With a slogan of “No Child Born to Die,” Kathmandu Kora is organizing a Cycling Challenge 2013 and welcoming riders from all over the world to ride a personal challenge of 50 kilometers around Kathmandu Valley on 20th July 2013.
It started in 2011 with 25 riders collecting around 450000 for a school and an orphanage in Kathmandu, and in 2012 almost 300 riders turned up and raised close to a million for upgrading birthing facilities in Rukum.
Kora does not only mean the clockwise ritual circumambulation of temples or deity images, it also means riding and bringing cyclists together on a circuit route of the Kathmandu valley’s lower hills, suburbs and sights for a good cause.
With high zeal and will the team is set to raise 1 million, this year Kathmandu Kora is planning to build an eco-designed building for a birthing facility in Sharmali VDC, Baitadi. They plan to make the building earthquake-proof, secure, warm and welcoming that equals to the building facilities in the city because just having a building that meets minimum requirements is not enough.
In order to raise the money for building this facility, participants are requested to ask their friends, family members or companies to pledge Rs. 100 for every kilometer they ride. However, it is voluntary, and the riders are not bound to raise this money. The registration form for the Kathmandu Kora Cycling Challenge 2013 is available at http://kathmandukora.eventbrite.com/.
One can register as a rider and take on the challenge; or register as a sponsor or pledger and pledge an amount for each rider or just for the cause. Pledges can be made at Rs. 100 per kilometer or just an amount.
According to the Raj Gyawali Organizer, “This year it’s going to be big. As part of everyone’s campaign, we plan to build a birthing facility in Sharmali VDC, Baitadi. This will be an Eco-Designed building, providing the best facilities to the women and children in this remote VDC. The principle is simple – no more minimum standards for our women and children. They deserve the best standards. They deserve a birthing facility that is beautiful, secure, earthquake proof, welcoming, warm and everything that we expect facilities to be like in the city. And this is what we aim to do.”
Following the success of the first Kora Cycling Challenge last year, Kathmandu Kora Cycling Challenge 2012, was organized by Social tours and Talent Inc. Last year they bring together around 100 riders from Nepal and abroad to participate in a 50-kilometer challenge around Kathmandu valley, raising money per kilometer biked for a worthy cause.