Photo © 2010 Breaking The Cycle

Kate Leeming isn’t your average athlete: she has just travelled across Africa, from Senegal to Somalia, on a bicycle. The journey took ten months of physical and mental endurance.

Kate’s journey began in October 2009 and took her all the way to the Horn of Africa, cycling through Central Africa and the Rift Valley regions.

As the first person to cross the African continent from West to East on a bicycle, Kate is using her experience to highlight the issues of extreme poverty and inspire others to make a difference.

Kate says, “extreme poverty is about a lack of empowerment, so when people don’t have a voice, they’re illiterate, they can’t read, they can’t learn, they can’t get out of where they are, they’re trapped in a cycle of poverty.”

Sanitation and safe drinking water are vital for healthy development of children but, despite decades of effort, millions of people are still living in squalid conditions across Africa.

Kate sees education as a long term solution and an opportunity to break the cycle of poverty.  This is the main reason she travelled across Africa, to bring awareness to the need for education and “developing education, education for all”.

After finishing a challenging and emotional journey, Kate is back in Australia. Catch her story tonight on The 7PM Project.

Click here to find out more about Breaking the Cycle.