4,000km Bike Ride Concludes in Adelaide
Cisarua Learning Ltd. is proud to announce the successful completion of the "Ride for Education," an extraordinary 4,000-kilometer bicycle journey undertaken by our Co-CEO, Muzafar Ali, from Maleny, Queensland, to Adelaide, South Australia.
From May 31st to June 29th, Muzafar visited 30 towns and cities across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. Local communities hosted events, offering warm welcomes and generous support for the ‘Ride for Education.’ He also spoke to students at 14 schools to raise awareness about refugees and the right to education for women and girls in Afghanistan.
Through this campaign, we reconnected with our supporters across the country to raise public awareness about these critical issues and to raise funds for the education programs we have supported for the past 11 years.
For Muzafar, who had never ridden a bike more than 10km a day, this journey was a profound physical and emotional challenge. It tested every limit—from the initial downslopes of Maleny and the unexpected loss of his bike in Brisbane (prompting generous supporters to donate replacements) to the grueling climbs of the Blue Mountains and the nerve-wracking winds on the plains towards Canberra. He persevered through snow drifts in Trentham and long, self-reflecting hours on the bike. The unwavering support from Australians nationwide was the fuel that kept him pedaling.
We extend our deepest gratitude to the amazing individuals, organisations, councils, community leaders, and volunteers who made this ride possible. A special acknowledgement must go to the Aboriginal Elders, Leaders, and communities who warmly welcomed, shared their stories, and allowed us to visit and pay respect to sacred sites—a humbling and integral part of this journey.
We experienced incredible generosity in every corner of the country, from large gatherings in cities and towns like Maleny, Brisbane, Murwillumbah, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, to intimate meetings in towns and private homes like Dungog, Bega, and Aireys Inlet. In venues ranging from community halls and churches to a mosque, pubs, and even by the roadside, we shared moments of sheer joy, silent reflection, and tears of emotion. These powerful connections reaffirm the common humanity that drives our mission.
We thank every single person who donated. Particularly our recurrent donors whose unwavering support immensely helps us to run our programs. Your contributions directly support education for those who need it most: refugees seeking a safe future, and the women of Afghanistan who are courageously pursuing knowledge despite being systematically deprived of their rights by the Taliban regime. We welcome our supporters to commit to recurrent donations.
Through this ride, we got the mandate from supporters across Australia: to continue our refugee-led educational movement. Cisarua Learning Ltd. is more committed than ever to advocate for the rights of refugees in Indonesia, and for the women and girls of Afghanistan.
We are on a mission for education, and we will not stop. We will be back soon with updates on the funds raised, new strategies, and the next steps in our long journey together.
