Brian and Bert's 6th Annual 80-Mile Trek for IBSH

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$10,200 raised of 10.5K

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Brian and Bert's 6th Annual 80-Mile Trek for IBSH

Brian Ford is organizing this fundraiser.

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Hi friends and family!

Our 6th annual bike ride fundraiser is set for 10/19/24, when Brian will be biking 80 miles and Bert 65 miles in 1 day alongside friends in an effort to raise money for The International Brothers and Sisters House (IBSH). Each year has been an unbelievable success due to the incredible generosity of friends and family. We were able to collectively raise about $8,000 last year, which is about half our charity’s annual funding and makes it possible for us to continue to support these amazing kids. We are so appreciative of the generosity of everyone over the years. The annual bike route will be from Farmington, CT to Westfield, MA and back, and we wouldn’t be doing it if it weren’t for what we believe is an awesome cause.

For those that don’t know IBSH is a charity near and dear to our hearts. Brian is a board member as well as the active manager and founder of the charity’s current program in Tanzania, Africa, which is where all donations fundraised during this bike ride campaign will go. Through this program we currently fully finance the education and healthcare of 52 underprivileged kids across 22 different Tanzanian families almost all of which are single-parent households. For the upcoming year 2025-2026 we will be sponsoring 25 kids in primary school, 23 in secondary school, and 4 in college/university. School technically is not free in Tanzania, as the school fees, supplies, meals, transportation, and/or housing can pose a huge economic challenge to families such as the ones we support living on only a dollar or two per day. Most secondary school kids in Tanzania are boarding, which means additional expenses for food and school housing which is a huge financial burden for these families. For primary school and secondary school kids school expenses can amount from anywhere from $100-500, and for kids in university approximately $1,000-2,000 USD/year. Sometimes struggling households end up paying for school costs at the expense of buying food. Other times they might pull their kids out of school completely. Our level of support aims to help these families and allow these kids to strive for the bright futures they deserve. In addition to funding the education and healthcare of these kids, IBSH also supports the families by providing some food subsidies, housing, and microfinancing small businesses when possible.

Any donation you can make towards our ride is greatly appreciated and goes directly to the kids and families we support!

THANK YOU again for your consideration and help!

-Brian and Bob/Bert

Some pictures of our kids below:

-Picture of Bibi and James from this year. Bibi is the grandma and the sole caretaker of 6 of her grandchildren. She tries her best to provide for them by making and selling local alcohol. James (pictured) is one of her grandsons. He is 13 years old and set to begin high school this fall. He finished middle school ranked 10/130 in his class. His favorite subjects are English and Math, and he likes playing soccer.

-Picture from a few years ago of Brian, Alina, and several of Bibi's grandkids we support (Barii, Agness, Ainess, James, Clementina)

-Picture of Juma this year, set to start his 2nd year at a teaching college in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania where he will obtain his degree in education to become a teacher