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Santosh a 13 year old boy cycled to complete his personal challenge of 75 km on 20th July. Suvexa, 11, completed her own kora with her father and mother at 7pm. Suklal Tamang 23, guard at SCI completed the 50 km kora in a gearless cycle – a tremendous feat. Shrija, who almost gave up on the first downhill but made it to the end. Support staff Nabaraj Parajuli cycled for the first time in 20 years and managed to complete the 50 km kora. There were many stories similar or unique on that day which fortunately became a part of the biggest event of 2013 in Nepal. Save the Children’s global campaign EVERYONE – no child born to die witnessed more than 900 online registrations with around 700 riders showing up on the D day.
The meeting point at Patan Durbar Square was packed with happy riders by 7am. It was an exciting scene and the feeling of belonging must have been mutual because everyone was happy to wait in long lines whether it was for a banana and an egg as fuel for the trip or to donate their money. Organizers distributed the remaining kora cycling “Everyone” logo branded tee shirts at the spot along with a breakfast and lunch coupon. The crowd listened intently to the instructions provided by the organizers while at the same time readying for the flag off. The race was flagged off by Health Officer in Charge of Sharmali village in Baitadi district in far west Nepal Lalit Dhami.
“People in Kathmandu who don’t know what is happening in Baitadi are gathered here to help the new and expecting mothers of Sharmali Village. The pouring support from so many riders here today has overwhelmed me. I will be sharing my experience here with my folks when I get home. I have been touched to see how people have come out to help my village” said Lalit Dhami.
The event was meticulously planned and extraordinarily the whole event was orchestrated at the helm of many volunteers who were happy to help and made sure the riders were supported in every possible way. Prior to the event the registered riders received email alerts which contained tips for Dos and Don’ts, a kora challenge map, contact number of the volunteers at water points, contact numbers of medical volunteers, information regarding safety such as the importance of wearing a helmet, and drinking before one is thirsty. The race was led by a pack of leader riders to lead the route, a middle pack of riders to guide others and a group of sweeping riders who made sure none of the riders were left behind.
The cause was owned by every individual cycling on 20th July – raise 1 million rupees to build a model eco friendly birthing centre in Baitadi! Besides the riders raising money from their friends and families a young and emerging youth based private company called ‘Biruwa Ventures’ who had raised NPR 50,000 last year for Rukum doubled the amount to NPR 100,000 this year through social media. Two staff from Save the Children, Mohan Nepal and Kirti Thapa, have raised the biggest amounts in our office with their two contributions alone totaling NPR 173,000 (c. $1,800).
“When you mix fun with a cause you get greater mileage, that’s what we have taken away from Kora 2012 and 2013. The cause was to raise awareness about children dying from preventable causes in remote parts of the country which is unacceptable,” said Sudarshan Shrestha, Director Media and Communications. “The event also gave people an opportunity to contribute in their own way to save newborn lives in Sharmali VDC of far western Nepal.”
The 2013 kora cycling event included a lot of young enthusiastic riders some as young as 10 years old but all accompanied by their parents. This year’s event was truly a mix of race, culture and continent as people from all walks of life participated to make this event a success. The ending point of the race was the starting point at Mangal bazaar, Patan. The riders interested to refresh after the event were encouraged to meet at a restaurant nearby where a jamming session was organized for the riders along with a welcome soft drink.
While 20 SCI staff attempted the race, around 10 completed the whole 50 km challenge. Our Country Director, David Wright, was one of the first riders among the lead riders to complete the race. Staffs in the office had even bought their own cycles and many are eagerly waiting for next year’s kora event. With so many riders riding for a common cause the 2013 kora event will be remembered as one of the biggest cycling events in the history of Nepal. And fortunately, it won’t be the last because everyone in and outside the office are already talking about the 2014 event which will also include 100 KM+ trail for international Professional MTB riders.
This successful event has proven that when individuals come together for a genuine cause nothing is impossible. So far, the organizing partner Social Tours have received NPR 750,000 and counting while Save the Children staff have raised more than NPR 300,000 meeting our target of raising 1 million for Baitadi!
