1,500 kilometers in 24 days. Le Tour de Burkina

After an already busy summer, I have the pleasure of introducing The Tour de Burkina. Similar to the Tour de France, yet without the doping, Peace Corps volunteers will be pedaling their bikes all over the country of Burkina Faso. An easy feat of 1,500km!.....(or 932.25 miles for those meter challenged folks).

Why?

Why not!

Beginning August 29, 2012, Peace Corps volunteers from around Burkina Faso will be participating in the third annual country-wide bike tour to raise money for Gender and Development projects in Burkina.

Gender and Development projects encompass a huge variety of volunteer projects, be they organizing a girls’ camp to promote self-esteem and goal setting or helping a women's group conduct an income generating activity. These are of critical importance in Burkina Faso and represent a significant component of each volunteer’s work. The Gender and Development (GAD) Committee exists to support volunteer-initiated, gender equity projects around Burkina Faso; with Le Tour de Burkina we hope to generate funds so the GAD Committee can give small-scale project grants and volunteers can continue the essential work of promoting gender awareness and equality in Burkina Faso. We’re proud to say that last year’s tour raised nearly $6,000.

Please help us reach this year’s fundraising goal of $6,000 by visiting our blog and making a donation:

http://burkinabiketour.blogspot.com

To be certain your donation reaches Gender and Development projects, be sure to specify
“GAD Gender and Development” in the Comments section.

In Burkina Faso, one dollar goes a long way, so even the smallest contribution will make a big difference. Follow the blog to learn more about the tour, which projects were funded last year, and to stay updated while we’re on the road.

This year we will be riding for 24 days, covering about 1,500 kilometers, and passing by about 30 volunteer sites. The tour will increase awareness of Peace Corps Burkina Faso’s activities and reinforce the relationships within volunteers’ communities.

Thanks for your support!