21 year old Ben Harris, a kayaker from Wanstead, found himself stranded in Tanzania after his boat was destroyed in a storm. Ben, who was raising funds for youth homelessness charity Centrepoint, aimed to be the first person to solo kayak the length of the world’s longest lake, Lake Tanganyika, in Eastern Africa.

Despite the shipwreck, the student didn’t admit defeat and after kayaking 350km (just over 215 miles), he bravely hiked 400km (250 miles) to his endpoint Burundi, which sits at the Northern tip of the lake after 15 days of hiking around 30km (around 19 miles) a day.

The shipwrecking storm was not the only thing Ben faced: he was rescued by a fisherman after capsizing in crocodile-infested waters; a local man plugged holes in his leaking kayak with melted plastic from a bucket; he became seriously ill and hooked to a drip; and even had a close encounter with a hippo.

The action man travelled the length of Lake Tanganyika in Eastern Africa, from small village in Zambia, Mbeti (the most Southern point) to Bujumbura, the capital city of Burundi (the most Northern point).

Courageous Ben shared his mixed emotions just after he completed his challenge:

“It has been the most challenging and exciting six weeks of my life. I’ve learnt a lot, dealt with a lot and had to put up with a lot! But when I look back at it all now, I can’t help but smile.”

His heroic efforts are in aid of raising money for the youth homelessness charity Centrepoint. Ben has raised just under £8, 500 for the homeless young people Centrepoint supports. To donate to Ben visit his JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/expeditiontanganyika

Before the pandemic, youth homelessness was already at a crisis point. Between 2019 – 2020, around 8,500 young people were facing homelessness in London. Centrepoint expects these numbers have increased due to the pandemic. This, coupled with young people facing a 25% cut to their Universal Credit when the temporary uplift ends at the end of the month, paints a worrying picture for youth homelessness.

Sarah Squires, Community and Events Fundraising Manager, from Centrepoint explained why Ben’s efforts come at a crucial time:

“Ben’s determination to complete his challenge has been incredible to watch and we’re incredibly grateful for his support.

“He couldn’t be raising funds for homeless young people at a more critical time. We know the Universal Credit uplift is due to end this month and thousands of young people are facing homelessness in London. Thanks to Ben and others like him, we are in a position to support as many of them as possible.”

To donate to Ben visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/expeditiontanganyika. To follow his journey visiting his Instagram @thatsonebiglake