Videos: Zé in Johannesburg

<a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=pt-br&playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:adbeb708-2392-46fd-9632-bfbfe59cadd3&showPlaylist=true&from=IV2_pt-br_lancenet&fg=lancenet" target="_new" title="Conheça Zé do Pedal, o brasileiro que viajou de Paris à Johannesburgo pedalando um quadriciclo">Vídeo: Conheça Zé do Pedal, o brasileiro que viajou de Paris à Johannesburgo pedalando um quadriciclo</a>


Video: Longest Journey to World Cup

Latest news: Pedal Joe arrives in Johannesburg !

Pedal Joe’s contact in South Africa:
+27-716381332

Brazil was still not classified when the cyclist, environmentalist and photographer José Geraldo de Souza Castro, Zé do Pedal (alias "Pedal Joe"), aged 52, ex-adviser for the Environment of the District LC12 of the Lions Club of Viçosa, Brazil, announced, in January of 2008, his wish to assist to the first Football World Cup that would take place in the African continent while traveling on a children's Go-Kart.

Few believed in the strange dream of this Brazilian who had, by that time, already assisted to two World Cups and had travelled, by bicycle, through more than 56 countries.

The strongest support came from the Dutch company BERG Toys (www.bergtoys.com) who believed in that dream and adapted for him their best model of pedal go-cart, the Berg X - Treme, and equipped it with high durability tires, a polyethylene rim, reinforced transmission train, tortion bar, steel frame, disk brakes on the rear wheels, 7 speed gearbox, head lights, anatomical seat, Saint Anthony, anti-theft system, LED lights, solar panel, rear-view mirrors, and odometers, for the long journey of more than 17.000 kms through 21 countries of Europe and Africa.

Two years and three weeks after having left, on the 10th of May of 2008, the giant structure of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, and having pedaled across Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benim, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, the Congolese Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Namibia and, finally, South Africa, having contracted during that time two malarias, suffered a theft and two assault attempts, Pedal Joe finally arrived last Tuesday, the first of June, at Melrose Arch in Johannesburg, having fulfilled his dream of pedaling during 3049 hours and done the 17350 kms that separate Paris from the South African football capital.

Pedal Joe was received in Melrose Arch by representatives of BERG Toys, members of the Lions Club of South Africa, children and passers-by who cheered him on his final turns of the pedal, which filled his heart with emotion.

Pedal Joe will remain in Johannesburg during the World Cup Top and return to Brazil mid-July. During his stay he plans to visit social undertakings of the Lions Clubs in several cities of South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique.

For more information about SigthFirst:

http://www.lionsclubs.org

Friends who have collaborated with the project:

Rosfrios Alimentos * supplements
BERG Toys * pedal go-kart
BERG Toys do Brasil * logistics
Deuter do Brasil * camping material
Foto Universitario * photographic material
Buynet * ISP - Internet Provider
Albergues Privados do Caminho de Santiago * food and lodgings
Caminho do Sol-Brasil * travel products
Fernanda Paz - Mindo Falcão * travel products

"In the last 70 years, the World's population has tripled. The demand for water increased six fold. If the present patterns are not modified, in 2025 four billion people will not have access to water."

"Water: a drop, a life... preserve them. For me... for yourself... for our Planet..." Pedal Joe (Zé do Pedal)

World Cup 2010: Brazilian in a pedal go-cart completes 17.000 kms bound for Johannesburgo

Pedal Joe’s contact in South Africa:
+27-716381332

The environmentalist and photographer José Geraldo de Souza Castro, alias Pedal Joe (Zé do Pedal), 52 years old, who, on the 10th of May of 2008, in a tiny children's pedal go-cart, built and adapted specially for the trip by the Dutch company BERG Toys, pedaled slowly away from the giant structure of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, crossing Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benim, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, the Congolese Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Namibia and, finally, arrived in South Africa.

Pedal Joe completed today, in the city of Bloemhof (300 km west of Johannesburg) 17.000 km. Pedal joe reached Wolmaransstad at sunset and will take off tomorrow, on the N-12 Road, to Klerksdorp and then to Potchefstroom, Carletonville, Randfontein and finally Johannesburg where he hopes to arrive in Melrose Arch on the first of June, at 3 pm.

The Brazilian film makers Bruno Lima and Fabricio Menicucci, in partnership with the producer Abbas Filmes, from Rio de Janeiro, are following the last seven days of the trip, to produce a documentary about Pedal Joe and his special form of travelling. The movie, the first of a series of short films about the pioneer of the Latin American cyclo-adventure, will open in theaters in February 2011.

World Cup 2010: the first Brazilian supporter arrives in South Africa!

Pedal Joe’s contact in South Africa:
+27-716381332

The Brazilian Football Team is ready to board for Johannesburg on the 26th of May to participate, in South Africa, in the first Football World Cup held in the African Continent.

Meanwhile, already in the homeland of Mandela, a lonely Brazilian speeds on towards the same city. He is the environmentalist and photographer José Geraldo de Souza Castro, alias Pedal Joe (Zé do Pedal), 52 years old, who, on the 10th of May of 2008, in a tiny children's pedal go-cart, built and adapted specially for the trip by the Dutch company BERG Toys, pedaled slowly away from the giant structure of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, with a final destination: the World Cup of 2010.

After having done, in 2 years, more than 16.000 km crossing France, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benim, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, the Congolese Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola and Namibia, Pedal Joe arrived in Upington yesterday afternoon and will remain there for two days getting to know the region and participating in activities with the local Lions Club before taking off again, on Road number 2, towards Johannesburg.

Pedal Joe was received in the city by the president of the Gordonia Lions Club, Neville Bosman, and by the members of the club Kobus, Louise, Ansu and Piet Oberholster.

For more information about SigthFirst:

http://www.lionsclubs.org

Friends who have collaborated with the project:

Rosfrios Alimentos * supplements
BERG Toys * pedal go-kart
BERG Toys do Brasil * logistics
Deuter do Brasil * camping material
Foto Universitario * photographic material
Buynet * ISP - Internet Provider
Albergues Privados do Caminho de Santiago * food and lodgings
Caminho do Sol-Brasil * travel products
Fernanda Paz - Mindo Falcão * travel products

"In the last 70 years, the World's population has tripled. The demand for water increased six fold. If the present patterns are not modified, in 2025 four billion people will not have access to water."

"Water: a drop, a life... preserve them. For me... for yourself... for our Planet..." Pedal Joe (Zé do Pedal)

2010/01/20: Brazilian starts the last leg of his trip Paris-Johannesburg on a pedal kart

Pedal Joe’s contact in Angola until 25 February:
+244-935395995

Luanda – José Geraldo de Souza Castro, 52, a native of Viçosa, Minas Gerais (Brazil), better known as “Zé do Pedal” (“Pedal Joe”), will leave next Friday (the 22nd) from Luanda, the capital of Angola, bound for South Africa on the last leg of his trip from Paris to Johannesburg riding a pedal “Go-Kart” (children's tricycle), which can attain a top speed of 10 km/hour.

The pedal go-kart that is being used was manufactured specially for the trip by the Dutch company BERG Toys.

Pedal Joe remained in this city during one week, with the logistical support of the Brazilian Embassy, in order for him to be able to renew his transit visa.

The last leg of this trip is of approximately 3500 kms, and Pedal Joe will visit Namíbia and Botswana before reaching South Africa. It is a leg with some physical difficulties, principally due to the mountainous terrain in Angola and Namíbia. The Kalahari Desert between Namíbia and Botswana is another difficulty.

A photographer and tourism professional, Pedal Joe said that his interest for adventures using bicycles began in 1982 when he began his first trip, from Brazil to Spain, and there followed another adventure, which lasted 4 years and took him through over 56 countries.

A member of the International Lions Club, recognized by the UN as the largest Non -Governmental Organization in the World, Pedal Joe thinks that several countries of the world, principally African and Latin-American, should orientate the education sectors to include primary health care in the respective curricula.

“With my messages on the necessity of prevention and combat congenital blindness (cataract, glaucoma and Onchocercosis - river blindness), I am doing my part. However I believe that a little political will in this aspect would go a long way in resolving a great part of the problems related to health in the less favored countries. If the teachers were instructed by the ministries of health of all countries with a basic understanding of health care, especially on how to treat the water before consuming it, at least 40 percent of the diseases would be avoided”, says Joe.

Pedal Joe admitted to have gone through enormous difficulties during these adventures, mainly due to the fact that potential sponsors alleged an uncommon risk to life and to the stress of great distances that he is subjected to while riding his bicycles. “When I finally will arrive in South Africa I do not know how I am going to enter the stadiums to assist to the games Brazil is participating in, and when the World Cup is over I do not know how I am going to return to Brazil. I am trying to get more sponsorships, but it is rather difficult” he commented, before indicating that he had already in the past used eight bicycles, three children's tricycles, three pedal boats, one of which made from 240 plastic bottles, used in the crossing of Guanabara Bay (Rio de Janeiro, October 2007), a distance of 15 km, to demand the application of Kyoto Protocol about the defense and preservation of the environment.

Besides France, from where he left on the 10th of May 2008, Pedal Joe crossed Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo until he reached Luanda (Angola), a distance of more than 13.500 kms.

From Luanda, he will head for the cities of Benguela, Lubango and Santa Clara, and then on to Botswana and South Africa, where he hopes to be present and cheer for Brazil at the World Cup in June of 2010.

According to the cyclist, his arrival in South Africa will end the last leg begun in the city of Luanda.

The previous stages were: Paris/Dakar (1st), Dakar/Lagos (2nd) and Lagos/Luanda (3rd).

For more information about SigthFirst:

http://www.lionsclubs.org

Friends who have collaborated with the project:

Rosfrios Alimentos * supplements
BERG Toys * pedal go-kart
BERG Toys do Brasil * logistics
Deuter do Brasil * camping material
Foto Universitario * photographic material
Buynet * ISP - Internet Provider
Albergues Privados do Caminho de Santiago * food and lodgings
Caminho do Sol-Brasil * travel products
Fernanda Paz - Mindo Falcão * travel products

"In the last 70 years, the World's population has tripled. The demand for water increased six fold. If the present patterns are not modified, in 2025 four billion people will not have access to water."

"Water: a drop, a life... preserve them. For me... for yourself... for our Planet..." Pedal Joe (Zé do Pedal)

2010/01/14: Brazilian photographer and environmentalist arrives at Luanda, Angola, on a pedal kart, on his way to South Africa 2010

Joe's contact in Angola:
+244-935395995

Lions Clubs International Foundation-Haiti Relief-Donations

Lions Clubs International Foundation-Providing Relief for Haiti

When the Angolan football selection enters the field next Saturday, the assistance will have an extra pair of hands ready to cheer. It is the Brazilian cyclist, environmentalist and photographer, José Geraldo de Souza Castro, Zé do Pedal (Pedal Joe), 52, member of the Lions Clube of Viçosa, District LC12, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, who arrived in Luanda, the capital of Angola, finishing thus the third stage of his voyage in a pedal go-kart manufactured in Holland by the company BERG Toys (http://www.bergtoys.com) and prepared specially for the trip to South Africa, where he will assist to the first Football World Cup on the African continent, "South Africa 2010".

Pedal Joe, who reached Luanda 20 days later than planned due to a second bout of malaria (luckily less strong than the first one) and having twisted his right ankle, due to the long walks through gravel roads, was received in this capital by the Business Delegate of the Brazilian Embassy, Fabiana Moreira, who is helping the environmentalist to renew his transit permit in Angola.

Since the start of his trip (a total of 17.000 kms), in Paris, on the 10th of May, 2008, Pedal Joe has already pedaled 13.500 kms, passing through: France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, the Congolese Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and finally Angola. From here, Pedal Joe will visit Namibia, Botswana and South Africa, in a journey of 3.500 kms that will have its final day on the first of June of 2010 in the city of Johannesburg.

The pedal Go-Kart that is being used was based on the model BERG X-plorer X-treme, equipped with high durability tires, a polyethylene rim, reinforced transmission train, tortion bar, steel frame, disk brakes on the rear wheels, 7 speed gearbox, head lights, anatomical seat, Saint Anthony, anti-theft system, LED lights, solar panel, rear-view mirrors, and odometer.

According to the cyclist, the third stage of the trip, Lagos-Luanda, “ was the most difficult of all, principally due to political instability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that is going through a civil war started in the middle of 2008. The government of the Rep. Dem. of the Congo offered, through our embassy in Kinshasa, an escort to cross the country, but the cost was very high and I took the decision to face the almost 300 kilometers that separate the capital from Sangololo on my own”.

The passage through one of the most beautiful countries of West Africa, Nigeria, also was difficult. “ When I was still in Lagos, confrontations between the police and members of the radical Islamic group Boko Haram (an Islamic radical sect pro-taliban in the States of Bauchi and of Yobe) propagated through the whole northern region of the country, in the most brutish episode of religious violence in the country since November 2008. The armed confrontation left more than 300 dead and ended only after the summary execution of the leader of the movement, Mohammed Yusuf ”.

The robberies on the roads are a constant threat, and Pedal Joe suffered robbery attempts. “The first time, local inhabitants who were passing in a mini-van realized that something was wrong and stopped. The second, a police car was passing by at that moment and I was able to ask for help”.

Pedal Joe will stay in Luanda for one more week in order to resolve the problem of his stay in the country. “There are still more than a thousand kilometers in Angolan territory to go through and my permit is for only 16 days more. While the residency permit is not resolved, the cyclist will be in attendance at the Stadium on the 11th of November cheering the Angolan team in its participation in the African Nations' Cup, the principal football competition of the African Confederation of Football and of the African continent.

After leaving Angola, Pedal Joe, who has already finished more than 80% of the trip, will pedal in the direction of Namíbia, Botswana and, finally, South Africa, where he intends to arrive, in the city of Joanesburgo, on the first of June of this year.

According to the environmentalist, the objective of the trip is to focus the attention of the international community on two of the biggest problems that affect the vision of children in the world, especially in the poorest countries: Cataracts and Glaucoma, and to get funds for the great campaign of the International Lions Club: the program Sight First.

The work of the International Lions Clubs to fight blindness began in 1925, when Helen Keller challenged the Lions to become "champions of the blind in a crusade against the darkness" during the International Convention of the association. Today, the Lions are recognized around the world by the services that are being dispensed to the blind and visually impaired.

The Lions demonstrate this promise of preserving eye sight through the recycling of glasses, of partnerships with eye organizations and of countless other services related eye sight. The SightFirst I program was launched by the Lions in 1989 to fight preventable blindness. Regrettably, 80% of blind persons, world-wide, were unnecessarily deprived of eye sight. Through SightFirst I, the Lions have been acting towards the prevention of blindness offering support for cataract surgeries, helping to build or to expand clinics and eye hospitals, distributing eye disease preventive medicines and training ophtalmology professionals.

Nevertheless, it is not only the problems of vision that receive the attention of the Club of Service. The great world catastrophes, like the Tsunami, for example, are also part of the help objectives of the Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF), and have already mobilized to help the Haitian people mitigate a little the pain issued from the earthquake that devastated their country.

The direction of the International Lions Club, with headquarters in Oak Brooks, United States, is in contact with the Lions in Haiti, as well as the Lions in nearby countries of Latin America, to evaluate the situation and to determine the immediate necessities and how Lions and LCIF can better help. The LCIF already granted an immediate support of 50.000 dollars though its program “Major Catastophe Grant” in helping with the immediate necessities of the victims of the devastating earthquake (7.0 in the Richter scale) that the island suffered on Tuesday night, January 12, when the greater part of the capital, Port-au-Prince, was destroyed. It is estimated that 3 million people, almost a third of the population of the country, have been affected by the earthquake and the exact number of victims is not known at present as the search efforts continue.

Whoever wishes to help the Haitian Lions and Lions Clubs International Foundation to respond to this catastrophe, can participate with a donation citing the "LCIF Haiti Earthquake Relief". It is only necessary to get in touch with any Lions, of any city or country, and make your donation.

If you are having difficulties locating a Lions Clube near your residence, you can get in touch with Pedal Joe (zedopedal@gmail.com) who will be happy to point you to the right contacts.

Pedal Joe's trips and social projects (so far):

1981/82 Brazil-Spain on a bicycle

1983/86 World Tour on a bicycle – Campaign for Cancer

1985 Crossed Japan on a Velocipede – Campaign for Ethiopia's children

1987 Chui-Brasilia on a Velocipede - Campaign for Brazil's North~East region's children

1996 South America on a Motorcycle

2002 Rio São Francisco on a pedal boat (from Tres Marias to Pontal do Peba) - Campaign of awareness against the pollution of the São Francisco river

2004/05 New York-Dzilan de Bravo (Mexico) on a pedal boat. 10.000kms - Campaign of awareness against the pollution of the water on the Planet

2007 He crosses Guanabara Bay on a boat made with 240 Pet bottles - Campaign of awareness against the pollution of Guanabara Bay

2007 Piracicaba-Borborema (Rio Tiete) on a boat made with 240 Pet bottles - Campaign of awareness against the pollution of the Tiete - Parana rivers

2008/10 Paris-Johannesburg on a Pedal-Kart - Campaign of awareness about Glaucoma and Cataract and to spread the word about the SightFirst Program of the Lions International Club. Start: Paris, 10th of May 2008. End: Johannesburg, June 1st 2010. Actual position: Luanda, Angola. Total distance: 17.000 kms. Already travelled: 13.500 kms. Still to go: 3.500 kms. Visited countries: France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Angola. Still to be visited: Namibia, Bostwana and South Africa, just in time to attend the first Soccer World Cup to be held on the African continent.

For more information about SigthFirst:

http://www.lionsclubs.org

Friends who have collaborated with the project:

Rosfrios Alimentos * supplements
BERG Toys * pedal go-kart
BERG Toys do Brasil * logistics
Deuter do Brasil * camping material
Foto Universitario * photographic material
Buynet * ISP - Internet Provider
Albergues Privados do Caminho de Santiago * food and lodgings
Caminho do Sol-Brasil * travel products
Fernanda Paz - Mindo Falcão * travel products

"In the last 70 years, the World's population has tripled. The demand for water increased six fold. If the present patterns are not modified, in 2025 four billion people will not have access to water."

"Water: a drop, a life... preserve them. For me... for yourself... for our Planet..." Pedal Joe (Zé do Pedal)

2009/12/20 Happy Christmas!: Less than 5.000 kms... to arrive in Johannesburg

Less than 5.000 kms... a little more than 5 months to arrive at Johannesburg.

Or: around 1.000 kms per month. We will (me with my turns of pedal and you with your help) succeed.

Happy Christmas !

Pedal Joe

2009/09/27: Brazilian photographer and environmentalist arrives in Cameroon on a pedal kart, on his way to South Africa

Joe's contact in the Republic of Cameroon:
+237-79441396

After visiting 12 countries of Europe and West Africa, pedaling during 2.000 hours and 11.300 kms in a pedal go-cart (produced by the Dutch company Berg Toys) from Paris to Johannesburg, the cyclist, environmentalist and Brazilian photographer José Geraldo de Souza Castro (Zé do Pedal — Pedal Joe), 52, arrived in Central Africa in his first leg of the third stage of his trip bound for the homeland of Mandela where he hopes to be present at the first Football World Cup in the African Continent, in 2010.

Pedal Joe was received in Yaounde, Cameroon's capital, where he arrived under a strong tropical rain, by the Brazilian Ambassador in this city, Orlando Galveas and other members of the diplomatic corps.

Since the start of the trip (a total of 17.000 kms), in Paris, on the 10th of May, 2008, Pedal Joe already went through 11.300 kms: France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin and finally, Nigeria and Cameroon. From here, Pedal Joe goes on towards Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, Congolese Democratic Republic, Angola, Namibia, Botswana and South Africa, in a journey of 5.700kms that will have its final day on the first of June, 2010, in the city of Johannesburg.

The pedal Go-Kart that is being used was based on the model BERG X-plorer X-treme, equipped with high durability tires, a polyethylene rim, reinforced transmission train, tortion bar, steel frame, disk brakes on the rear wheels, 7 speed gearbox, head lights, anatomical seat, Saint Anthony, anti-theft system, LED lights, solar panel, rear-view mirrors, and odometer.

According to the cyclist, the time from Lagos up to departing from Nigeria was the most difficult of all and he lamented the lack of security in the country. “It was difficult and stressful passing through one of the most beautiful countries of West Africa. When I was still in Lagos, confrontations between the police forces and members of the radical Islamic group Boko Haram (an Islamic radical pro-taliban sect in the States of Bauchi and Yobe) and propagated through the whole northern region of the country, it being the most brutish episode of religious violence in the country since November 2008, when more than 700 persons inside and around Jos died.”

The armed confrontation left a toll of more than 300 dead and only ended after the summary execution of the leader of the movement, Mohammed Yusuf.

Another great preoccupation of the cyclist while in Nigeria was the fear of being abducted, principally after passing the bridge on the river Niger and entering the state of the Delta, where extremist groups opposed to the exploration of oil by and for western conglomerates use abduction to intimidate (and to ask for huge sums of money for the purchase of arms and maintenance of the troops). The robberies on the roads are also a constant threat, and Pedal Joe was subbject to two attempts. “The first time, locals that were passing by in a mini-van realized that something was amiss and stopped. The second, a police car was passing in the neighborhood at that moment and I was able to ask for help.”

After crossing Central Africa, Pedal Joe intends to have a short pause in Angola, to assist to the African Nations' Cup, the main football competition on the African continent.

According to the environmentalist, the objective of the trip is to focus the attention of the international community on two of the biggest problems that affect the vision of children in the world, especially in the poorest countries: Cataracts and Glaucoma, and to get funds for the great campaign of the International Lions Club: the program SightFirst, launched by the club in 1989. (Pedal Joe is a member of the Lions Clube of Vicosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil)

To know more...

GLAUCOMA: a disease whose principal characteristic is the progressive loss of the visual field associated with an atrophy, also progressive, of the optical nerve. These symptoms can be, or not, associated with an increase of the intra-ocular pressure. Besides, the patient can suffer, or not, ocular pain. When there is no ocular pain, most patients only realize that there is something amiss in his or her vision when the disease is already advanced. The causes of glaucoma are varied, but the commonest is when there is an increase in the production of the aqueous fluid or a difficulty in its drainage. Depending on when the disease is detected, and how advanced it is, the treatment can include medicines, laser, or surgery.

CATARACT: A cataract is a clouding that develops in the crystalline lens of the eye or in its envelope, varying in degree from slight to complete opacity and obstructing the passage of light. Early in the development of age-related cataract the power of the lens may be increased, causing near-sightedness (myopia), and the gradual yellowing and opacification of the lens may reduce the perception of blue colours. Cataracts typically progress slowly to cause vision loss and are potentially blinding if untreated. The condition usually affects both eyes, but almost always one eye is affected earlier than the other. There are also countless other causes that can cause cataracts to appear before old age, for example traumas and metabolic diseases. In the beginning, one can try to improve the vision of the patient with prescription glasses, but there is going to be a time when the patient will lack useful vision, even with glasses, and surgery has to be prescribed. Surgery then consists in removing the opaque crystalline lens and substitute it for an intra-ocular lens. Some patients, even after surgery, still need to wear glasses.

For more information about SigthFirst:

http://www.lionsclubs.org

Friends who have collaborated with the project:

Rosfrios Alimentos * supplements
BERG Toys * pedal go-kart
BERG Toys do Brasil * logistics
Deuter do Brasil * camping material
Foto Universitario * photographic material
Buynet * ISP - Internet Provider
Albergues Privados do Caminho de Santiago * food and lodgings
Caminho do Sol-Brasil * travel products
Fernanda Paz - Mindo Falcão * travel products

"In the last 70 years, the World's population has tripled. The demand for water increased six fold. If the present patterns are not modified, in 2025 four billion people will not have access to water."

"Water: a drop, a life... preserve them. For me... for yourself... for our Planet..." Pedal Joe (Zé do Pedal)

09/07/26: In a child's Go-Kart, Pedal Joe completes 10.000 kms bound for "South Africa 2010"

Joe's contact in the Federal Republic of Nigeria:
+234-7067542817

The Brazilian cyclist, environmentalist and photographer, José Geraldo de Souza Castro, Zé do Pedal (Pedal Joe), 52, member of the Lions Clube of Viçosa, District LC12, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, reached today Lagos, the business capital of Nigeria, finishing thus the second stage of his voyage in a pedal go-kart manufactured in Holland by the company BERG Toys (http://www.bergtoys.com) and prepared specially for the trip to South Africa, where he will assist to the first Football World Cup in the African continent, "South Africa 2010".

Since the start of his trip (a total of 17.000 kms), in Paris, on the 10th of May, 2008, Pedal Joe has already pedalled 10.000 kms, passing through: France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin and finally, Nigeria. From here, Pedal Joe will visit Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Namibia, Botswana and South Africa, in a journey of 7.000 kms that will have its final day on the first of June of 2010 in the city of Johannesburg.

The pedal Go-Kart that is being used was based on the model BERG X-plorer X-treme, equipped with high durability tires, a polyethylene rim, reinforced transmission train, tortion bar, steel frame, disk brakes on the rear wheels, 7 speed gearbox, head lights, anatomical seat, Saint Anthony, anti-theft system, LED lights, solar panel, rear-view mirrors, and odometer.

According to the cyclist, the second stage of the trip, Dakar-Lagos, “was a little more difficult, and complicated, than the first one (Paris-Dakar): First, in Senegal, I caught almost 300 kms of dirt roads, where I could only manage to advance approximately 30 kms per day... 12 days eating dust and spitting brick! Arriving at Kayes, in Mali, I caught, during one week, temperatures of up to 45 degrees. The high temperatures were a constant during practically the entire time that I took to cross Mali. While arriving in Ivory Coast, I passed over a zone controlled by the rebellious militia of that country, where there do not exist any laws. In other words: orders who can and obeys who has any judgement. Already following the Atlantic coast, began the (already predicted) rain season, with constant downpours at least 5 days during the week... and with the rain, came also the mosquitoes... in throves! and, after arriving at Accra, capital of Ghana, while the Brazilian selection was vibrating with each victory in the Confederations' Cup, I was turning and turning in the bed victim of Malaria. Thanks to the decisive and important support of Kwane, member of the Lions Clube of Tema, Ghana, and the Brazilian Embassy in Accra, that provided financial support to buy the medicines, I could rehabilitate myself and continue the trip. Also important was the support of the Publisher of the magazine Abidjan Planet, who invited me for one week at his home, while I was doing a complete revision and some adjustments in the Go-Kart. The stop over served also to recover part of the 6 kilograms that I had lost due to the strong heat in Mali”.

While beginning next Monday the third stage of the trip (Lagos-Luanda), Pedal Joe will be counting also the days for his aperitif at the World Cup "South Africa 2010". He hopes to assist, in Angola, to the African Cup of Nations, the principal competition of football of the African Confederation of Football and of the African continent. It happens every two years since 1968, and will, between the 10th and the 31st of January of 2010, be held in that country.

However, before seeing the ball rolling in Angolan lands, Pedal Joe must face some mountains and more than 1.000 kms of dirt roads, which cut the dense forests of Equatorial Africa. “Of course, passing through virgin forests is somewhat frightening. Luckily, the rainy season must already have passed, and I will only have to worry about the holes, the excess of dust and, clearly, about an encounter of the third kind with some wild animal. But this is the only way, there is no other, and I am ready to face it. I have already done more than 60% of the trip and to reach Luanda, and then Johannesburg, is only a question of patience and perseverance”.

According to the environmentalist, the objective of the trip is to focus the attention of the international community on two of the biggest problems that affect the vision of children in the world, especially in the poorest countries: Cataracts and Glaucoma, and to get funds for the great campaign of the International Lions Club: the program Sight First.

The work of the International Lions Clubs to fight blindness began in 1925, when Helen Keller challenged the Lions to become "champions of the blind in a crusade against the darkness" during the International Convention of the association. Today, the Lions are recognized around the world by the services that are being dispensed to the blind and visually impaired.

The Lions demonstrate this promise of preserving eye sight through the recycling of glasses, of partnerships with eye organizations and of countless other services related eye sight. The SightFirst I program was launched by the Lions in 1989 to fight preventable blindness. Regrettably, 80% of blind persons, world-wide, were unnecessarily deprived of eye sight. Through SightFirst I, the Lions have been acting towards the prevention of blindness offering support for cataract surgeries, helping to build or to expand clinics and eye hospitals, distributing eye disease preventive medicines and training ophtalmology professionals.

The ambitious Program SightFirst I of the Lions restored eye sight through cataract surgeries, prevented the severe loss of eye sight and perfected eye care services dispensed to hundreds of millions of adults and children. To continue and to expand this initiative, the Lions launched the Campaign SightFirst II. Each year, hundreds of Lions Clubs around the world carry out eye examinations, programs of community education, collection of glasses and other special projects to mark the Lions World Sight Day, which takes place on October 11th. The Lions World Sight Day was created in 1998 to underline the importance of eradicating preventable blindness and improving eye sight. A growing number of Lions Clubes uses the opportunity to collect glasses, to carry out eye diseases and diabetes screenings and to plan education programs designed to promote the awareness of the community about the importance of eye sight and the impact that diseases such as diabetes have on it.

SightFirst became not only surprisingly proficient, but also amazingly efficient. On average, each US$ 6 in donations result in a person with restored eye sight or prevented from becoming blind. The Campaign SightFirst collected US$ 143 millions from the Lions. The program SightFirst is helping specially the children. In partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), the SightFirst campaign launched the first global initiative to combat child blindness. The project is creating 30 pediatric eye service centres around the world.

The Campaign SightFirst II, which collected more than US$ 200 million around the world, will allow the Lions to expand on the extraordinary work of SightFirst I and to continue it's work of preventing of blindness and of restoring eye sight to million persons world-wide.

About the Lions Clubs:

The International Association of Lions Clubs began as the dream of Chicago business leader Melvin Jones.

He believed that local business clubs should expand their horizons from purely professional concerns to the betterment of their communities and the world at large. Jones’ group, the Business Circle of Chicago, agreed. After contacting similar groups around the United States, an

organizational meeting was held on June 7, 1917 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The new group took the name of one of the invited groups, the “Association of Lions Clubs”, and a national convention was held in Dallas, Texas, USA, in October of that year. A constitution, by-laws, objectives and code of ethics were approved.

Among the objectives adopted in those early years was one that read, “No club shall hold out the financial betterment of its members as its object.” This call for unselfish service to others remains one of the association’s main tenets. Just three years after its formation, the association became international when the first club in Canada was established in 1920. Major international expansion continued as clubs were established, particularly throughout Europe, Asia and Africa during the 1950s and ’60s.

In 1925, Helen Keller addressed the Lions international convention in Cedar Point, Ohio, USA. She challenged Lions to become “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness.” From this time forward, Lions clubs have been actively involved in service to the blind and visually impaired.

Broadening its international role, Lions Clubs International helped the United Nations form the Non-Governmental Organizations sections in 1945 and continues to hold consultative status with the U.N.

In 1990, Lions launched its most aggressive sight preservation effort, SightFirst. The US$215 million program strives to rid the world of preventable and reversible blindness by supporting desperately needed health care services. Lions have launched Campaign SightFirst II to raise at least US$150 million to continue and expand the extraordinary work of SightFirst.

In addition to sight programs, Lions Clubs International is committed to providing services for youth. Lions clubs also work to improve the environment, build homes for the disabled, support diabetes education, conduct hearing programs and, through their foundation, provide

disaster relief around the world. Lions Clubs International has grown to include 1.3 million men and women in 45,000 clubs located in 205 countries and geographic areas.

140.000 kms of pedal turns around the world:

The story of Pedal Joe begins on November 1981, when he decided to travel from Brazil to Spain, on a bicycle, to assist at the Football World Cup “Spain '82”, where the Brazilian Selection was not very lucky... and, on a grey afternoon, in the city of Barcelona, Brazil fell at the feet of Italy, saying goodbye to the "Tetracampeonato" dream. On board the transatlantic liner that took him back to Rio de Janeiro, Pedal Joe was dreaming about a bicycle tour of the World. Well, from then on, he did not stop. From that long gone-by November until today, he visited 66 countries in 5 continents, "pedalled" 144.000 kms, assisted to two Football World Cups, was caught in two civil wars, faced monsoon rains, earthquakes, and survived 5 hurricanes.

He won a marathon, in Lima, Peru. He visited idyllic islands and came to know the suffering of children and adults in refugee camps of the Vietnam war. An absurd war, that in the end only left destruction and death. He experienced drought, the hunger and the misery of the people of Africa and of the north-east of Brazil. He saw the smiles of the children playing by the riverside of the “Old Man Chico” (the river São Francisco) and the tears in the eyes of the riverside dweller looking at the dried-up riverbed. He visited places that marked history: the Twin Towers, the Egyptian Pyramids, the Parthenon of Athens, the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal, the bridge on the River Kwai-Ai, the Tower of Pisa, and so many others. In the end, his travels represented an open book about geography, history and, above all, life.

Pedal Joe's trips and social projects (so far):

1981/82 Brazil-Spain on a bicycle
1983/86 World Tour on a bicycle – Campaign for Cancer

1985 Crossed Japan on a Velocipede – Campaign for Ethiopia's children
1987 Chui-Brasilia on a Velocipede - Campaign for Brazil's North~East region's children
1996 South America on a Motorcycle
2002 Rio São Francisco on a pedal boat (from Tres Marias to Pontal do Peba) - Campaign of awareness against the pollution of the São Francisco river
2004/05 New York-Dzilan de Bravo (Mexico) on a pedal boat. 10.000kms - Campaign of awareness against the pollution of the water on the Planet
2007 He crosses Guanabara Bay on a boat made with 240 Pet bottles - Campaign of awareness against the pollution of Guanabara Bay
2007 Piracicaba-Borborema (Rio Tiete) on a boat made with 240 Pet bottles - Campaign of awareness against the pollution of the Tiete - Parana rivers

2008/10 Paris-Johannesburg on a Pedal-Kart - Campaign of awareness about Glaucoma and Cataract and to spread the word about the SightFirst Program of the Lions International Club
Start: Paris, 10th of May 2008
End: Johannesburg, June 1st 2010
Actual position: Lagos, Nigeria.
Total distance: 17.000 kms
Already travelled: 10.000 kms,
Still to go: 7.000 kms
Visited countries: France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria
Still to be visited: Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Namibia, Bostwana and South Africa, just in time to attend the first Soccer World Cup to be held on the African continent.

Pedal Joe thanks BERG Toys, University Photo and Buynet for their support.

For more information about SigthFirst:

http://www.lionsclubs.org

Friends who have collaborated with the project:

Rosfrios Alimentos * supplements
BERG Toys * pedal go-kart
BERG Toys do Brasil * logistics
Deuter do Brasil * camping material
Foto Universitario * photographic material
Buynet * ISP - Internet Provider
Albergues Privados do Caminho de Santiago * food and lodgings
Caminho do Sol-Brasil * travel products
Fernanda Paz - Mindo Falcão * travel products

"In the last 70 years, the World's population has tripled. The demand for water increased six fold. If the present patterns are not modified, in 2025 four billion people will not have access to water."

"Water: a drop, a life... preserve them. For me... for yourself... for our Planet..." Pedal Joe (Zé do Pedal)

15/07/09: Pedal Joe arrives at Cotonou, Republic of Benin

Joe's contact in Benin:
+229-96357970

Currently Pedal Joe is in Benin (he crossed the Togo-Benin frontier on the 9th of July).

He celebrated his birthday (the 15th) in the house of Myleni, with many members of the Lions Club of the city of Cotonou.

Abidjan Planet article about Pedal Joe (July 2009)

Please find atached a copy of an article published in Abidjan Planet this month. (Click on the pictures to view)

05/07/09: Pedal Joe arrives at Lomé, capital of the Togolese Republic

Joe's contact in the Togolese Republic:
+228-8719502

Currently Pedal Joe is in TOGO (since the 3rd of July). He is in much better health, and goes on taking the tablets prescribed for the prevention of malaria. He is still a little tired, not being able to pedal more than a few hours per day. But his forces are coming back…

Zé thanks all those who have prayed for him in this very difficult hour…. he is especially grateful to the CL Past President, Kwame Opoku, without whom, with his decisive and important support, Zé would not be here to tell the tale.

And to all those who have expressed their solidarity during this very difficult moment for him: "To all of you, angels in my path, a heart felt kiss from this Africa which at once fascinates and scares."

Pedal Joe thanks BERG Toys, University Photo and Buynet for their support.

For more information about SigthFirst:

http://www.lionsclubs.org

Friends who have collaborated with the project:

Rosfrios Alimentos * supplements
BERG Toys * pedal go-kart
BERG Toys do Brasil * logistics
Deuter do Brasil * camping material
Foto Universitario * photographic material
Buynet * ISP - Internet Provider
Albergues Privados do Caminho de Santiago * food and lodgings
Caminho do Sol-Brasil * travel products
Fernanda Paz - Mindo Falcão * travel products

"In the last 70 years, the World's population has tripled. The demand for water increased six fold. If the present patterns are not modified, in 2025 four billion people will not have access to water."

"Water: a drop, a life... preserve them. For me... for yourself... for our Planet..." Pedal Joe (Zé do Pedal)

28/06/09: Pedal Joe contracts malaria, on his way to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa

Zé's contact in Ghana:
+233-542486837

When the Brazilian José Geraldo de Souza Castro, 51, who is making a trip in a pedal go-kart (buit especially for the trip by the dutch company Berg Toys) from Paris to Johannesburg, where he will be present to attend the first World Soccer Cup in the African Continent, in 2010, decided to change the heat of Western Africa for the rain of the coast, he did not imagine the constant tropical rains and gales in his new chosen path. Worse… he did not imagine that he would be bitten by the feared female of the Anopheles mosquito and would become the newest malaria victim!

Pedal Joe run over... by a mosquito!

Since he has reached the coast, via the Ivory Coast, constant rain fills the environmentalist's day. Last Friday, the 19th, a large storm near Accra, the capital of Ghana, left several dead, homeless, and completely destroyed streets.

As soon as he felt the symptoms of malaria last Monday, the 22nd, Zé immediately started the treatment and now is housed in a hotel in the city of Tema where he is just resting. “In truth I do not know at which exact moment I contracted the illness… on Friday I participated in the aid to the victims of the flood in the locality of Malan, so I thought that the pains in the body and the head had their origin in that one drawn out exposition in rain. But when I was walking and felt the body softening, I took 5 steps in the direction of a place to sit down, had a collapse for maybe 5 seconds, and was certain that I had contracted malaria… I looked for medical assistance immediately and I am already slowly recovering. The diagnosis indicated that I was infected with the parasite Plasmodium falciparum, the most lethal of the four species of agents that cause malaria in man”.

Pedal Joe, member of the Lions Club of Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil, has been participating in many activities in conjunction with each of the Clubs of the countries that he visits.


In Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on the 26th of May, he was received by the members of the Lions Club Calao. In Ghana, on the 8th of June, he joined with the members of the Lions Club “Twin City” of the city of Tacoradi; on the 11th, he was given a reception by the CCLL of the Lions Club Crystal, of the city of Cape Coast. The 12th of June he participated, at the invitation of some members of the Ghanean Lionism, in the inauguration of the “Tema Lions Club Eye Care Center”.

The center, which is located inside the installations of the Hospital (the largest in the country) of the city of Tema (35kms to the east of the country's capital, Accra), was inaugurated by the Internacional President Al Brandel during his official visit to Ghana. Present at the inauguration were the members of all Ghana's Clubs, Ghana's Minister of Health, Dr. Sypa-Adjah Yankey, the Archbishop Justice Akrofi, the Ambassador of South Corea, and other municipal authorities.

In his intervention, the President of the Lions Club of Tema, Clement Torsutse, informed the assembly that “the Eye Care Center is an answer to the appeal of Hellen Keller, in 1925, to the members of the Lions Clubs to methamorphose themselves into Vision Knights, and today, we are happy to deliver to the community the largest and best equipped Eye Care Center in Western Africa, with an approximated cost of 650.000 dollars”. He also took the opportunity to give special thanks to the Ghanean citizen, native of Korea, Kofi Yim, whose contribution of more than 200,000 dollars allowed to endow the center with ultramodern equipment. He followed with an homage to the korean citizen by presenting him with the title of "Honorary Lion".

Invited to speak, Pedal Joe reminded the assembly of the important work that the Lions carry out in the combat against blindness (through the Campaign Sight First) throughout the 4 corners of the World, principally Cataract, Glaucoma and Oncocercosis, which the LCIF has pledged to eradicate in Africa until the year 2020. “The Lions is the largest Non-Governmental Organization in the World, with an outstanding presence in more than 200 countries and regions, with almost 1.5 million members. Each one carrying his own brick for the construction of a better world. It's works like this one that give us the measure that we are on the right path”, emphasized the CL.

“The construction of the Centre, prepared to receive 1500 patients per week, and with the capacity to carry out 30 operations every day, began to “come out of the paper” with 50 dollar donations from each member of the Ghanean Lionism, and with donations from society at large. The Leo Clube showed its nails and donated bags of cement and eye-catching wall clocks that will adorn the premisses, and will perpetuate the presence of our boys”.

The ceremonial was conducted by CaL Mary Nyarko. CaL Baaba Hudson led the Lions' prayer. Welcoming Words were offered by CL President Clement Torsutse. The musical interval was provided by the CCLL Nana Okuampah and Nana Adei Duah Brempong.

On Saturday, the 13th, he participated in an event in Accra, coordinated by the CL Willian Sam, Regional President, of the Leaders' Seminar, and last Wednesday, the 24th, he reached Tema where he assisted at the ceremony of endowement of the new directorship.

Pedal Joe will remain in the city until the 30th, recovering from the 'aggression' of the malaria transmitting mosquito, then he will continue on to Lomé, capital of the Togolese Republic.


Malaria

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 40% of the world's population (around 2,4 billion) coexists with the risk of malaria infection in more than 90 countries – the African continent being at the fore-front, with nearly 300 million affected (which results in 1 million deaths) each year, representing the second most common cause of death in the continent.

Malaria reaches man through the prick of the female of the Anopheles mosquito. Altogether, four types of Plasmodium can cause the disease: P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale and P. malariae. Plasmodium vivax, in the last 10 years, has become responsible for the largest number of cases of malaria.