In April 2021, we decided to launch our first ever virtual fundraising event to raise money to build a DigiBus for our children living in the townships of KwaZulu-Natal. 

In KwaZulu-Natal, many of our children are living in extreme poverty, with little access to food, clean sanitation or any decent education. Most of our children don't have access to wifi and have never seen a computer before. They learn out of old, worn out textbooks, read off of black-boards and sit on the floor throughout lessons. 

In lockdown this situation has been worsened. With no access to laptops and phones, online classes are impossible. Most families can't afford books and generations of illiteracy means it's impossible for parents to help keep their children engaged with school from home.

More than ever before, children as young as 11-years-old are having no option but to join a gang, and fall helplessly into crime, drugs and alcohol. Without immediate intervention we were worried these children would never return to school again.

That's why we launched our London to Cape Town Challenge to raise the funds to deliver a mobile, digital classroom to these children. 

Starting 1st April and finishing 30th April 2021, Atlas Foundation supporters attempted to virtually run, cycle, swim and walk the distance from London to Cape Town. 

Over 100 supporters, across 4 continents signed up to take part. With participants cycling laps of Singapore, through the Yorkshire dales, walking up Table Mountain and running along the Thames; it was great fun for all those involved. 

Due everyone's incredible efforts we managed to complete the 8,124 miles and touch down in Cape Town with 11 days to spare. So we then focused our efforts on fundraising and peddling back in time for May bank holiday weekend. 

We created weekly team and individual leaderboards to motivate everyone to keep pushing and continuing to get out on their runs, walks and bike rides. Participants especially loved racing against our chairman Jason Leonard, who enjoyed walking, cycling (and occasionally even running!) to get his miles in.

We received some inspiring good luck videos from our projects all around the world. Thanks must go to the children at South Coast Pirates Academy who really pushed the team throughout the challenge. 

We are delighted to be able to say, in total, we raised...

£55,822.22

Which was enough money to get our bus into the fabricators in Kenya and to begin the #DigiBusBuild!

Forgot to donate? Don't worry it's not too late. Click the link below to show your support to the challenge:

DONATE

Thanks must go to everyone who contributed to the challenge, whether it be taking part or generously donating. 

In supporting us deliver a DigiBus to these children in South Africa, you have helped us provide 10,000 children, in 11 schools, across 2 townships the opportunity to get hands-on experience with computers and digital learning every week.

In 2020, Atlas delivered a DigiBus to children in the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya. We have already witnessed the remarkable benefits a DigiBus has made to the lives of thousands of children in Nairobi, and we look forward to seeing a similar story unfold in South Africa.