As a travel company, Ticket to Ride recognizes its responsibility to make a positive impact on the communities that welcome us. As travelers we are privileged and we want to ensure that we are able to offer long and lasting support for positive change.
Charity Registration Number: XT22927
Aims
The TTRide Foundation has been set up to make a serious and sustainable impact on the local communities it supports. We are committed to long-term change, whether it is enabling those in the developing communities to support each other or connecting our Riders and Volunteers to those in need of support. We are avid believers in responsible travel and see it is a powerful way to connect people from all walks of life and bring positive change to the communities that need it most.
Objectives
The Ticket to Ride Foundation aims to bring about change by:
a) Nurturing and developing skills in socially and historically disadvantaged communities.
b) Promoting knowledge and mutual understanding between individuals from different cultures and backgrounds.
c) The prudent use of resources to offer sustainable and realistic opportunities for local employment and income.
d) Ensuring that tourism is both ecologically and culturally sensitive.
Our flagship Foundation project is situated in Cape Town and cares for the children of Kolobe St in the Masiphumelele township. The Ticket to Ride Foundation crèche has been set up to provide the local children with an alternative to the temptations of the street.
Run by Thomas under the guidance of Tim, former head of SA operations and now full time Foundation member, the crèche runs several coaching schemes as well as a twice-weekly feeding scheme to provide the children with a positive environment and positive role models.
Creche Projects:
Football: Sport is a wonderful way to bring people together. Through our football coaching schemes we aim to teach the children the importance of teamwork and communication, which they can then transfer to their every day lives. Tim and Thomas, together with Ticket to Ride Volunteers, organize twice weekly sessions on the local training ground as well as trips to the beach for friendly matches, often against our visiting Riders. Training sessions culminate in a soup kitchen to provide the children with a healthy meal and an opportunity to interact with Volunteers and Riders. These sessions are not just about sport, they offer an opportunity for cultural exchange and education and form an important part of the children’s development.
The boys are also entered into the local township league which caters for 1,300 children from across 5 of Cape Town’s biggest townships. Matches take place within the various townships on Fridays with the top teams playing off once a month in an inter-township meet. Again, Volunteers assist Tim and Thomas in coaching and managing the teams as they compete.
Surfing: Once a week we take a small group of kids over to Muizenberg for an afternoon of surfing. With equipment supplied and coaching on offer from Tim and Ticket to Ride Volunteers, it is a very rare opportunity for Thomas and the children to get a taste of the surfing lifestyle. The sessions are a reward for the children who show good attendance at the crèche and local schools and they culminate with a hot chocolate and pastry from Knead, the local bakery.
Swimming: Young Children in the townships rarely learn how to swim. Once a week Tim, Thomas and the Ticket to Ride Volunteers take a small group of kids to the tidal pool at St. James for swimming lessons.
Development
The crèche is a community centre and we are always looking to grow and expand with new projects to provide hope for as many locals as possible. The following are projects that we are looking to role out in the coming months:
Arts and Crafts: The next project in line for development is an arts and crafts scheme. Children, with the assistance of Ticket to Ride Volunteers, will be provided with materials for an arts and crafts programe. The goal for the Foundation is to find a local market in which to sell the goods. Children and volunteers will attend the market together with all funds generated going back into the project.
TTRIDE INTERNATIONAL
