Food for thought: 12 million of the 16 million schoolchildren in South Africa walk to school. 500,000 of them sometimes walk more than four hours for want of a better alternative. The non-profit Qhubeka (whose name means ‘move forward’) was established in 2005 and has spent the last thirteen years making schoolchildren’s lives better by giving them bicycles. The main goal is to increase their freedom.
In line with its ambition to promote cycling, particularly among young people, the Tour de France has pledged for the first time to provide equipment suitable for children until 2020. As part of its “L’Avenir à vélo” initiative, the Grande Boucle stands behind Qhubeka and will buy the charity 176 bicycles (one for each rider on the start line of this year’s Tour) right away.
“As explained by the L’Avenir à vélo campaign we launched this year, cycling means greater wellbeing and protecting the environment. Thanks to Qhubeka, it also translates into freedom when it makes life easier for thousands of children who just want to go to school”, points out Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme. Stéphane Ruault, CSR manager at ASO, agrees: “Our CSR commitment to backing the global shift to soft and sustainable mobility has taken us to promote cycling for the environment, for cities, for young people and for wellbeing. This is why we have decided to support Qhubeka. We believe that more people have to take up cycling if we want a sustainable future.”
Follow the Tour’s lead to make it easier for children in South Africa to move around. Your donations will help them to get their very first bicycle!
