Solar Village SDG CIC, an Oxfordshire-based community interest company, has launched the Oxford City Walkabout 2025, a sponsored fundraising walk scheduled for Sunday, 2 November.
The two-and-a-half-hour walk will take participants through Oxford’s landmarks, culminating in a social fundraising event featuring a quiz, an Oxford–Sri Lanka themed art sale, Sri Lankan music, a raffle, and a traditional banana-leaf wrapped lunch.
Aims of the initiative
The organisation hopes to raise sufficient funds to establish at least two solar villages and two smart classrooms in rural Sri Lanka.
Projects include:
• Anuradhapura: Installing a solar roof and building sanitation facilities for a primary school, alongside the creation of a smart classroom to expand IT-based education.
• Batticaloa: Providing solar-powered water pumping and desalination systems to deliver safe drinking water and support drip irrigation in an arid community struggling without electricity or sanitation.
Solar Village SDG stated that the initiative also seeks to promote wider sustainable development, including cottage gardens, tree planting, clean environment projects in schools, and support for women-led households.
Call for participation
Teams from businesses, professional associations, alumni groups, universities, families, and individuals are invited to take part. Each walker is encouraged to gather sponsorships, creating a multiplier effect.
The organisers welcome participants both in the UK and abroad. While UK-based individuals can join the walk directly, international supporters are encouraged to sponsor teams or contribute through the Enthuse platform in multiple currencies.
Sri Lankan-based sponsors are invited to directly fund projects, with estimated costs of £2,250 (about Rs. 925,000) for a 5 kW solar roof and £1,500 (about Rs. 620,000) for a smart board.
Solar Village SDG stated that it hopes renewable energy advocates, climate change activists, and those passionate about sustainable development will support the initiative to bring lasting benefits to underserved communities in Sri Lanka.