The more our journey continues, the more we realise how fortunate we are to be able to undertake this adventure, and the more we wonder how we can possibly give back to the communities that show us generosity along the way, despite the fact that they have so little.
Over the last few weeks, we have been searching for a cause that we are not only passionate about, but that would be geographically relevant to our trip. This has led us to look at charities fulfilling three criteria: promoting development through community-based education initiatives, promoting opportunities for girls to receive that education and go on to either aid their communities or follow that education through elsewhere, and a focus on the Asian regions which we will pass through or have passed through in the past. Unsurprisingly, this narrows down our options significantly, but Room to Read not only meets these criteria, but enables our fundraising efforts to take on a more personal dimension by allowing us to contribute to a specific project.
For more details on why Room to Read's work has inspired each of us, please see our blog:
http://happypedalers.wordpress.com/giving-back
We are aiming to raise £5,000. The monies raised will be tagged by Room to Read and directed towards the construction of a reading room in a Vietnamese school, as well as providing £2,300 towards scholarships towards girls' education in Vietnam. The reading room will provide the space for a library of up to 1000 local language and English books, and the scholarships will fund 10 years of a girl's education, through secondary school. For more information on Room to Read and the use of these funds visit
http://www.roomtoread.org/about/index.html
Please help us to raise money towards the construction of these children's libraries. Your help is much appreciated!
Pedalling on,
Blaise and Tom
PS. Donating through Justgiving is the most efficient way to sponsor us: Room To Read gets your money faster and will code the funds directly to the libraries in Bangladesh, Cambodia and Nepal. Also, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.
