Hi everyone, 

Thank you so much for visiting my JustGiving page. 

(Important note before you read on: this page is for those donating in non-GBP currencies. For those in the UK, please visit the following link instead which enables fundraising for both of my chosen charities: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Sarah_Brindley. Thank you:).

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At the end of June I'll be heading to South America, aiming to cycle c.11,000km in total from top to bottom. That's one heck of a lot of hours in the saddle (9 months to be precise)!

After the initial few weeks with a good friend, the rest of the trip will be solo and unsupported. 

This is easily the most exciting and scary thing I've ever done, so I decided it was hopefully worthy of some of your hard-earned cash, to support Hope and Homes for Children.

Did you know:

• Over 8m children round the world are confined to orphanages and denied a safe and loving environment in which to grow up. A staggering 80% of them aren't orphans.
• As many as 37% suffer violence or sexual abuse
• Those who survive a childhood in an orphanage are 500x more likely to commit suicide than children who have grown up in families
• Some orphanages have mortality rates as high as 80%

The work of Hope and Homes for Children has so far transformed the lives of over 82,000 children and demonstrated the closure of 93 institutions across 9 countries. They are working to eliminate institutional care around the world and have recently started in South America.

Watch this for an example of their work: https://youtu.be/uYe6t4Uq4EI

All funds raised will go to these charities and not a penny towards funding the trip itself.

Please spread the word and give generously to help these organisations transform even more lives. 

Your donations will mean a lot as I huff and puff my way along the Andes!

Sarah

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Follow my trip: based on popular demand, I've set up a blog. You can follow my trip here: www.cyclingabovetheclouds.com 

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