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I will be cycling 500km across Cambodia from Siem Reap to Sihanoukville to raise money for the International Childcare Trust.
ICT are a UK charity who provide essential support to thousands of disadvantaged children each year. Their projects help to provide quality education, healthcare and protection to some of the world's most vulnerable children in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, India, Sri Lanka and Cambodia who have been affected by poverty, disease, exploitation and armed conflicts.
ICT is careful to target projects that are not already supported by other local, national or international groups, and they support sustainable projects with low costs but big impact.
ICT believe that all children have the right to enjoy their childhood and reach their full potential.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now.
UPDATE:
After completing the challenge, here is a report of the adventure:
There were 44 of us in the group, plus a 4-man team from Action Challenge, who were organising the logistics and leading the group on behalf of the charity, International Childcare Trust.
Our first day's cycling was just a warm-up, cycling around the various temples in the Angor Wat area. These temples were built between the 9th and 13th centuries for various kings, with the first ones being Hindu. Jayavarman VII (1181-1220) was the first Khmer king to convert to Buddhism. The archtecture and intricate stone carvings on these temples is amazing, and the temple of Ta Prohm is particularly interesting because of the way that the trees have grown around and through the structures.
The next day, we took a 5 hour boat ride across TonLe Sap Lake to Kampong Chhnang, from where we cycled about 100km to Phnom Penh. The roads were generally flat tarmac in reasonable condition, but the cycling was hard work due to the high temperature of 35degrees, so we stopped to fill up our water bottles and have a cool drink every 15-20km. The ride into Phnom Penh itself, through the evening rush-hour traffic was a little hair-raising at times, but our guides did a great job of stopping traffic and making sure we took the right turns.
The following day we cycled about 90km to the small town of Takeo, where we were to spend the night in tents in the grounds of a monastery. Naturally, this was the only night it rained!
The next morning's 110km ride took us to Kep, a former French colony on the coast. One of the most notable things on the whole trip was how friendly the Cambodian people were, especially in the areas out of the big towns. When we passed little clusters of huts/houses, the children would wave and shout, and the brave ones would come up to the road with their arms outstretched for a "High Five" as we cycled past!
Our last day's cycle was the longest - about 130km - and included the only hills. Luckily, we had a rainstorm which cooled us down for the hilly section, before we arrived triumphantly in Sihanoukville, and all headed straight for the beach bar for a celebratory drink!
Before we left Sihanoukville, we visited the childrens' centre at M'Lop Tapang to see where our sponsorship money was going. They have several classrooms, a rudimentary computer training room, and a medical and dental centre. The children put on quite a show for us of traditional Khmer dancing and drama, followed by a football match between a team of cyclists and a team of the children. They ran rings around us!
At times, the journey was physically demanding, but the Action Challenge team, the other cyclists, and the Cambodian people themselves all made it an amazing experience.Thank you to everyone who sponsored me
