As a passionate cyclist, our Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Dr Jörg Peltzer, collected donations in Switzerland for every kilometre ridden on his bike in Ethiopia in the early days of his humanitarian work to finance his project and thus made the first 1,300 operations in Jimma possible.
In 2012, the GO STAR team organised a bike tour through Ethiopia for the first time. 25 enthusiastic bikers of all ages and from different professions took part and covered around 1,300 kilometres by bike in 13 days. An unforgettable experience out of the comfort zone for everyone.
In November 2024, the fourth bike tour took place after 2012, 2016 and 2019.
We have just returned from Ethiopia with our “Bike Challenge 24” group – tired but full of joy. We bring back with us impressive human encounters, outstanding sporting achievements, and numerous donations collected by our dedicated ambassadors.
We are particularly proud of the participation of prominent personalities such as Nino Schurter (multiple MTB world champion), Alexandre Balmer (MTB junior world champion), Pierre-André Baume (husband of our Federal Councilor), Andreas Meyer (former CEO of SBB), and Bettina Schelker (singer). Bettina even composed her own song for our mission: “Ethiopia,” available on Spotify and Apple Music.
After just a few days, the song became a catchy tune and the soundtrack to our Bike Challenge.
After 13 days on the bike and 1,300 kilometers in the heat and dust, we arrived in Jimma drenched in sweat. Once there, our team was able to experience firsthand the difference our foundation is making in Jimma.
Nino Schurter joined us on our bike tour. In this video, he talks about his experiences:
The bike adventure "Humanitarian Bike Tour in Ethiopia" started on 31 October 2019. On Monday, 18 November 2019, the entire tour group, including all the bikers and the kitchen crew, returned home safe and sound.
In between, there were 18 days that showed the participants the extremes of the African continent and the uniqueness of this bike tour: great experiences - friendships made - adventures - exciting encounters with and in a foreign culture - sporting performance - entertainment - culinary experiences - sweat and hardship outside of the personal comfort zone!
It was an impressive, unique experience for all participants in a foreign environment and culture. On the bike, you can feel the closeness to the people and smell the diverse African flavours. In the endless expanse, there are always people on foot alone, in groups or as shepherds of herds of sheep, goats or cows. It was impressive to see the crowds of people in villages lining the road and marvelling at the bikers whizzing past with curious glances. One participant said, "I sometimes felt like I was part of a Tour de France race on the Alpe d'Huez, the Queen of the Alps stage".
In addition to the scenic and social insights into Ethiopia, the sporting performance was not neglected, although the requirements were slightly different when divided into 3 groups.
We would like to thank everyone for taking part in this unique experience and for their willingness to make an extraordinary sporting contribution to our humanitarian project. The money raised from this bike tour will be used exclusively to finance our humanitarian work in Jimma.
The bike tour was an adventure that money can't buy. Pele's obvious love for the country and its people - Olivier's organisational talent made the big difference to all other bike adventures. We got a unique insight into the beautiful nature and landscape and met people from different tribes.
Travelling through Africa on a bike with people from different backgrounds and biographies with a common goal developed such a positive and impressive energy during these 14 days.
Arriving together at the hospital in Jimma at the end of the bike tour was a moving and emotional moment. We all realised how important and unique Pele's GO STAR project is for millions of people in south-west Ethiopia.
Michael Weller
I ate 33 sports bars, savoured traditional Ethiopian flatbread (injera) 13 times and drank loads of recovery shakes! An incredible sporting experience with nutritional challenges. But the green, hilly landscape, the severe poverty and the conditions in the Trauma Hospital in Jimma also had a significant impact on me during the trip! I learnt to appreciate what I have!
Elena Fiechter
The trip to Ethiopia and the bike tour were a huge experience for me. "Movement is Life" took on even more personal meaning for me on the trip. And I am very grateful for the unforgettable impressions and insights into an unfamiliar everyday life and the shared experiences with a super great group.
Bettina Schelker
After a long period of preparation, I was very excited to see what awaited me in Ethiopia. Riding my bike over 1,000 kilometres across Ethiopia for a good cause was an absolute, unique privilege.
I was particularly impressed by the extreme contrasts of paradisiacal natural landscapes on the one hand and oppressive poverty and unimaginable hygienic conditions on the other.
Despite everything, I have the impression that these people are happy, they support each other in the community. I am grateful that I was able to take part in this project and since then I have seen many things through a different lens.
Christoph Dietrich
On our bike tours through Ethiopia, it is important to us to get to know the country, its culture, its people, its history, and its present.
In doing so, we encounter Ethiopia as an incredibly diverse country. The capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, is one of the largest cities in Africa. Other areas of the country are characterized by impressive nature, mountain ranges, or evergreen rainforests.
Urbanization is advancing rapidly in many cities in Ethiopia, the population is growing, and the country is constantly changing. The development of infrastructure, especially in the healthcare sector, is therefore crucial.
The University Hospital in Jimma, the local partner of the Go Star Foundation, is located in the southwest of the greater Oromia region, one of Ethiopia's twelve regions.
Ethiopia is a culturally, linguistically, and religiously diverse country with a rich historical heritage. A wide variety of ethnic groups with their own cultural identities live in the country. Almost 100 languages are spoken. Christianity spread to Ethiopia as early as the 4th century, making Ethiopia one of the oldest Christian nations in the world.
GO STAR | Swiss surgeons in Ehtiopia
c/o Luzerner Kantonsspital
Spitalstrasse 16
CH-6000 Luzern
Postal account 60-334455-9
IBAN CH62 0900 0000 6033 4455 9
