I am now back in Arusha. I apologize that our remoteness made updating the blog during Ride TZ quite difficult, but I am happy to report on our phenomenal experience now. The past eight days were unlike any other eight days of my life. In fact, every day was remarkable and brought about countless new sights and experiences to create something that collectively was quite unimaginable. Let me begin with the riders.

Each person in this amazing group has a unique story of involvement with The Foundation For Tomorrow—some have been committed to the cause for years while others first began their relationship with the foundation after learning about the ride. Either way, the ride’s combination of philanthropy and adventure attracted a most inspiring group of people. Ranging in age from teens to fifties, this group was full of driven, ambitious, caring, interesting people who all came together and achieved something extraordinary. Prior to the ride, the group spent months training and fundraising for the trip. Together the group raised over $100,000 for TFFT, and the money raised will go in its entirety to support a cause that these riders now deeply understand. It was, therefore, very fitting that the ride began from Usa River Academy, where 68 of TFFT’s scholarship students attend school. The riders first had some time to visit with the students before they rode off through the children’s enthusiastic clapping and chanting.

These triplets were the first to receive sponsorship even before TFFT was officially born.

Now let me talk a bit about the ride itself. First of all, it was hard. I mean r-e-a-l-l-y hard. The days were long and hot, and the terrain was rough and hilly (and also quite sandy in parts). Every day the riders rode in these exhausting conditions for between 5 and 8 hours. The athletic challenge was high, and the riders stepped up to the plate every day.

What was amazing though, was what traveling through the country in this manner enabled the group to see. The 400 miles from Mount Kilimanjaro to the Pangani Coast lead us through a variety of beautiful landscapes and many small villages. The route was extremely remote and not frequently traveled by foreigners, especially not by bicycle. Many of the people in these villages had never even seen a white person before, let alone a group with many white people outfitted in biking gear, traveling in a pack, followed by a flock of safari cars. We were quite a curiosity ourselves, and groups of villagers stopped whatever they were doing to run to the road to greet us. It is difficult to describe the welcoming energy of these people. They shouted, jumped up and down, smiled, and waved as we rode through.

I had the privilege of spending some time in each village having basic conversations with the villagers while I waited for the riders to come through. During this time I made many portraits.

When we were not traveling through villages, we were taking in the vast and varied landscapes of Tanzania’s countryside.

From impromptu soccer games with the villagers to enjoying a beer at local pub after a long day of riding, this group didn’t mess around when it came to having a good time :)

On the morning of Day 7 we stopped at an orphanage in Lushoto that TFFT supports. Here the riders learned about the orphanage and had a wonderful time playing with the children.

As previously introduced, Richard Augustino was the TFFT student who came along for Ride TZ. Richard proved to be a very impressive rider and person. His sweet and determined nature and quiet strength was a wonderful addition to the group, and everyone enjoyed his presence and getting to know him. The ride ended with the sweet victory of the Indian Ocean. Richard had never seen the ocean before, and after many difficult days of riding he more than earned his first ocean sighting. The look on his face and in his eyes as he looked out at the vast body of water was amazing.

I think it's safe to say everyone else was thrilled to arrive at the coast as well!

Looking through the thousands of images form the trip gives me chills, and trying to use words to describe the experience is a challenge. It was incredible—the riders; their strength and accomplishment; the sights and people along the way; The Foundation For Tomorrow—all simply incredible. All the images in this blog post, and hundreds more, will available for purchase in a few weeks, so please check back. Of course, 100% of the proceeds will benefit The Foundation For Tomorrow!! I'm personally looking forward to the next ride... whenever it is, next time you'll find me on a bike!

Today marked the kick-off to what should be an amazing 10 days. Most of the riders have arrived, and we drove together to Ngurdoto Lodge, where we are staying the night before the official send off tomorrow. The group seems great and is very excited with anticipation after months of preparation. I’ll leave you with a couple images of the student rider, Richard Augustino. The Foundation For Tomorrow held an essay contest to determine which of their scholarship students would get to participate in the ride. Richard, who is also at the top of his class at Usa River Academy, won the contest, and we are all very excited to have him as part of the group.

Here he is at the end of a long training ride with TFFT’s summer intern, Becca, who is also a rider.

Looking forward to tomorrow!

Hello! I am finally checking in to catch you up on my current adventure in Arusha, Tanzania. I returned to this amazing pocket of the world at the end of June and will stay through the beginning of August. This summer my time here is divided among a few different projects: continuing my work with the Literacy Through Photography program (which you can read in last year's blog post), acting as the photographer for The Foundation For Tomorrow (TFFT, an amazing organization here), and pursuing a personal project that is close to my heart. On Monday I shifted gears to work with TFFT, and this is what I am excited to share with you today. Let me first briefly introduce you to the foundation and how my opportunity to work with them came to be. The Foundation For Tomorrow believes in the power of using education to turn a life around. TFFT provides boarding school scholarships, an emotional support system, teacher training, libraries, computer training centers, and many other resources to create opportunities for orphaned and abandoned children. Meghann Gunderman, the executive director and founder, has established an incredible team of people completely committed to these children and TFFT’s mission. Part of this team is permanently stationed in Arusha and interacts with the children on a daily basis, and currently 71 children have foster families and full sponsorship because of TFFT. Moreover, TFFT enriches the lives of many other children through their various outreach programs. Passion has always been a driving force in my life, and I always seek out and embrace projects that excite and inspire me. Working at Tamara Lackey Photography brings many such projects into my life, which is partly why I feel so grateful to have the job that I do. Consequently, it was Tamara who gave me the opportunity to work with TFFT. Amazingly, I was already planning to be in Arusha during the two weeks they needed a photographer. Call it luck or serendipity or fate or whatever you like, but I leapt at this chance and now could not be more thrilled that I did. This is an organization that genuinely places the children at its core, holds them close, and thoughtfully makes every decision with only the kids’ best interest in mind. From the moment I began learning about TFFT’s mission to the past few days that I have seen it in practice, I have been constantly impressed and charged with a desire to learn more, see more, do more. This week I have been traveling around Arusha with Meghann and Carrie (the filmmaker who is creating a documentary about the program) to visit some of TFFT’s partner schools and orphanages. Finally, RIDETZ, a 10-day, 400 mile bike ride for TFFT, begins tomorrow. Over 20 riders have worked hard both to train and fundraise for this unbelievable trip and cause. The route begins at Mount Kilimanjaro and follows an ancient slave route to the Indian Ocean. I will go into greater detail about the ride in later posts and will update the blog along the way, but you can read more about it now here: http://www.thefoundationfortomorrow.org/ride.html. And now . . . The Foundation For Tomorrow . . . Let's begin with Meghann herself!

Fratern is TFFT's Managing Director. As a native Tanzanian with a masters in non-profit leadership, he is an indispensable asset to the team and an incredible role model to TFFT's kids. Here he is with Meghann and Nicemary, TFFT's head girl.

TFFT's children burst with such adorable personalities . . . and quite a bit of spunk . . . it's impossible not to love them . . .

Here is one of the bedrooms at Good Hope Academy, one of TFFT's partner orphanages. Many of TFFT's children come from this home.

This is Usa River Academy, the boarding school where almost all of the children with TFFT scholarships live during the school year. TFFT's staff spend a lot of time and energy here with the children providing after-school programs and playing with the children.

Some TFFT students . . .

TFFT's staff provide these children with such love, and oh my goodness, they get so much love in return!

I hope through these photos I was able to introduce you to the spirit of The Foundation For Tomorrow. Please check back here for updates and take a moment to visit TFFT's website to learn more about RIDETZ and the special organization it benefits! I feel so blessed to (quite literally) be along for the ride :)