A teenager who was bullied in primary school has completed a swim from Gozo to Malta to raise awareness of bullying and money for two NGOs.

It took Kai Naudi, 13, two hours and 58 minutes to swim the seven kilometre distance on Sunday and was greeted in Marfa by cheering friends, teachers and family members.

He hopes to raise €70,000 for an 'Brave the Wave' challenge for the NGOS Inspire and bBrave. 

Kai Naudi with his support team crossing from Gozo to Malta.

“It was a beautiful experience and he is realising what a lot of good he is doing from such a negative experience he went through. The support has been overwhelming,” his mother, Karen, told Times of Malta.

“Despite him being exhausted and overwhelmed, this morning he still got up and went to school. He is only taking a few days off from training as next Friday he will be back swimming with the hope of continuing to keep Brave the Wave alive and raise more funds for Inspire and bBrave next year,” she said.

Kai arrives after swimming 7 kilometers.

Beating bullying 

Kai has been training for two years for the challenge but the source of his mission goes back further, when he was in primary school and bullied.

“There were a lot of children who would pick on me, which made me angry, and because of this I got a bad reputation. People thought I was being mean purposely,” Kai said in  a recent interview published in Sunday Circle.

"I hope that children that have experienced or are experiencing bullying know that there is a rainbow after the storm".

Kai was being bullied by some schoolmates who also played football with him. Eventually he moved to another school, where he is very happy and has made some good friends.

When the bullying led to him leaving football, he he took up waterpolo with his friends. Eventually he got involved with long distance swimming, which he believes has help him become physically and emotionally stronger. 

Kai is hugged by his proud father on arrival.

“I hope that children that have experienced or are experiencing bullying know that there is a rainbow after the storm,” he said. “Things do get better and they can overcome it, just like I did.”

Supporting Kai 

Inspire, which offers a wide range of services for people with disabilities, will use the funds to build a rehabilitation centre, while bBrave plans a new anti-bullying campaign in schools.

Kai was accompanied by two other swimmers Daniel Galea and Luke Borg while his coach, Jeffrey Galea, followed on a kayak. Amongst the support team there were representatives from Transport Malta and the Malta Red Cross.

If you would like to donate, an SMS may be sent to 5061 8926 for donations of €6.99, or on 5061 9215 for donations of €11.65. For any other amount one can donate by calling on +356 9983 5106 or by sending an email to fundraising@inspire.org.mt. Donations can also be made to these three bank accounts:HSBC account number 049015522001IBAN: MT45MMEB44495000000049015522001BIC/Swift Code: MMEBMTMT

BOV: IBAN: MT66VALL22013000000040017862343BIC/Swift Code: VALLTMTMT

APS: IBAN: MT85APSB77080005969620000804217BIC/Swift Code: APSBMTMT