The late Mr Nelson Mandela followed three rules throughout his life, which he did at great personal sacrifice:
1. Free yourself
2. Free others
3. Serve everyday – it was not just his mantra, it was his way of life.
In support of Mandela Day, Qhubeka is inviting you to help us give 67 schoolchildren a chance to experience the freedom of riding and owning a bicycle.
On Friday, 18 July 2014, we are asking all of our supporters to get on their bicycles and ride for 67 minutes, then go online and donate at least R67.00 to Qhubeka. Qhubeka’s goal is to raise R134,000.00 to fund 67 Bicycles and help 67 schoolchildren in South Africa move forward.
One of the core focuses of Mandela Day 2014 is education. In light of that, all money raised through our 67 Bicycles campaign will go to funding our Bicycle Education Empowerment Programme (BEEP). Through BEEP, in partnership with our implementation partner, World Vision, we provide bicycles to school children with the objectives of:
- Increasing attendance and performance of vulnerable children in community and government schools
- Retaining more girls in school
- Improving teacher attendance and access to professional development activities
- Uplifting the livelihoods of bicycle beneficiaries and their families
- Improving safety and security of students travelling to and from school
BEEP is designed to empower schools and communities to select and have oversight of bicycle beneficiaries. The primary selection criterion for beneficiaries is need and is based on the distance beneficiaries have to travel to school. Generally, 70% of the bicycles are designated for girl students.
How BEEP changes lives:
- In South Africa, 12 million of the 16 million school-going children walk more than two hours to school and two hours back. With a Qhubeka Buffalo Bicycle, a child’s commute time is reduced by up to 75%.
- Marks improve by an average of 25% for children who ride a bicycle to school.
- Schools where children ride bicycles to class see attendance rates rise by 18% on average.
Download the BEEP information booklet or go to qhubeka.org for more info.
How to get involved:
1. Ride
Take to the roads, trails or a stationary bicycle on (or around) 18 July and cycle for 67 minutes. You can arrange to meet your friends and cycle in a group, or you can just head out on your own. We don’t mind where you cycle, just that you do.
For a list of #67Bicycles events arranged by our supporters click here.
What if I don’t cycle?
You can still be involved by simply donating R67.00 here. If you want to spend 67 minutes doing something why not teach a child to ride a bicycle or simply spend 67 minutes outdoors doing something active, whether that means going for a walk or picking up litter in your community.
2. Donate
Click here to donate your R67.00 and help us put more people on bicycles.
We are asking that you use our GivenGain page to donate so we can keep track of the funds.
3. Record
Take a photo of yourself before, after or during your cycle and post it to twitter or facebook. Don’t forget to tag us (@qhubeka) or use the hashtag: #67bicycles
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