Back home. A rather unusual Charity Rally, which enabled many personal encounters, has left a lasting impression. Opportunity in Action has been true to its name: the third “go4school” Education Rally that took place from 28.02 to 14.3.16 gave its 52 participants profound insights into the school and agricultural projects in Africa that are supported by the event.
Peter Seikel, himself a participant and a supporter of Africa for many years, is particularly interested in the social aspects of the mission. “For me it is particularly important that people in the disadvantaged countries of the world get a chance to shape their futures themselves. We have the know-how and the financial means to help them do that. Opportunity is a guarantee that these funds get to where they are needed and that people are coached to use them properly.”
We do this partly by building a private network of schools to supplement the state system, with knowledgeable teachers and sponsored teaching materials. This provides good starting conditions for many children, especially outside urban areas.
We also provide microcredits to committed individuals to help them start a business and give work to others. The income that this generates for the parents enables their children to go to school regularly. Then they can see the prospects they have at home.
For all the participants of the go4school Education Rally 2016 the motivation was to support this with their own efforts. All the Amaroks provided free of charge by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and those financed by the drivers themselves were brought safely from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania through Kenya and Uganda to Kigali in Rwanda.
Most of the vehicles were equipped with SEIKEL components and so were prepared for off-road travel. 3,400 impressive kilometres, of which more than 1,000 were on unpaved roads and tracks, were completed with flying colours. Several of the Amaroks will be in service at the Opportunity Bank of Rwanda and used for trips to remote areas. Others will be sold in the country. The proceeds of some €220,000 will go towards expanding selected educational projects in Rwanda.
