Our new solidarity project.
SILBON kick-starts 2018 with a new solidarity commitment. We are facing the exciting challenge that we present to you below: 20,000 Metres of Solidarity.
20,000 Metres of Solidarity was conceived out of concern from Carmen Oria, Pedro Mora and Gerardo Barrios, from Cordova, as well as Lina Lara, from Malaga, who all have a common hobby – swimming – and who all want to do their small part to contribute to the magnificent work being done The Miaoquehago Foundation in Cordova. SILBON wanted to join this project, inspired by the same spirit of support for the foundation, and to this end we plan to promote this action within the context of our CSR policy for the 2018 financial year.
The main objective of what The Miaoquehago Foundation does is to raise funds to create a helpline which will provide hydrotherapy services. The foundation will manage the distribution of grants among all the beneficiaries who request it nationwide.
Currently, the foundation is granting financial aid to help cover the cost of therapies of all different kinds, but there is an obligation to meet certain control requirements, which makes it impossible to meet the demand there is for all these types of therapies. With this initiative, and all the content generated from it, we intend to raise funds geared specifically towards providing hydrotherapy, in order to be able to reach more families.
The Crossing will take place in October 2018 when the four members of the 20,000 Metres of Solidarity group intend to perform the incredible feat of swimming across the Strait of Gibraltar, coast to coast from the tip of Tarifa to the continent of Africa. This pursuit requires an important level of physical preparation and is not exempt from risk, since there are many factors which can affect the passage across, such as water temperature, intense currents, fog, marine traffic, wildlife, etc. The shortest distance across is 14.5km, but strong currents in the area usually mean that the crossing involves travelling between 18 and 22 kilometres, which has an estimated duration of between 4 and 8 hours.
The final goal is to raise €20,000, an amount which symbolises the number of metres our heroes will travel.
Everything is being organised by Brazadas Solidarias, an organisation promoted by swimmer Christian Jongeneel and linked to the Vicente Ferrer Foundation, which is dedicated to the organisation and promotion of sporting events with a certain paradigm shift towards focusing more attention on the social and solidarity aspects of competitive sports.
Raising this amount of money would make a significant difference to what they can do. The Miaoquehago Foundation will take charge of the amount collected, assigning grants to as many families as possible.
You can stay updated on everything related to this project here on our website. We will keep you informed about everything to do with the exciting challenge facing these four warriors. Let’s go Carmen, Pedro, Gerardo and Lina! We’ll be urging you on with each stroke.