Organised by Terre des Hommes Suisse since 1992 – since almost 30 years! – The Marche de l’espoir (March of Hope) takes place every year on a Sunday of October on the Quai du Mont-Blanc in Geneva.

The Marche de l’espoir (March of Hope) is around 4’000 children and young people accompanied by their families – 12’000 people – who walk together to show solidarity “here” with the children who are “there”.

Each participant searches for sponsors who will commit to paying a certain amount of money for each kilometre travelled. On the day of the Marche de l’espoir (March of Hope), he or she will have his or her “March Passport” stamped at each mileage stand as he or she progresses. He or she then collects the promised sum from his or her sponsors and sends it to Terre des Hommes Suisse. The money raised is used to finance children’s programs in the countries where Terre des Hommes Suisse is active.

In addition to the March event on a beautiful Sunday in October, pupils in the canton of Geneva and in the French border region will receive awareness raising sessions directly at school starting from the beginning of the school year with speakers trained by Terre des Hommes Suisse. They visit school classrooms to present a country where Terre des Hommes Suisse is active, and a theme linked to children’s rights. This way, almost 32,000 pupils are made aware of the realities of life in the South and of solidarity.

On the D-Day of the March, the Quai du Mont-Blanc comes alive: the departure is given at 11am by the Mayor of the city of Geneva. Throughout the day, families can eat and be entertained in the tents set up along the route and under the main tent, where entertainment is offered. You need to have experienced this day at least once to feel the joy and solidarity that makes this great multicultural festival so special!