This is Andrew Johnson - thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
This June, I am hoping to cycle around 500 miles in 5 days from the top to the bottom of the Pyrenees, on the French/Spanish border. Each day, as well as cycling 100 miles, I will climb around 7,000 feet. I'd like to ask you to consider sponsoring me in aid of a charity which Liz and I have supported over the last few years.
Izara Khom Loy is a UK charity which works in SE Asia, helping solve the problems of poverty and lack of education among people on the Thai/Burma borders. They are setting up a new project to help doubly-unfortunate children who are both refugees and orphans, in the town of Mae Sot, where up to 200,000 people who have fled the Burmese regime and its persecution of the people.
IKL has a very special way of helping pre-school children - over the last 7 years, they have developed a simple form of classroom based on Montessori (child-centred) learning, using locally made equipment to teach refugee and minority children how to speak the language needed for junior education (in this case, Thai).
IKL has already set up over 30 centres, which benefit over 700 children each year, as well as training over 60 teachers, many of whom come from minorities. These children now learn how to read and write, as well as basic maths. (You can see a video of an existing centre on the left.) Liz and I have known the founders for many years, and have personally visited their centres.
IKL is now setting up a new office in Mae Sot to help provide education to the most vulnerable children among the refugee population of 200,000 people. Opening the first schoolroom and training staff to deliver this system to 10 schools over the next 3 years will cost £10,000.
With a place at one of these IKL Montessori centres, orphaned children have a real chance to make a future for themselves, especially if they succeed in the Thai education system.
Will you help me raise this sum to enable Izara Khom Loy to help secure the futures of this most vulnerable group of children?
(Donors who prefer to donate in euros, please cut and paste this link into your browser: http://www.khomloy.org/ikl%20website.htm)
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.
