A record-breaking €1 million was raised by employees of Liberty Global, its operating companies, ventures and corporate partners at The Big Ride held this year in Belgium. The Big Ride is an annual fundraising event hosted by Street Child in partnership with Liberty Global to support Street Child’s work of ensuring all children have access to an education.
€1 million will have a life-changing impact on children and their families living in some of the world’s most disaster-hit and low-income countries.
Over 800 participants ran or cycled throughout the two-day event on the 19th and 20th of June at the L'Orangerie du Château de Belœil in Belgium. There were 3 different cycle routes to choose from ranging between 60km-160km per day, with the option to complete a half or full marathon on the second day of the event.
“It was just a wonderful event! With so much energy, human spirit, camaraderie and compassion on display” says Street Child Founder & CEO Tom Dannatt. “With over 64 million primary age children currently out of school worldwide, events like The Big Ride and support from Liberty Global and its network are more important than ever. A massive thanks to everyone involved this year and looking forward to next year already!”
Andrea Salvato, Street Child Trustee Co-Chair and Chief Development Officer at Liberty Global, says: “The Big Ride is one of my favourite events of the year, bringing together people from across Liberty Global and its ecosystem to support Street Child. The funds we raised will have a huge impact on the safety and education of children in some of the toughest places in the world and we’re grateful to all our operating companies and corporate sponsors for their support. I look forward to seeing you all again next year in Ireland.”
With these funds, Street Child could enrol 43,300 children into school in Cameroon, build 50 temporary learning centres in Nepal, or support 10,800 caregivers in Nigeria with business training and loans for them to afford the cost of education for two children each.
The Big Ride was co-hosted this year by Telenet, a Liberty Global business and the largest provider of cable broadband services in Belgium. Telenet were joined by a group of former Belgian professional cyclists including Olympian and 2001 second stage Tour de France winner Marc Wauters, 1996 World Road Race champion Johan Musseeuw, Peter Van Petegem, Ludo Dierckxsens and Dirk De Wolf.
“We were glad to co-host this year’s Big Ride in our beautiful Belgium to support Street Child. It was heartwarming to see how 800+ people came together to boost the work of this wonderful NGO, providing vulnerable children access to education in some of the toughest places. I’m grateful for everyone’s support and proud of the 140 Telenet colleagues who joined in,” says John Porter, CEO of Telenet.
This is the sixth annual Big Ride event that Street Child and Liberty Global have co-hosted, a tradition which began years prior through Liberty Global’s in-house charity, Lessons for Life, before it merged with Street Child. The event is supported by a network of corporate sponsors and participants who come together to ensure children are safe, in school and learning, including this year’s headline sponsor Infosys.
Anand Swaminathan, Executive Vice President and Global Industry Leader, Communications, Media, and Technology, Infosys, says “At Infosys, our purpose is to amplify human potential and create the next opportunity for people, businesses, and communities. Education is a powerful multiplier that propels societies towards greater advancement. The Big Ride supports Street Child’s critical work in providing access to education for children, no matter where they are. We are thrilled to collaborate once again with both Street Child and Liberty Global on this initiative, which aligns with our purpose and has the potential to drive transformative impact on ground. I am hopeful that this three-way collaboration will also serve as a model for integrating social impact into our client relationships.”
Since 2008, Street Child has reached over one million children with life-changing education and mental health support. To find out more about the charity or The Big Ride, visit https://street-child.org/challenges/the-big-ride/.