Kenya Survivor Ride

From April 15 to 19, Jesse Lemmen and his colleagues from the Prinses Máxima Centrum, along with a team of fifteen Kenyan and five Dutch cyclists, cycled 575 kilometers over five days. The bike ride began at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, located in western Kenya, and concluded at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi. Both hospitals are esteemed partners of the Prinses Máxima Centrum. It was a beautiful route with a great outcome: a total of nearly 8000 euros was raised through various platforms including GlobalGiving with the generous support of Faraja. On the first day, April 15, we received the official start signal from the hospital board in Eldoret. Every day we cycled 100 kilometers and finished at a local hospital. Here, we were welcomed by a medical team with dancing and singing.

The final finish in Nairobi was hectic but unforgettable. From the busy highway, where large trucks roared past, we were escorted through the busy center of Nairobi for the last few kilometers until we arrived at the finish. Here we were greeted by various survivors, the Dutch embassy, the public, and various media. It was a special moment. With the Kenya Survivor Ride, we wanted to raise national awareness for childhood cancer and survivors. And we succeeded, as the fundraising event received extensive coverage in the Kenyan media.

With the money raised, steps are being taken to start the Kenyan Childhood Cancer Survivor Organization. This organization will provide psychosocial support, organize meetings and support groups, and disseminate reliable information about childhood cancer in various regions.

This amount will be used for a national program to connect survivors from Kenya and their families. We are taking steps to organize meetings later this year – September to November – to line up all the important stakeholders to start formalizing such a platform. We hope to be able to organize a similar event in 2025 after such a huge positive receival!