Tour de Dwangwa Cycling Race Sunday Sept 3
This year’s 90-kilometre (km) Tour de Dwangwa will take place on Sunday at Chitowe Stadium in Dwangwa.
The race has been organised to raise funds for Dwangwa Round Table 69, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) which supports communities around Dwangwa.
Round Table 69 Chairperson, Peter Piringu said while the event attracts thousands of community members and companies throughout the nation in a drive to fundraise, it also acts as a social responsibility podium for the sponsors.
He added that the activity is also there to entertain those who live in areas surrounding the sugarcane growing area of Dwangwa.
“It used to be a platform where community members around the Dwangwa sugar factory came together for celebration. Illovo used it as a way to give back to the people through entertainment.
“But for some years now, Illovo Dwangwa through the previous General Manager, Ken Tembo who is also the founder of our charitable organization, handed over the mantle to Round Table 69 so that as it entertains, it also sources money to help the vulnerable,” said Piringu.
He explained that all participants watch the games free of charge while participants receive different prizes according to category and position.
In the recent years, the activity has attracted professional cyclists including those from well-known cycling clubs like Mzuzu, Blantyre and Mulanje.
On the prizes for the function, the chairperson said the budget and prizes depend on the sponsors.
“We do not know the prizes yet because they depend on what the sponsors offer on the table. So far, Illovo is the biggest sponsor because it provides the venue and transport which are vital for the competition.
Round Table 69 makes the sponsors understand the aim of the games right from the beginning and they choose to support the event and the organisation separately. In return, a number of sponsors use it as a platform for advertising and social responsibility.
“Tour de Dwangwa offers a very competitive business to our sponsors because they advertise. We invite the community together and we give chance to service providers to interact with the people. We accept any offer on the table, such that individuals and companies are allowed to offer what they are comfortable with,” explained the chairperson.
Without mentioning names of companies, he said a number of corporations have expressed interest and the organization is still looking for more interested parties to come forward.
The Round Table 69 representative said the members are still discussing on a sustainable charity work they can do, having focused on cancer screening exercise for women living in their communities for the past year.
For the past two years, the professional category cycled from Chintheche and Kande which are 120km and 85km to Chitowe stadium respectively.
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