1.2 million kilometres cycled across 365+ cities as communities, corporates, and cyclists unite for children with cancer
Pune: India’s Largest Charity Cycling Challenge CanKids KidsCan’s Cycle for Gold Raised ₹3.1 Crores for childhood cancer patients. Done under the aegis of CanKids KidsCan a national NGO dedicated to Change for Childhood Cancer in India, the event brought together 2,236 cyclists covering an an extraordinary 1.2 million kilometres. In FY 2025–26, CanKids helped catalyse access to care for over 42,000 children and supported over 26,000 children with treatment and holistic care services.
CanKids KidsCan’s Cycle for Gold was held across more than 360 cities and also included 466 women cyclists. CanKids KidsCan currently supports childhood cancer care across 142 hospitals in 22 states and continues to work towards ensuring that no child suffers or dies of cancer due to lack of access, treatment, or support.
Built around the message “Get Fit. Give Hope.”, every kilometre became a “Km to Cure,” with cyclists powering the movement while corporates, CSR partners, sponsors, donors, and fundraising champions powered the impact behind it. This pan India event raised ₹3.1 crore through sponsorships, CSR support, individual giving, fundraising champions, and community participation.
Pan India — Numbers at a Glance
2,236 cyclists across 365+ cities
1.2 million km cycled
₹3.1 crore raised
119 cycling groups including corporates, schools, communities, and survivor families
466 women cyclists
Participants aged 7 to 77 years
Over five editions, Cycle for Gold has evolved into one of India’s leading purpose-driven fundraising and awareness movements for childhood cancer, showing how sporting communities and citizen participation can directly support treatment, holistic care, and systems-strengthening efforts across India.
Among the most inspiring aspects of CFG V was participation across generations — from schoolchildren to senior citizens. Participants above 60 years collectively cycled over 2,000 kilometres alongside young students who joined with equal enthusiasm and commitment.
Poonam Bagai, Founder Chairman, CanKids KidsCan, said: “Cycle for Gold is no longer just a cycling challenge, it has become a national movement for childhood cancer. Every kilometre ridden creates awareness. Every fundraiser creates support. Every sponsor and CSR partner helps sustain hope for children and families facing cancer. What makes CFG truly special is the coming together of communities across India — cyclists, corporates, schools, survivors, donors, volunteers, and citizens, all united by one belief: that no child should suffer or die of cancer for lack of access, care, or support.”
Piyush Gupta, Chairman, Temasek India, former Group CEO of DBS Bank and CanKids Ambassador, said: “Something extraordinary has happened across India over the last 40 days. Cyclists, schoolchildren, corporates, and communities came together for children with cancer and collectively rode 1.2 million kilometres. This is the power of social capital and collective philanthropy, people coming together around a shared purpose to create impact far greater than any individual effort. The cyclists have powered the kilometres. Now it is our turn to turn those kilometres into cures.”
About CanKids
Founded in 2004 by Poonam Bagai, herself a cancer survivor, CanKids KidsCan, the National Society for Change For Childhood Cancer in India partners with hospitals, medical professionals, and state governments to enable access and best standards of treatment, care and support across 60 cities and 22 states of India. Catering to childhood cancer patients from primarily underprivileged families, CanKids is present in 142 hospitals across India.
The CanKids Change for Childhood Cancer in India (CCC India) model is a transformative healthcare to ensure that no child suffers or dies of cancer for lack of access, care, or support, marrying a rights-based equity framework with measurable outcomes of survival and access. CCC India targets Universal Health Coverage through 100% access, 100% financial protection, and at least 60% survival by 2030.
Through their signature program YANA (You Are Not Alone) – CanKids provides accommodation through Home Away from Homes, drugs and diagnostics support, patient transport, blood support, nutrition and hygiene counselling, supplements, rations, education and counselling support. In order to enable Access To Care for those in need, CanKids also implements large-scale Change For Childhood Cancer projects at the state level in 16 states across India and have MOUs with 8 state governments as knowledge and technical partners for Childhood Cancer.
While all services are free, at the funding level, the organization while being fully compliant has raised Rs 59 crores, with 70%+ form CSR and other grants and through reach out to Indian HNIs and diaspora, while keeping Cost of Operations at 13-14%.
