbreaking to see the condition of most of the children’s shoes, but such a joy to see the smiles on their faces as they walked away with their new, used Crocs. But then we ran out of shoes, and the only response we could make was to say we would come back next year with more!”

Upon their return to Dubai, Fiona sent photos of their day at Baba Ndogo to Crocs UAE. Moved by the photos, the company donated 800 pairs for Fiona and Quinlan to take back to Nairobi, which they did in April 2012. These visits became the subject of a photography exhibition staged by Fiona in Dubai in January 2013 to raising awareness of life in the Mathare slums.

Given his family’s close connection with MoHI, Tim Hooker, an avid cyclist who completes challenging rides with a group of friends every other year, decided to add a fund-raising challenge for MoHI to this year’s ride.

“This year the group, which called itself the ‘Jebel Raiders,’ decided to take on the Raid Alps (the name of the ride course), and added a day to tackle the Alpe d’Huez, a famous climb often featured in the Tour de France,” said Fiona.

The ride is 835 km from Lake Geneva to Antibes on the Mediterranean coast, and includes 19,000 meters of ascent. The group flies out of Dubai on May 29, and the ride will take seven days.

“Two members of the group and their families had heard about our experiences in Mathare and were keen to raise money for the kids of Baba Ndogo School,” said Fiona. “At some point they, too, want their children to have the experiences that Quinlan has had of seeing how many people in this world live and provide a balance to what is a very privileged upbringing here in Dubai.”

The cyclists set a goal of raising $5,000 to sponsor two children through their entire elementary years at Baba Ndogo School, and reached that milestone by May 19. Contributions are continuing to pour in, and the total now stands at nearly $7,000. You can follow the Jebel Raiders on their ride across the Alps here and make a donation to support their efforts on behalf of Missions of Hope here.