SEAN BURKE
Nick's 2016 Yorkshire Street Child Cycle Challenge
Fundraising for Street Action
Story
A team of 14 cyclists are riding over 300kms to raise funds for New Generation in Burundi (through Street Action, the charity I have helped to run for over ten years). For more information about the project just ask me (or visit streetaction.org or newgenerationburundi.org).
This year we are revisiting some of the 2015 Tour de France route through the vales and dales of Yorkshire as we ride over 300km from Sheffield to York (not as the crow flies!)
This is the sixth Street Child Cycle Ride I've participated in and amazingly the ride has raised a huge amount of money over the last seven years. This year, if we can raise around £1,000 per rider, we will be close to having raised a total of £100,000 over eight rides. Please help us to do this.
But it's not the target that really matters, it's the fact that all of this money goes to the work of New Generation. There are no middle men (Street Action is a volunteer led organisation) and I can guarantee the money is used to help build the work of New Generation towards a sustainable future.
A BIT MORE DETAIL...
Things politically in Burundi are very difficult (since the refusal of the president to relinquish power in April 2015 as the constitution required) with relative calm underpinned by the threat of political and social upheaval at any point. Against this backdrop, the children at New Generation continue to demonstrate the reality of trying to live peacefully as a community.
The reality of the situation in the country is that prices are rising (especially for food) and nothing can be taken for granted, including whether schools will be open one day to the next. So running the project is hard and life is unpredictable for the children and adults at New Generation. Even physically changing money from New Generation’s US$ account to local Burundian francs is getting more and more costly as the government continues to exert more control on money exchange rates.
The children cared for by New Generation continue to come to the Bujumbura centre on a daily basis to receive food, take part in activities and be supported through their schooling. New short term accommodation blocks have been built and a new house has been rented to provide longer term support for some of the girls who are now looked after by New Generation (in addition to the existing boys). As an organisation that has worked with street children for many years, they know how much this crisis is affecting children in general and street children in particular. When everybody else is running back to their homes for shelter and protection from bullets, street children have no safe place to run to. They get caught up in clashes between the police and the protesters and struggle to find something to eat as most shops are closed and people have no money to give away.
So alongside providing for the physical needs of the children, New Generation has been promoting active non-violence among the youth in Burundi. Through different meetings and activities (often involving football), they have been able to speak to young people from different provinces, ethnic groups and political movements about healing and reconciliation.
Street Action are currently working alongside other partners to try to secure the long term security of the New Generation site in Bujumbura. Against this broader aim, money raised from the Street Child Cycle this year will go to:
1. Expanded Outreach Programme - money will be used to pay for staff (two former street children), food and support for the expanding street outreach program at New Generation.
2. New Boy’s Accommodation - money will be provided to cover the running costs of a new boys house (accommodation for additional six boys) for the next year (including rent, staffing, beds, food and other ongoing costs).
3. Schooling - a small amount of money raised will be used to fund the Back to School programme this month (September) - including uniforms, books and new shoes for the 65 New Generation children who will soon be enrolling in the new academic year.
4. Ongoing funds - any remaining money will be used to contribute to the core running costs at New Generation for the next year. This underpins all the work they do, including providing food, accommodation, schooling, counselling support and leadership training to over 100 children each month.
The children and staff at New Generation are so grateful to all our supporters who continue to support them, not least providing food, shelter and access to schooling for these children through these politically and socially tough times.
The reality of the situation in the country is that prices are rising (especially for food) and nothing can be taken for granted, including whether schools will be open one day to the next. So running the project is hard and life is unpredictable for the children and adults at New Generation. Even physically changing money from New Generation’s US$ account to local Burundian francs is getting more and more costly as the government continues to exert more control on money exchange rates.
The children cared for by New Generation continue to come to the Bujumbura centre on a daily basis to receive food, take part in activities and be supported through their schooling. New short term accommodation blocks have been built and a new house has been rented to provide longer term support for some of the girls who are now looked after by New Generation (in addition to the existing boys). As an organisation that has worked with street children for many years, they know how much this crisis is affecting children in general and street children in particular. When everybody else is running back to their homes for shelter and protection from bullets, street children have no safe place to run to. They get caught up in clashes between the police and the protesters and struggle to find something to eat as most shops are closed and people have no money to give away.
So alongside providing for the physical needs of the children, New Generation has been promoting active non-violence among the youth in Burundi. Through different meetings and activities (often involving football), they have been able to speak to young people from different provinces, ethnic groups and political movements about healing and reconciliation.
Street Action are currently working alongside other partners to try to secure the long term security of the New Generation site in Bujumbura. Against this broader aim, money raised from the Street Child Cycle this year will go to:
1. Expanded Outreach Programme - money will be used to pay for staff (two former street children), food and support for the expanding street outreach program at New Generation.
2. New Boy’s Accommodation - money will be provided to cover the running costs of a new boys house (accommodation for additional six boys) for the next year (including rent, staffing, beds, food and other ongoing costs).
3. Schooling - a small amount of money raised will be used to fund the Back to School programme this month (September) - including uniforms, books and new shoes for the 65 New Generation children who will soon be enrolling in the new academic year.
4. Ongoing funds - any remaining money will be used to contribute to the core running costs at New Generation for the next year. This underpins all the work they do, including providing food, accommodation, schooling, counselling support and leadership training to over 100 children each month.
The children and staff at New Generation are so grateful to all our supporters who continue to support them, not least providing food, shelter and access to schooling for these children through these politically and socially tough times.
Thanks for anything you can give. It is appreciated.