Biking to Bolivia
It’s up to everybody to create a world without poverty.
“For our part, we began our first leg: to Fredonia. To get there, we had to cross through a large part of Medellín. The hardest part was not being able to stop when the smell of empanadas overpowered the smell of the exhaust pipes.”
Stanislas and Alexis
To overcome poverty, ATD Fourth World brings together people with lived experience of extreme poverty with those who have not experienced it. Some people choose to become Volunteer Corps members, others are committed to changing society in their own way.
A great example of the latter is Stanislas and Alexis. Who cycled 4000 miles across South America to seek financial support for ATD Fourth World’s work. It is a journey that took them from Medellín to Buenos Aires, via the Andes in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina.
The two brothers began dreaming of far-off countries, encounters, and discovering new cultures after reading the novels and travelogues of Sylvain Tesson, Joseph Kessel, and Henry de Monfreid. As teens, thanks to the Scouting, they spent their time trekking, camping and on cycling tours. Later, they continued to go on adventures, alone or with friends, hitchhiking or going on week-long treks to the other end of Europe.
For them, cycling remained a hobby and a very effective mode of transport; it’s only recently that they considered using it for long journeys. Once they became interested in this way of travelling, they started hearing more about it and even met some touring cyclists by chance, who inspired them further. While pursuing this interest of theirs, they also chose to support ATD Fourth World. We asked them to explain what motivated their choice.
“For us, it was imperative that we do more than a simple journey: we wanted, above all, to add a more human, social dimension to our adventure.”
Going beyond to build peace
“You get back what you give. Yesterday we gave our all…and today we began with a 20km-long descent. We went through several greenhouses in this botanical garden, going from 6560 to 3280ft in altitude. To avoid coastlines, we opted for the Pan-American Highway. We were able to follow it for 43 miles, running alongside the river Cauca to reach La Felisa.”
Stanislas and Alexis
The two 20 and 22-year-olds from Munich added:
- “We both had this same longing for travel and adventure. So, when we realized we had the same eight-month window free, we didn’t think twice about getting involved! After finally agreeing on the destination (South America) and on a vague route, we began to discuss the meaning behind our journey. We wanted to cycle the whole way! We immediately thought of supporting a charity, telling ourselves that our project would be talked about and that it should benefit others. Due to our background as scout leaders, volunteering with young people and street outreach, we wanted to support a charity that advocates for education and supports those who are most vulnerable. We hold these two battles particularly close to our hearts.
- “We didn’t know about ATD Fourth World but we had both read Joseph Wresinski’s ‘No To Extreme Poverty.’ When we learned he was the founder of ATD Fourth World, we contacted the team straight away.
- “We were drawn to ATD Fourth World’s flagship projects, such as the street libraries, which we think are an excellent way to form a connection with socially excluded people, while affording children access to literature and art. As we investigated further, we were also drawn in by their long-term groundwork, such as their international research on the hidden dimensions of poverty and ways to overcome it. Having already caught a first glimpse of ATD Fourth World’s methodology through Joseph Wresinski’s book, it was by exploring the subject in detail with ATD Fourth World’s fundraising team that we told one another that this human approach, centered on listening to and including everyone, really spoke to us. During our outreach, we’ve noticed the extent to which the experiences and stories of people living in extreme poverty were enriching and deserved to be heard. So it was the flagship projects but also, at the same time, the methodology that compelled us to support ATD Fourth World.”
- “We set off towards the Peruvian border, coming back down from high valleys and mountains. Once again we felt like we’d visited three different countries in one day. We began the morning in the Ecuadorian countryside at 8200ft of altitude then we spent the entire day descending, passing through landscapes that resembled the Moroccan Atlas Mountains, and ending up in the huge banana plantations (the world’s top global exporter) at 32ft of altitude.”
Partnership between Stanislas, Alexis and ATD Fourth World
“It’s 5am and this wake-up call is worth it; we can finally see the summits! After admiring the view for an hour, we got back on track to finish the final straits that separated us from the big descent to Huaraz, while passing through the highest tunnel in the world.”
Once Stanilas and Alexis had decided to support ATD Fourth World, a joint decision was made to launch an online fundraiser to raise money for the work of ATD Fourth World team in Bolivia. The brothers also have an account on the social media sites Instagram and Polarsteps so that their loved ones and all those interested can follow and take part in this project.
When they eventually arrive in Bolivia, the two young men will spend a few days with the local ATD Fourth World team to learn more about their work and participate in a few of their activities: like helping in the street libraries by reading books aloud and playing with the children; or attending workshops at the Fourth World House where they will meet young people brainstorming specific topics, creating artwork from recycled materials, and enjoying games and sports activities.
“We chose to support the work of ATD Fourth World in Bolivia, because their office is located near La Paz, which we planned to pass through. Afterwards, we’d like to share an insight into their activities with the people who follow our journey. This partnership helps us to overcome difficult points in our journey and further motivates us. We are delighted to be able to support ATD Fourth World by biking and we hope to help guarantee the continuity and development of the projects in El Alto, Bolivia.”
Stanislas and Alexis
- “We’re still crossing through the Pasco region, following the currents of several lagoons. So we’re discovering the famous zinc, lead, and copper mines. It’s strange for us to see such beautiful landscapes lost within the Andes, that still can’t escape mineral exploitation.”
See Stanislas and Alexis’ route
You can still support and encourage Stanislas and Alexis:
If this initiative inspires you to raise financial support for ATD Fourth World in a creative way, write to us to see how we can collaborate: