Alem Mumeni, Paralympian

Alem's Story

Alem Mumeni

Alem Mumeni is Africa's C2 paracycling champion. In 2012 he set a record by becoming the first Ghanaian cyclist to qualify for the Paralympics Games in London.

Alem was given confidence to pursue his dreams through our livelihood project in Agbgbloshie, Ghana. The son of peasant farmers in North West Region, he contracted polio when he was two. Left crippled he crawled until the age of ten when he began using a walking stick. He was invited to Accra by his brother. He is an active member of the Ghana Society of the Disabled, and it was through the Society that he heard about the project.

After receiving project training in IT skills, Alem took part in our slum mapping project in Agblogbloshie. Says Alem: 'I got a job at MTN because of my IT skills and worked with them for a while'. He was also encouraged to join the Ghana Disabled Cycling team. He excelled as a disabled cyclist and went on to compete internationally for Ghana. As he himself put it, 'I see myself now a good example to show all the disabled that they can make something better of their lives than begging on the streets'. Alem's story was featured in BBC's The One Show.