The Davos Challenge: Walk For Education

CHICAGO - Jan. 14, 2015 - PRLog -- World Bicycle Relief is pleased to announce The Davos Challenge: Walk for Education, a collaboration with UBS and the World Economic Forum (WEF) at its Annual Meeting 2015, to highlight the impact of distance on school going children in South Africa. Of the over 11 million children who walk to school, half a million walk for more than an hour– up to 6 km each way. This initiative will culminate with UBS and the UBS Optimus Foundation donating 2,500 bicycles, to be delivered by World Bicycle Relief, with a goal to reduce student travel times, boost attendance and improve educational outcomes.

F.K. Day, Founder and President of World Bicycle Relief-

“World Bicycle Relief is humbled to partner with UBS at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting 2015 in support of this initiative to illustrate distance as a barrier to children’s learning. With a strong commitment to education, UBS understands that a complex problem can sometimes be solved with a simple solution. The generous support of UBS, the UBS Optimus Foundation and engaging initiatives like The Davos Challenge will make education a reality for many more children.”

Poor transportation infrastructure combined with long distances to school mean that many children in Africa are not getting an adequate education and therefore are ill-equipped to fight the cycle of poverty. For instance, in rural South Africa many have to walk 6 km or more to school every day. This cuts into their learning time or even stops them attending school altogether. Providing kids with robust bikes built for rugged terrain can reduce their travel times by 75%, boosting attendance and educational achievement.

The first 1,000 participants to sign up for the challenge at the meeting in Davos will be given FitBit electronic pedometers to log the distance they walk individually and to allow us to calculate the collective average. Participants' progress will be displayed on special screens at the Congress Center in Davos and will be available on a dedicated website, www.ubs.com/davoschallenge.

Axel Weber, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Corporate Responsibility Committee, UBS AG

“All children should have access to education and the opportunity to learn,” he says.  "In our view, we have a great responsibility to children, and also a responsibility to our shareholders to ensure that our philanthropic investments are highly impactful.  This program reflects our commitment to both these goals.”

With global leaders gathering in Davos to discuss the theme “The New Global Context”, World Bicycle Relief is honored to highlight how access to reliable, robust transportation can dramatically change a student’s educational outcome. In the short term, bicycles will relieve children’s exhaustion from commuting to school and help them attend regularly. In the long term, bicycles will help children complete their education, preparing them for better jobs and reducing the likelihood of extreme poverty.

With a goal to improve access to education, the World Bicycle Relief’s Bicycles for Educational Empowerment Program (BEEP) provides bicycles to students, teachers and school volunteers.  In recognition of the importance of girls’ education, 70% of student bicycles are targeted to girls. Keeping girls in school has shown to have a multiplier effect; educated women tend to be healthier, earn greater incomes, marry later, have fewer children and help lift families and communities out of poverty across generations.

To date, World Bicycle Relief has distributed more than 220,000 bicycles to students, healthcare workers and entrepreneurs, and has trained more than 1,000 field mechanics in 13 countries across Africa, South America and Southeast Asia.

About World Bicycle Relief:

World Bicycle Relief is dedicated to mobilizing people through The Power of Bicycles®. World Bicycle Relief accomplishes its mission by designing, manufacturing and distributing high quality bicycles that withstand the challenging terrain and conditions in rural, developing areas. Entrepreneurs use the bike to increase productivity and profits. Students attend class more regularly and their academic performances improve. And, health care workers visit more patients in less time, providing better, more consistent care. World Bicycle Relief also promotes local economies and long-term sustainability by assembling bicycles locally and training over 1,000 field mechanics.  To date, World Bicycle Relief has delivered over 220,000 bicycles.

For more information, please visit: www.worldbicyclerelief.org/ Follow us @PowerOfBicycles and Like us at facebook.com/worldbicyclerelief

About UBS AG:

UBS draws on its 150-year heritage to serve private, institutional and corporate clients worldwide, as well as retail clients in Switzerland. Its business strategy is centered on its pre-eminent global wealth management businesses and its leading universal bank in Switzerland, complemented by its Global Asset Management business and its Investment Bank, with a focus on capital efficiency and businesses that offer a superior structural growth and profitability outlook.

UBS is present in all major financial centers worldwide. It has offices in more than 50 countries, with about 35% of its employees working in the Americas, 36% in Switzerland, 17% in the rest of Europe, the Middle East and Africa and 12% in Asia Pacific. UBS employs about 60,000 people around the world. Its shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

About UBS Optimus Foundation:

The UBS Optimus Foundation is an expert grant-making foundation established by UBS in 1999. The Foundation works to break down barriers that prevent children from reaching their potential by funding leading organizations to improve the health, education and protection of children.

The UBS Optimus Foundation supports projects in places where children face adversity. UBS covers all the Foundation's administrative costs so that 100 percent of all donations go directly to the projects.

UBS Optimus Foundation – A better future for children.

About WEF:

The World Economic Forum is an international institution committed to improving the state of the world through public-private cooperation. Founded in 1971 by Professor Klaus Schwab, the WEF convenes the most relevant actors from all sectors- business, government and civil society- in a high-level informal environment of trust. The WEF is an impartial platform for transforming dialogue into insights, insights into agendas and agendas into action. The mission of the WEF is to improve the state of the world by serving as a trusted partner to the stakeholders of global society as they embark upon transformation processes in response to the profound economic, social and political changes sweeping our world.

World Bicycle Relief Media Contact:

Brooke Slezak

brooke@brookeslezak.com

press@worldbicyclerelief.org

Mobile: 917.689.6024