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| PRESS RELEASE *** Ride to Read – A (Long) Bike Ride to fight Illiteracy in the Developing World *** Contact – David McQuillen (+41.79.770.1986, dmcquillen@rocketmail.com) Website – http://www.ridetoread.com On April 11th, two office workers will mountain bike 1,200 kilometers on the highest roads in the world in an effort to fight global illiteracy, one of the major causes of poverty and oppression. “We were just sitting at our desks one day and we started talking,” says David McQuillen, one of the riders. “And we realized that we really hadn’t done anything for the rest of the world. We were just making excuses for not volunteering or doing something to help someone else. That’s when we started planning this ride – The Ride to Read.” McQuillen and his compatriot Nicolas Berstché, who both live in Zurich, Switzerland, will cycle from Lhasa, Tibet to Kathmandu, Nepal. Their goal is to raise 15,000 Swiss Francs (12,000 USD) to build 4 libraries, fund 10 years of scholarships and to fund the production of 5,000 Nepali language children’s books. According to Bertsché, the support has been amazing. “Everyone can imagine what it must be like to pick up a book and be unable to read a single word. And everyone can imagine how difficult a bike ride like this is. It’s epic! This is why we’ve already raised more than 12,000 Swiss Francs. Since every single franc we receive from individuals goes right to the libraries, scholarships and books, we’re almost there.” The route of the Ride to Read, covered over 19 days, is challenging. At a base altitude of about 3,500 meters, crossing 5 mountain passes over 5,000 meters, the physical and emotional demands of fighting thin air, dust storms, biting cold and yak butter tea will be significant. “We wanted to do something difficult,” says Bertsché. “We felt we had to in order to get attention. And we wanted to show the kids in Nepal that if you set your mind to it, even a long difficult journey such as learning to read can be accomplished. It can even be fun.” McQuillen and Bertsché have teamed up with Room to Read, a charity which believes that “World change begins with educated children.” Room to Read has been featured in media such as Fast Company, Forbes and the International Herald Tribune. “We thrive on entrepreneurial spirit and creative ideas,” says John Wood, founder and CEO of Room to Read. “These guys are a classic example of passionate and dedicated people committing themselves to bringing children the lifelong gift of education. We are proud to be part of the same team!" According to McQuillen, the two spent a lot of time looking at different charity organizations in Nepal before settling on Room to Read. The decision was based on their ambitious goal to educate 10 million children and their results oriented mindset. “We were also impressed with their low operating overhead and their commitment to employing people in the areas where they built libraries and schools.” The Ride to Read is sponsored by Credit Suisse UK, Powerbar, Ajungilak by Mammut and Cycles Froidevaux. ** About Illiteracy ** More than 1 billion people in the world are illiterate. The lack of this simple skill, so easily taught, results in poverty, oppression, wars and death. In countries like Nepal, where the illiteracy rate is as high as 70 % in rural areas, The situation is dire. Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world with almost half of its population living below the poverty line. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, providing a livelihood for over 80% of the population and accounting for 40% of GDP. Illiteracy rates are often as high as 70% and in rural villages less than 50% of children have the opportunity to attend secondary school. ** About McQuillen and Bertsché ** They’re just a couple of Bankers who decided to stop talking about doing something good and just go and do it. McQuillen is 33 and American. Bertsché is 31 and Swiss. Both live in Zurich. Both are worried that they haven’t trained enough. |
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| Two bikes, Two cities, 1200 kilometers, One goal: change the world by teaching kids to read |
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| All donations go to Room to Read |
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| Thanks to our sponsors! |
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