We set a modest goal, and we reached it no sweat (literally).
The run kicked off on May 30th and, after going 620 km (385 miles) across an entire country, we hope to double our goal. Every extra $100 makes another small project possible and every extra $50 allows us to provide another girl's scholarship. You keep contributing and we'll keep running!
Follow all le Tour du Benin action at the GenEq Benin blog.
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Samadou and Dave running the first leg (37 miles) of le Tour du Benin
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Welcome to Le Tour du Benin -
The Hottest Run Under the African Sun!
WHAT IS "LE TOUR DU BENIN" ?
Le Tour is a grueling 21-day relay-run spanning the West African nation of
Benin.
Starting at the northwestern border with Burkina Faso, we
will cover 620 kilometers of Beninese roads, highways, and dirt paths, ending at the Atlantic Ocean along Benin's southeastern
coastline.
The relay-run is broken into 21 legs, some as short as 7k, and some as long as 60k (Ouch!). At least two runners will cover each leg, one
American and one Beninese (doubling the odds that at least one person finishes that day!). Runners have 12 hours of daylight to complete
their leg, no matter what Africa tries to throw at them - rain, snow, sleet, or hail - but more likely, oppressive heat and African sun. Then, bright and early the next morning, the
next day's team will pick up where their predecessors left off, winding our way southward, across the country.
Le Tour du Benin starts on May 30 and ends on June 19th.
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WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?
Beyond the obvious fun of running across an entire country, we are running
to raise money for Peace Corps Benin’s Gender
Equality and Women’s Empowerment Small
Projects Fund. This fund allows Peace Corps volunteers and their Beninese work partners to get quick and easy funding for projects that directly promote
gender equality and empower the girls and women of their communities.
The Small Projects Fund gives life to some of the highest impact projects that volunteers and their Beninese partners implement together.
This fund, however, is quickly diminishing.
We're running across a country in hopes that you can help us replenish it.
THE IMPACT
100% of your contribution will go directly into our Small Projects Fund. The great thing about this fund is that it is flexible - it is used where it is needed most in each community. It may wind up being used to buy the first jerseys for a middle school girls soccer club, to help organize community talks with women about infant nutrition, or to provide a scholarship to girl that can’t afford to go to school. Whatever it is, your contribution will go towards helping volunteers and their partners empower girls and women in their communities.
Here are some examples of recent projects that have been implemented using our Small Projects Fund:
- A
short film that tells the story of a Beninese girl and her ability to
overcome barriers in order to pursue an education. This film is used to inspire other Beninese girls to be courageous by showing them they are not alone in their struggles, or successes.
- A 10-month mentorship program for 20 university and secondary school students. The program helps young women develop skills to transition
from school to work, prepare for family life, and become engaged and
active citizens in their communities.
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- A
3-day leadership workshop for the 33 students selected to participate in the GenEq Scholarship Girls
Program
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- Support for two girls’ running clubs to participate for the first time in an annual marathon in the Beninese city of Parakou
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- Tomato conservation training for 84 women, promoting food storage and community food security by helping to make foods available in both the dry and rainy seasons
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WHO WE ARE
Human Solidarity Benin (HSB) is a non-profit organization located in
Cotonou, Benin. With 10 years of experience, HSB is devoted to creating activities
aimed at reducing poverty and empowering Beninese women and girls.
HSB became the official partner of Peace Corps Benin’s Gender Equality
and Women’s Empowerment (GenEq) program in 2010. Together, HSB and GenEq manage
three core programs (a Scholarship Girls Program, a Student Internship program
and a Take Our Daughters to Work Day program) and manage a fund that finances small
Peace Corps projects that promote gender equality and empower women and girls.
INTERESTED? CURIOUS? LOOKING FOR MORE INFORMATION?
Visit the GenEq blog for more information on the incredible girls and women of Benin, the projects we are doing, and follow the haps - and mishaps - of one of our runners as she trains for her 25 kilometer run.
OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP
If you can’t contribute, that doesn't mean you can’t help:
- Help us get the word out and make some noise about our campaign.
- Share our campaign on Facebook or Twitter with the Indiegogo share tools!
- Fly to Benin, and come run with us!
