From Connecticut to Kibera - Riding for Education

During my time in Kenya with Crossing Thresholds (CT), I fell in love with the students and the community in Kibera. Kibera is home to children who are among the statistically poorest in the world, yet what stayed with me most was their joy. It was a genuine, contagious sense of optimism and pride that exists alongside very real challenges. The students’ curiosity, resilience, and belief in what education can unlock were deeply moving. There is a strength and hope in these classrooms that is impossible to forget, and it reshaped how I think about opportunity, purpose, and what it means to show up for one another.

Kibera is located in Nairobi, Kenya, and is widely recognized as the largest informal settlement in Africa and one of the most densely populated communities in the world. For many families, daily life involves navigating overcrowded living conditions, limited access to clean water and sanitation, food insecurity, and scarce economic opportunity. Limited access to education and consistent nutrition are among the most critical challenges facing the community - and also among the most powerful levers for long-term change.

Crossing Thresholds partners closely with local communities in Kibera to build schools and provide high-quality education, with a focus on academic excellence, leadership development, and creating real pathways to opportunity. At the heart of CT’s work is a belief that education extends far beyond the classroom - empowering students to shape their own futures while also addressing essential needs like daily meals that allow children to learn, grow, and thrive.

This trip touched my heart and inspired me as a cyclist to take on the biggest ride of my life! The distance between my home in Ridgefield, Connecticut, and Kibera is 7,300 miles. In 2026, my goal is to ride those 7,300 miles - whether on my bike or on my Peloton - as a way of symbolically closing that distance and honoring the daily journeys CT students make in pursuit of their education.

Alongside the commitment to miles, I’ve set a fundraising goal of $73,000. This amount can make an extraordinary, tangible impact by sending 73 young students to high school and, thereby, opening doors to opportunity that would otherwise be out of reach. (Said differently, high school is not free in Kenya and costs approximately $1,000 per year. For families in the Kibera slum, this makes high school unaffordable and inaccessible). For those donating at lower levels, please know that every donation can and will make a real difference in the lives of the 1,750 children attending one of Crossing Thresholds’ four primary schools. Believe it or not, a single donation of $100 can feed an entire school (450 kids) for one day!  

This ride is about more than miles. I hope to use it as a platform for storytelling and connection - sharing reflections, milestones, and moments along the way, and inviting friends and family to support CT’s mission through encouragement, pledges, and donations.

Thank you for being part of this journey and for supporting Crossing Thresholds and the students who inspire it every day.

With gratitude,
Fran