Big City Sleep: sleeping rough can make a difference

Millions of homeless children in Brazil have no choice but to sleep on the streets.

Recently, nearly 100 Londoners accepted the challenge to spend an odd night out; sleeping rough to raise money for Brazilian street kids.

The group met this April at central London’s Spitalfields Market to swap their comfortable beds at home for cardboard boxes for one night, and brave the cold.

The annual event, dubbed Big City Sleep, is an initiative of UK Charity ABC Trust, and aimed to raise funds to projects dedicated to young people in vulnerable situations in Brazil.

ABC Trust’s founder Jimena Page, who started the charity with ex-husband Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), explains that this event is not an attempt to undermine or trivialize the issues faced by the street children in Brazil, but to recreate, to a certain extent, the challenges they face in their daily life.

“The goal of the Big City Sleep is to show our society some aspects of life of those children who live in the streets in Brazil, the difference is that participants can go back to the comfort of their homes the next day,” she says.

Jimena tells the idea first started in 2010 when one of ABC’s staff members had the idea, which became very popular amongst students.

One of the brave students who accepted the challenge said she has always been blessed enough to have a roof over her head, and hopes this one rough night can help those less fortunate.

‘I am sure I won’t be able to really feel what these children have to go through each night but I sincerely hope raising awareness to the issue will make people realise how big difference one small selfless act can make.’