KONO CYCLING CLUB

Koidu City, Kono District, Sierra Leone, Africa

Our cycling club is a means to keep kids in school, off the streets and out of trouble. In order to accomplish this our growing cycling club is in need *Bikes

* Bike parts

* Uniforms

*Training equipment

* Scholarships

* A facility for training, storage, and after school programs.

Background and History

Kono Cycling Club was established on January 1st, 2017, by Mr. Foday Kamara, who was originally from a town called Lunsar, which is 221 km or 137 miles (3 hr. 5 min by car) from Kono.

Foday helped start a bike riding team in Lunsar where he was an avid rider. Due to work, Foday was transferred to Kono and realized that there were no bike teams or clubs in town. Foday’s means of transportation was his road bike, and he was always seen around town on his bike, either going to work, to the grocery store, or out on the main highway putting in some miles by himself. As a result of him always being on his bike, people, mainly kids, started asking him questions like “Why are you always on that bike?” “What kind of bike is that?” or “That bike sure is fast.” And then the big question was, “How can we get one of those bikes and go riding with you?” That’s when the light bulb went off in Foday’s head. “I got all these kids asking me about my bike and riding, let me start a bike club here in Kono,” and the rest is history, and we are still trying to make history.

I moved from the USA to Sierra Leone, Africa, in February 2022 to help build a maternal hospital, and it just so happened that the project was in the little old town of Koidu City. One Sunday, while taking a walk, I saw a group of young riders go flying by me. As a die-hard bike rider, my mouth immediately began to salivate, but before I could say “Hey,” they were long gone up the road. I didn’t sleep the whole night thinking about who they were and how I could get a bike and go riding with them. Well, it wasn’t until the following Sunday that I was waiting on the road in the same place and at the same time that I saw them the week before. Like clockwork, here they were coming up the road, but this time I wasn’t going to let them get by me, so I stood in the road and flagged them down, and just as they asked Foday some years ago, “Where can I get a bike like that, and can I go riding with you guys?”

Not only did I get to ride here in Africa, but I got to be a part of this young, energetic team where I became a coach and mentor.

When Foday started the bike club back in 2017, he started with 6 kids and two bikes. Now we currently have 37 kids, teenagers, and young adults, ranging from the ages of 11 to 20, and some younger junior wannabe riders, 7 to 10 years old, who like hanging around the bike team awaiting their turn.

Out of the 37 kids, there are 5 female riders, and the rest are boys. We are working on changing that narrative because typically girls aren’t allowed to do these types of sports, and even if they could, it would be hard to find or afford a bike.

Our goal at the Kono Cycling Club is to be a place for the youth to use a biking platform to promote leisure, sports, and community leadership with an emphasis on education, community outreach, respect for the environment, while promoting unity, after-school tutoring programs, language, and tribal cross-culturalism. Our mission is to offer freedom and relaxation, as well as an emotional outlet, and health and fitness opportunities for the youth of Kono.

Encouraging other youth to have a healthy lifestyle, we envision being involved in the community.

Our vision is to train our team members to participate in all the local country bike races and qualify for other African and exterior countries' bike tours.

We are fundraising to support the Kono Cycling Club, providing bikes, gear, and training for the youth in Koidu City.