At 10, Winston Duncan had a Vision to Help the People of Africa – 8000 bikes later –
What’s your best memory when you were 10 years old? Let me rephrase that. What is the memory that stuck with you the most from when you were 10 years old?
Winston Duncan had a vivid memory of his trip to Southern Africa, from the Northeast, when he was just 10 years old – and this memory still burns bright today, fourteen years later.
It was the year 2005 when Winston discovered how difficult it was to get around for most people in a country like Africa. Africa’s existing road network is sparse and poorly maintained.
The distance people had to walk was great, and some were in no condition to travel such distances. Many of the elderly in poor health struggle to maneuver the rural landscape.
Winston wanted to do something about it. He teamed up with his mom to start an organization called ‘Wheels to Africa‘. People in the area donate their bicycles, that in turn are shipped to people that are in need around the world.
Many of the more than 8,000 bicycles that have been donated have gone to Africa, but not exclusively. Just recently, Duncan, who is now 24 years old, wanted to help the people of Puerto Rico out.
The devastating hurricane has plummeted the standard of living on the island; and getting around challenging for many. The idea of a bike could be a real life-saver as transportation problems are serious business on the island nation.
“I was just astounded to see the poverty because I’d never seen anything like that,” said Winston. “Meeting a kid with holes in his shoes, who had walked four to five miles to get to school, it made me realize how much they appreciate education.”
The Next Leap Forward
Kids are like sponges that absorb the world around them. Kids learn from the adults in their lives. Sometimes that can be a good thing, and at other times a negative.
Kids are free to speak their minds. They’re honesty is real, simple; an unvarnished look at the world around them.
Creativity. Innovation, Experience. Dreams. Goals. Vision.
Failure. Clumsy. Experiment. Hard Lessons. Tough Love.
No doubt, you’ve heard the expression, “Why don’t you behave like the adult in the room”? Perhaps we should all follow their lead, and behave like the “kid in the room”…
Thank you for the reminder lesson Winston.
