School of Skate Rwanda - Shipping Costs Fundraiser
Donation protected
Dear skateboarding communities around the world,
Through skateboarding, we are convinced we can bridge any mental and physical barriers that stop us from building healthier mindsets, stronger communities and brighter futures for our youngest.
Recent research shows that benefits of skateboarding programs include (reference article):
- experiencing a sense of belonging to a skateboarding subculture,
- protection from gang recruitment and community violence,
- physical and emotional benefits of exercise,
- mentors as positive role models,
- and learning life skills.
Are you wondering how you can help further spread the skateboarding gospel? Well, the biggest obstacle to skateboarding in Rwanda is a lack of skateboards. There are currently no skateboard shops in Rwanda. Skateboarding is very new in Rwanda and has yet to catch on, but the kids know what's up. They take to skateboarding so quickly, it's a joy to see!
Rwandan skateboarders have mainly relied on charity and international shipping to get their skateboards. School of Skate Rwanda is a upstarting Rwandan organization that has the goal of teaching as many kids how to skateboard as possible, in Rwanda, and to forge a strong community through classes, training and fundraiser events.
In August 2023, a skate shop in Pittsburgh called One Up partnered with School of Skate Rwanda to organize a used skateboards donation run in Pittsburgh. Yinzers showed up and blessed us with over 30+ decks, wheels, trucks and more! We were happy to see our vision was resonating.
But with great donation turnouts, comes great shipping costs. Five boxes of 25-30 lbs each cost a total of ~$1500 to ship to Rwanda from Pittsburgh. So we come again to you, our skateboarding community peers, and we ask you to help us get these boards all the way to Rwanda.
This is your opportunity to make an impact on the global skateboarding scene. We ask you to do these three things to help us on our journey:
- Follow @OneUpPGH , @School_of_Skate_Rwanda and @draktik on Instagram to get updates on our journey. We want to be as transparent about our use of the skateboard materials as possible and you can reach us through [email redacted].edu or simply DM and we'll make sure to share any information you need.
- Share this GoFundMe campaign with as many people as you can (especially skateboarders!!). Don’t forget to tag us if you share this on Instagram!
- Donate what you can spare to the cause! You will surely be rewarded on this plane and the next. We truly value any contribution and will ensure that every dollar has the most impact possible to build a strong skateboarding community.
We want to thank you again for giving us the time of the day and willingly clicking and reading this far! We really are all in this together and skateboarding has the potential of being more than just a sport, it could be a way to a better world. We really believe this. We are glad to have you join us on this journey to spreading the skateboarding gospel to Rwanda!
Sincerely,
David Mberingabo x School of Skate Rwanda x One Up Skate Shop
Organizer
David Mberingabo
Organizer
Pittsburgh, PA