Use of Funds 2025
Background
1moreChild
1moreChild increased the number of children they looked after steadily from 2012-2018 when the rides started producing significant funds. In the earlier years of Ride25 our expectation was that the number of participants would reduce the further way from the UK we cycled – particularly post Leg 7 to Istanbul. This fitted in with Harry & Hen’s ambitions for 1MC when they came back to the UK and stopped taking on any more children. The money raised has basically matched the funds required by 1MC. Travel bans during COVID disrupted things with no legs possible between 2020 and 2022. As a result, all the reserves were depleted and 1moreChild cut costs significantly. Some monies were still donated by supporters / sponsors to keep 1MC going. We started the Founder rides in 2022 to stabilise 1MC and get the reserves back to a sensible level. The spontaneous auction in 2023 has added another significant portion of funds (circa £40k+ per annum).
The cost base has risen since COVID despite the number of children going down principally due to rampant food inflation and a higher population of secondary school children where costs are higher. 1MC has a current budget of £220,000 which includes restarting some basic items that have been removed since COVID – e.g. extra food, camps, football costs, clothes etc. The Balance Sheet has been repaired with reserves of circa 5 months expenditure (£80-100k). The 1MC budget will decrease each year from now on as they are not taking on any more children and each year many leave school. 1MC forecasts that their budget will half over the next 5 years and be zero within 10 years (with no new initiatives – see below).
Lyra in Africa
Lyra, based in Iringa in Tanzania is very similar to 1moreChild in many ways and was set up to enable girls to complete their schooling. I have known the founder Maria Spink for several years, and I went to Tanzania with Maria this summer with my middle daughter, Lola and God daughter to really experience what Lyra does.
Lyra was initially set-up to build “Hostels” in the grounds of secondary schools in Tanzania. A high percentage of rural girls drop out of secondary school partially because of walking 10-15KM each way to school. Some fall pregnant after accepting lifts on motorbikes etc. The Lyra solution is to build a hostel that houses circa 100-140 girls so that they can stay at school. The annual drop-out rate of these children has reduced significantly from 15% to 2% per annum. The teenage pregnancy rate has dropped to zero from 6-10 pregnancies per annum per school. So far, Lyra have built 15 hostels housing about 3,000 girls at any one time.
The hostels are only built if they local authority commits 30% of the build costs and the community agrees to offer significant resources (circa 4% of the cost) in terms of building material / manpower / harvest etc. Once they are built the structures and running costs are handed over to the community so there is minimal ongoing overhead running the hostels. The rest of the construction cost is funded by donors at a one-off cost of circa £70k per hostel.
Lyra also funds places in these hostels (food costs etc) for the most disadvantaged at a cost of 250USD per annum per child.
What else does Lyra do?
In 2017 Lyra started a Youth Enterprise Scheme that both intensively trains and provides a Savings & Loan Scheme to give participants everything they need to start a business and become at the very least self-sufficient. It now has over 1,300 entrepreneurs running a wide variety of businesses from mushroom farms, chickens, food supplements, +++ This well thought out scheme has been wildly successful and has resulted in 80% of participants at least doubling their income and providing employment for at least one other person. The Scheme is now being adopted by other organisations in Tanzania.
Lyra has also built IT facilities in several schools.
Given the entrepreneurial nature of majority of our riders this seems an appropriate use of funds raised.
We are also planning to fund a pilot “Cycle to School” Scheme where we buy bikes for children in the rural communities (not those up the mountains!) to enable them to cycle to school. A possible alternative solution to building some hostels. Details and budget to be ironed out particularly around bike theft and maintenance.
Why Lyra?
- Tackles a similar problem to 1moreChild – enabling disadvantage kids to go to school
- Enterprise scheme that fits our profile
- No Western costs – all Trustees / Fundraisers are volunteers
- Very efficient with funds raised
- A small amount of £ goes along way.
- Great thoughtful leadership by Maria
Source of Funds 2025
The amount that we’re raising across the Pioneers and Founders rides has grown consistently since COVID. 2025 was the best year for fundraising in our history with a total of £308,000 raised for our charity causes 1moreChild & Lyra in Africa. The future fundraising looks strong for the years ahead:
- The numbers on the Pioneers Leg 15 is high at 125.
- The Founders has great momentum, more founders, more sponsors and a price rise for Leg 5.
- Growing auction in terms of lots, bidders and bids.
Use of Funds 2025
The funds for 2025 were split between 1moreChild (£158,000) and Lyra in Africa (£150,000). Here is a summary of how the funds are being used:
1moreChild
Lyra in Africa
Youth Entrepreneur Scheme – 100 young people including 30 people from 1moreChild. 12 month training scheme that started on 1st March 26 to encourage the contingent to start businesses.
Ride25 Hostel – Lyra will build a new hostel in a new community that will house 140 girls throughout the school year. The donation of £74,000 will provide the majority of the funds for contruction with the balance committed by the local community. The land is provided by the school and on completion the costs of running the hostel will be taken on by the school.
Cycle to School Pilot – an alternative way to reduce drop-out rates for school is to create a scheme that provides a fleet of 30 bikes to a community to enable people to cycle the 10-15KM to school rather than walking. This will also probably help create opportunities for the individuals in the Youth Entreprenuer Scheme.
Wildlife Conservation – we are also planning to pilot an eduction program with schools that neighbour the game reserves to help humans work alongside the animals.
Can I visit Lyra?
Our visit to Tanzania was a pilot with a handful of parents and children / nieces / nephews visiting the schools, sleeping and eating in the villages and doing the long walk to school every day. It was a rich experience that my daughter will never forget. The perfect age is probably 15 to 30. We finished visiting the charity’s initiatives with an amazing safari in a lesser-known Wildlife Park in the middle of Tanzania. Very few tourists but incredible wildlife.
See here a link to all the details of a trip on October. Let me know if you are interested in finding out more?
Rob
