And they're off: The Human Race comes to Geneva
Almost 100 UNHCR staffers and supporters sacrificed their lunch on Friday and pounded the streets of Geneva to raise money for refugee children in Chad.
GENEVA, August 29 (UNHCR) - Almost 100 UNHCR staff members and supporters sacrificed their lunch on Friday and pounded the streets of Geneva to raise money for the education of refugee children in Chad.
The UN refugee agency organized a 10-kilometre run and a 5-km walk along Lake Geneva and around the leafy UN quarter of the Swiss city as part of the Nike+ Human Race, a fund-raising event that will gather an estimated 1 million runners in 25 cities around the world on Sunday and raise at least US$500,000 for UNHCR.
With five minutes to go before the scheduled start, the Geneva event looked as though it was doomed to failure with just a handful of people present in their running shorts and UNHCR tee-shirts. But then a flood of amateur athletes of all sizes, ages and colours arrived in front of the UNHCR headquarters for the start.
UNHCR Director of External Relations Nick Van Praag, who will be in London on Sunday to take part in the Human Race, welcomed staff and runners from sister agencies and embassies.
"All the miles that you walk or you run will be registered and will count towards the resources that UNHCR will gain from this effort," Van Praag said. "We've already been guaranteed half-a-million dollars [by Human Race organizer and UNHCR corporate partner, Nike] for our work. The more you walk, the more you do, the more we'll get."
Shortly afterwards, the Geneva race began under a light breeze and clear skies. A keen core of about 20 runners set off at a cracking pace, keen to burn off some calories over their 10-km route, while the rest strolled downhill towards the lake at a leisurely pace. An hour later and they were back in front of UNHCR, a good deed for the day done.
"It was a way to connect Geneva with the main Human Race and the cities where it is being held," said participant Carla Thachuk, a fund-raiser for UNHCR. "Running 10 kilometres is nothing compared to the difficulties that the refugees in Chad face on a daily basis," she added.
Van Praag said the money that the agency receives from the Geneva event and the Human Race proper will be used to equip schools and pay the salaries of more than 500 teachers in camps housing almost 250,000 Sudanese refugees in east Chad. This programme is part of UNHCR's ninemillion.org campaign to provide education and sports opportunities for all refugee children.
UNHCR, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Lance Armstrong Foundation will be the three beneficiaries of funds raised by the Human Race. Nike pledged to give each of the three beneficiaries US$500,000. Runners will specify which of the three organizations they wish to support and extra monies raised will be allocated based on this.
The UN refugee agency will have runners in all corners of the world helping to elevate the cause of refugee children on Sunday. From sole UNHCR staff members running in Dakar, Senegal and Tbilisi, Georgia, to the 3,000 refugees and host community members running in Nepal.
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UNHCR Global Report 2009 - Funding UNHCR's Programmes
1 Jun 2010 ... ... Private Donors Netherlands (Nike Emea/ Mercy Corps) Apparel, footwear and equipment for humanitarian purposes received from Nike EMEA in partnership with Mercy Corps. 9551973 Spain Rent of office ...... -
UNHCR Global Report 2009 - Serbia
1 Jun 2010 ... ... general, BPRM, the Council of Europe Development Bank as well as private organizations (Humanitarian Organization Divac) and international companies (Nike Sports Company) interested in the operation. ...... -
UNHCR Global Appeal 2012-2013 - Working in partnership
1 Dec 2011 ... ... Long-standing partners such as the Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, Energias do Portugal, the International Olympic Committee, Manpower, Microsoft, Morneau Shepell, Nike, PricewaterhouseCoopers and ...... -
Update on Programme Budgets and Funding for 2005
12 Sep 2005 ... ... Stichting Vluchteling 1,932,047 Dutch Postcode Lottery (NPL) 1,801,107 Nike EMEA Netherlands 128,041 Total for Private Donors in the Netherlands 3,861,195 Private Donors in Italy Miscellaneous donors ...... -
Update on Programme Budgets and Funding for 2007 and Projections for the Biennial Programme Budget for 2008 and 2009
21 Jun 2007 ... ... USA for UNHCR 605,299 Miscellaneous donors in the USA 104,562 Nike Beaverton 72,000 Total for ... Private Donors in Italy Miscellaneous donors Italy 1,440,792 Nike Italy 13,364 Total for Private ...... -
Update on programme budgets and funding for 2007
3 Sep 2007 ... ... Private Donors in Italy Miscellaneous donors Italy 2,136,820 Nike Italy 13,364 Stichting Vluchteling ... Miscellaneous Donors in the United States 205,569 Nike Beaverton 72,000 Bill and Melinda Gates ...... -
UNHCR Global Appeal 2006 - Working in partnership with others
1 Dec 2005 ... ... from five major corporations that have been working with UNHCR for several years to improve opportunities for refugees: Merck and Co, Inc., Microsoft, Nestlé, Nike and PricewaterhouseCoopers. ...... -
UNHCR Global Report 2006 - Headquarters
1 Jun 2007 ... ... on further developing UNHCR’s corporate partnerships, coordinating the UNHCR Council of Business Leaders, and launching a new global campaign ninemillion.org with the support of Nike and Microsoft. ...... -
UNHCR Global Report 2010 - Donor profiles
20 Jun 2011 ... ... Private sector fund raising through España con ACNUR Spain (1) Major Donors USD Nike Inc through FC Barcelona Foundation 245,740 Fundación La Caixa 216,820 Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. ......