Bathroom retailer Ripples has raised over £15,000 for sanitation charity, The Cycle, by completing a hike to the top of Mount Snowdon in North Wales. The challenge, which took place on 27th June 2024, saw a group of over 30 Ripples employees, suppliers and friends climb over 1,000metres to reach the top of Wales’ highest mountain, raising awareness and essential funds for the charity.
The Cycle is responsible for transforming the lives of over 350,000 people cross India and Africa by building revolutionary Ecosan toilets, which offer a safe, hygienic and sustainable option for communities in need. Every year over 800,000 children under 5 die from some form of diarrhoea-based disease and in India alone, as many as one in 5 girls leave school when they start their periods due to a lack of toilets and the in-built stigma attached to menstruation. With a focus on women, world and water, not only does The Cycle supply EcoSan toilet solutions, but the charity also provides period education, helping to establish menstrual, sexual and reproductive health literacy in schools and communities where taboos still suppress many women and girls.
The focus for Ripples fundraising efforts this year was to raise enough money to build a toilet block for the girls of Government Higher Secondary School, P. Pudupatti, which is located in one of India's most underdeveloped districts. Last year, with donor support, the school was able to build a boys' toilet block, but the girls have never had access to their own safe and sanitary toilets.
Ripples MD Paul Crow said: “We’ve been proud supporters of The Cycle for the past decade, raising over £85,000 to aid the crucial work the charity does across India and Africa. With the common thread of sanitation tying us together, we’re constantly looking fornew ways to raise both awareness and vital funds to help The Cycle improve the lives of those less fortunate than us and the Snowdon challenge was the perfect way to do this. The climb was challenging, largely due to the driving rain and 50mph winds which greeted us as we reached the summit, but it was also fun and hugely rewarding. We're delighted to have raised such a substantial amount of money to support The Cycle's work; I personally visited several of the charity’s projects during a trip to India in February 2023 and saw for myself the life-changing difference that donations can make.”
To donate to this cause, visit donorbox.org/ripples-snowdon
