Long Way Up and Unicef in Bolivia

The journey
of a lifetime

with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman

Unicef UK Ambassadors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman are on their biggest adventure yet

Travelling from Argentina to LA on electric bikes, Ewan and Charley visit Unicef programmes along the way. In Bolivia, Peru and Honduras, they see first hand the difference Unicef is making to children in the remotest parts of the world.

Along the way, Ewan and Charley also witness the devastating issues affecting children across Central and South America, and Unicef’s work to support children everywhere.

Ewan and Charley's journey

scroll right to find out more about their Unicef visits

BOLIVIA

Ewan and Charley attend an indigenous bilingual lesson at Challamayu School in Bolivia. The Unicef programme has supported these classes, taught in both Spanish and the traditional Quechuan.

“The colour, energy and joy of that day in the Bolivian mountains made a lasting impact,” Ewan fondly recalls

Students at Challamayu School in Bolivia perform a traditional Quechuan dance for Ewan and Charley.

“Visiting the school in Bolivia was a real high point of my time as an ambassador for Unicef. The children were so eager to learn and full of energy, learning in a way that is accessible to them in their local language thanks to Unicef,” says Charley.

PERU

In Peru, Ewan and Charley see how refugee children and their families are struggling with tough journeys through the region, and how Unicef’s emergency response at the Peru/Ecuador border helps them with nutrition, vaccinations, water and sanitation and child friendly spaces, so they can still play and learn.

“Even in these situations, Unicef is there, helping children be children with their emergency response – from nutrition, to water and sanitation, health services and a child friendly space where children can play and learn. With Peru, like the rest of the world, now in the throes of a global pandemic it’s great to hear that Unicef is helping to ensure children can survive and thrive.” says Ewan

“The families we met at the Peru/Ecuador border had gone through the most harrowing experience, yet showed the most amazing resilience. I’ll never forget the sadness in the stories we heard – but I also won’t forget seeing the joy brought to the faces of children singing, dancing, learning and playing in Unicef’s child friendly space” says Charley

HONDURAS

In Honduras, where gang violence is tearing apart communities and putting children at risk, Ewan and Charley visit Unicef programmes supporting children and keeping them off the streets through sport, recreation and training.

 

“Our day in Choloma showed us that UNICEF and local partners are doing all they can to ensure children can still be children – supporting families and keeping children off the streets through sport, recreation and training.” says Charley

“Unicef in Honduras is doing an amazing job working with local partners and the government in communities to keep children safe from harm, and ensure that the impact of local gang conflicts do not cast a shadow long over their futures. We saw children learning new skills and expressing their experiences through theatre and art. It’s so important that even in the most volatile of situations, children are able to be children – and that’s all thanks to Unicef.” says Ewan

Join Ewan and Charley in helping keep every child safe

“No child should have to live in fear of violence”

“Yet this is the sad reality for many children living in Honduras’ most dangerous neighbourhoods – with the coronavirus pandemic now making the situation much worse for many families,” says Ewan.

Coronavirus is now upending the lives of thousands of children worldwide – closing schools, stopping children getting vital vaccines, and making life in disaster zones tougher than ever.

A whole generation of children are in danger

Unicef keeps children safe by providing vaccines against deadly diseases and promoting safe hygiene in communities around the world. Unicef is the world’s largest supplier of emergency life-saving food for children. And we campaign tirelessly to end violence against children.

Join Ewan and Charley in helping keep every child safe.

Learn more

Unicef makes sure more of the world’s children are vaccinated, educated and protected than any other organisation. We have done more to influence laws, policies and customs to help protect children than any other charity. We get things done. And we’re not going to stop until the world is a safe place for all our children.

With your help, we work to protect children and their rights in over 190 countries.

We receive no funding from the UN budget. We rely entirely on voluntary donations like yours to fund our vital work to protect children in danger, transforming their lives and building a safer world for tomorrow’s children.

In 2004, Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman embarked upon what would be the first of three journeys of a lifetime. They travelled through Europe and Asia on their motorbikes, learning about the countries, the people, their histories and their cultures as they passed through. They visited Unicef programmes in Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Mongolia.

As Unicef UK Ambassadors, Ewan and Charley tirelessly fundraise and advocate for children all over the world. In 2007, the pair embarked on their second adventure and saw Unicef’s work with child soldiers in Uganda and land-mine awareness programmes in Ethiopia.

In their latest journey, Ewan and Charley are back on their bikes to travel from Argentina to Los Angeles. They visit three Unicef programmes as the pair continue to learn more about the organisation’s work and highlight issues affecting children in South and Central America.

Charley and I are both so proud to be Unicef Ambassadors. It means such a great deal for us to be able to further our work with Unicef by doing these journeys

Ewan McGregor, Unicef UK Ambassador