A while back we thought it would be a good idea to spend the first two weeks of July 2013 cycling Land’s End to John O’Groats, a trip that may well end up being about 1000 miles.  

There’s a reason we’re doing this.  Not everyone has access to clean water.  The distance we’re doing on bikes is nothing compared to the distances some children are having to walk throughout their childhoods to fetch water for their families.

The daily task of collecting water, as well as the constant search for privacy to go to the toilet, dominates the lives of many children, especially girls.  This leaves them with less time or energy to go to school, rest or play.  Girls as young as 10 may be responsible for fetching the family’s water.

The weight of the water container can cause damage to their head, neck and spine, and the distances walked mean that children may miss out entirely on their education.

Of the children who are able to find the time to go to school, the lack of decent toilets once they get there tends to prevent girls from attending school, especially during puberty.  Around 60% of the children currently not enrolled in school worldwide are girls.

Furthermore, kids are most vulnerable to the diseases that result from dirty water and poor sanitation.  In developing countries, each child has an average of ten attacks of diarrhoea before the age of five.

A lack of water also means that children cannot wash often enough and, as a result, suffer from diseases like scabies and eye infections such as trachoma.

Close your eyes now and imagine your average day without clean water.  I'm sure you wake up every day and take it for granted - I know  do. Please hit the sponsor button.  If you are thinking about doing it later – don’t.  Do it now.  How about a penny for every mile?  That's just £10.

Keep in touch with our progress via the below links.  We will be providing updates on our preparations, plans and cycling progress once we get out on the road:

http://hellonahybrid.wordpress.com/

https://www.facebook.com/HellOnAHybrid

https://twitter.com/HellOnAHybrid

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