Your Impact
From skills
to qualifications
to opportunity.
Safari Simbaz already has years of experience mentoring and developing young people. The Great Bicycle Safari is helping strengthen that existing work through structured vocational education.
The model
How a donation becomes an opportunity.
Programme areas
Three areas. One purpose.
These three areas are the initial priorities within a broader Skills & Employment Programme that Safari Simbaz is developing. We are starting where the need is clearest and the foundations are strongest.
01
Bike Mechanics
Help develop professional bicycle-mechanic skills and recognised training, from basic maintenance to full workshop-level competence.
02
First Aid
Provide recognised first-aid training valuable both personally and professionally, on the road, in the workshop, and in the community.
03
Train the Trainers
Help experienced Simbaz gain the qualifications to teach others, so the training continues long after the ride ends.
Your questions answered
What your support funds, in practical terms.
What are we funding first?
The initial priority is helping experienced Simbaz work towards recognised instructor and mechanic-trainer qualifications, so they can deliver standardised training themselves. This is the foundation everything else builds on.
Who will take part?
The first cohort will be a small group of senior Simbaz already involved in mentoring and workshop sessions. Participants are being identified with Kinjah based on existing experience and commitment. Exact numbers will be confirmed once the training provider and qualification are agreed.
What will £10,000 cover?
We are developing a detailed budget with Safari Simbaz. Early estimates suggest £10,000 could cover course fees, assessment costs, materials and some of the logistics of delivering the first training phase. We will publish the full budget once it is confirmed.
Who will deliver the training?
We are in discussions with training providers in Kenya and the UK. No provider is confirmed yet. We will name them here once arrangements are agreed.
What qualification is involved?
The specific qualifications are still being identified. The aim is recognised, portable credentials in bicycle mechanics, first aid and cycling instruction that participants can take to employers or use to train others.
When will it happen?
The indicative timetable is for the first training phase to begin after the expedition in late 2027. We will share a more detailed schedule once the provider and qualification are confirmed.
How will supporters hear about results?
We will report back through this website and the journal — sharing what was funded, who took part, what qualifications were achieved and what happened next. We are committed to publishing honest updates, not just the highlights.
What we have agreed
- The three programme areas: bike mechanics, first aid, and train-the-trainer qualifications.
- That donations go to Safari Simbaz to fund vocational training and qualifications.
- That the expedition costs — flights, bikes, equipment and on-the-road expenses — are met by the riders, not by donations.
- That success is measured in qualifications, paid work and people trained to train others, not just in workshops run.
- That we will report back honestly on what the funding achieves.
What we are still arranging
- The specific training providers and assessment partners.
- The exact qualifications, their awarding bodies and their recognition.
- Participant numbers and selection criteria for the first cohort.
- The detailed budget for the first training phase.
- The full delivery timetable.
Employability
We'll share what your
support helps achieve.
Success is not counted in workshops run. It is counted in what happens afterwards, in qualifications, in work, in income, and in the people who go on to train others themselves.
What success looks like
What we're working towards.
Qualified educators
Simbaz holding recognised instructor and trainer qualifications, able to deliver standardised training themselves.
Recognised qualifications
Young people completing vocational training with qualifications they can take to employers.
Lasting capacity
A training model that continues to produce new educators long after the ride ends.
Progress
£0 raised
0.7% of £15,000 target
Donations go directly to Safari Simbaz to fund training and qualifications. The riders cover all expedition costs themselves — flights, bikes, equipment and on-the-road expenses — so every pound donated supports the mission.