/ Modified jul 16, 2012 5:39 p.m.

On a Mission: Pedaling Around the World

Ecologist from Tanzania hopes to help his native land and people

Traveling around the world would be a dream come true for millions of people.

For Elvis Munis, it is a reality as part of an effort to help other people in his native Tanzania.

Munis is a 25 year-old student and naturalist who is embarking on an arduous bicycle adventure in order to raise funds for fellow students in Tanzania's Conservation Resource Centre.

He got his inspiration after traveling to more than a dozen countries on the African continent with organizations that focus on the environment and social issues.

"And I find out a lot of the young people they don't have the chance to get their education so I decided that I will do something to support myself and the rest of the African young people," Munis says.

He plans to pedal close to 30,000 miles this year and next with the goal of raising $100,000 as part of his "driving change from the seat of a bicycle."

Munis began his trip in South America in January and he is presently with friends in Tucson taking a needed break.

From here he will be heading north to Alaska where he hopes to continue in Russia as he travels west through Asia before reaching Africa.

The project is called "Chile to Kili" (Kilimanjaro) and Munis hopes it will be able to provide at least ten one-year conservation scholarships for his compatriots.

He says there is much work to do in Tanzania and other African countries to try to balance the needs of people and the proper management of natural resources.

MORE: News, Tucson
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