Volunteering: Remote Run for Rwanda

The PATRIZIA Foundation is organizing a virtual charity run under the motto “Running together for a good cause”. Anyone can take part and run a five-kilometre route of their choice between 24 December 2020 and 10 January 2021 – and thus support a school in Rwanda in order to build up infrastructures for digital learning there.

The “Remote Run for Rwanda” is a volunteering activity by Christina Lutz, an employee of PATRIZIA AG. Christina is a passionate runner herself and on PATRIZIA’s introduction day, in conversation with Angelika Jacobi from the PATRIZIA Foundation, she came up with the idea of holding a virtual charity running event. Together with the foundation, the 29-year-old organized the “Remote Run for Rwanda” for the Christmas season and hopes that many people will be infected with her passion for running: “Just the thought of doing good for children and for yourself at the same time is very motivating. You run alone, but you still run together to support a project together”.

Christina Lutz 

How does it work?

Anyone who wants to run for the good cause can register via the Race Result portal. In the period from 24 December to 10 January, each participant will run any five-kilometre course, track his time himself (based on trust) and upload it – preferably together with a photo – to the portal. Afterwards, the participants receive an individual certificate to print out.

Support for the PATRIZIA Vocational Training Center Ntarama in Rwanda

The starting fee of five euros (less any minor transaction costs) will benefit the Ntarama project in Rwanda of the PATRIZIA Foundation. A higher amount can be paid voluntarily upon registration, which will then be donated totally to the foundation. It is also possible to take over a running sponsorship for the students of the training centre in Ntarama.

Like other schools worldwide, the PATRIZIA Vocational Training Center Ntarama in Rwanda was closed during the lockdown. As a result, the students no longer had access to education because there were no infrastructures for digital learning. The school itself was in dire straits as school fees were not paid. The PATRIZIA Foundation provided emergency aid during this difficult time and, with funds from the “Corona Fund Education Healthcare”, supported the school with salaries for teachers, food and necessary hygiene measures such as hand washing facilities for the reopening after the lockdown.

The foundation also wants to help in the long term with a digitisation initiative, the “Digital Classroom”. The school urgently needs further support for the construction of a computer room and the purchase of laptops – so that access to education can be maintained in the long term despite further possible school closures via digital teaching. Therefore, the income from the starting fee and other donations collected during the charity run will go directly into this project.

Théophile Rutabana, managing director of the Nelson Mandela Education Center for Apprentices (NMEC)

#patriziarun – the hashtag to share!

The success of the project depends on as many people as possible making the run public and, for example, sharing their participation in the remote run in their own networks in order to motivate others to run as well – or to donate. This is also a good way for non-runners to support the project in Rwanda. Whether before the run or afterwards: Every post with the hashtag #patriziarun helps to make the project better known and thus also helps the school in Rwanda.

Further information can be found in our flyer. Questions, wishes or suggestions can be sent to the e-mail address remoterun@patrizia.ag.