Jonathan Stark co-founded the Kafunjo Community Project in the African country more than a decade ago.
In 2024, the former Preston Lodge High School pupil set off on his 4,000km cycle from Morocco’s Tangier.
During the journey, which is being split into stages, he hopes to raise £10,000 for the good cause.
Jonathan Stark is taking on an impressive cycling challenge for an initiative he co-founded in Uganda (Image: Contributed)
He said: “The aim has never simply been to cycle across Africa.
“The bike is really a way of connecting people to the project.
“Every kilometre helps tell the story of what can be achieved when communities work together and people are willing to support something bigger than themselves.”
The journey, known as Kafunjo Overland by Brompton, is being completed in stages around Jonathan’s seasonal work commitments in Scotland’s forestry industry.
Since leaving Tangier, Jonathan has cycled more than 4,000 kilometres across North and West Africa, including becoming one of the first people to ride a Brompton folding bicycle across the Sahara Desert.
As well as deserts, he has crossed mountains, travelled through remote villages and over international borders while raising awareness and funds for the Kafunjo Community Project.
The latest stage of the expedition, which began earlier this month, will see Jonathan ride from Dakar in Senegal to Abidjan in Ivory Coast, passing through Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia before reaching Côte d’Ivoire.
Speaking to the Courier from Guinea-Bissau’s capital city of Bissau, the 47-year-old is arranging visas for the countries ahead on the route before continuing east towards Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ivory Coast.
He said: “One of the challenges of overland travel in Africa is the logistics involved in crossing multiple international borders.
“At the moment I’m in Bissau sorting out visas and paperwork for the next countries ahead.
“It’s all part of the adventure, and every step brings us closer to Uganda while helping raise awareness and support for the Kafunjo Community Project.”
The project supports hundreds of children and families in Uganda through education, healthcare and community development initiatives.
The organisation operates a primary school, orphanage facilities and a vocational training centre known as Kafunjo Green School, where young people gain practical skills in agriculture, hospitality and creative arts.
Funds raised through the expedition will help support the project’s ongoing work and further develop its innovative one-acre demonstration farm, which is designed to teach regenerative agricultural techniques while helping generate income for the school’s future sustainability.
Jonathan, who grew up in Longniddry, hopes to raise £10,000 through the current fundraising campaign.
In a major boost to the appeal, a generous supporter has agreed to match fund every donation, effectively doubling the impact of each contribution.
If the target is achieved, the campaign could generate £20,000 for the project.
Jonathan, who continues to live in the East Lothian village when not in Africa, added: “It started as a fundraising challenge, but it has become much more than that.
“Everywhere we go, we meet people who want to help, hear the story and become part of the journey.
“Hopefully one day we’ll cycle all the way to Kafunjo itself.”
To support the expedition, go to crowdfunder.co.uk/p/kafunjo-overland-by-brompton