I will now undertake to cycle from Liverpool to Salford and back taking part along the way in a zipwire crossing of the Manchester Ship Canal in Salford Quays on Saturday 13th October. I hope you think this meets my side of the bargain!  Surosa Cycles Limited, Oldham, have kindly donated the use of one of their bicycles for the race www.surosa.co.uk) 

  

I wish to say a massive thank you to everyone that has sponsored me to help send the two young people from the Reclaim charity across to Ethiopia with Retrak. 

 

A sincere thank you

 

Sir Peter

 

 

 

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One of the biggest challenges facing countries in Africa is the number of children living on the street away from their families. For three years now Greater Manchester Police has been raising funds for Retrak, a Stockport based charity which works with street children in Uganda and Ethiopia. Three teams of GMP staff have visited Retrak projects there carrying out renovation work on the facilities and listening to stories of the boys who have had such an awful start to their lives.

 

GMP also works with Reclaim another local charity which has transformed the Iives of young people who have had a challenging upbringing in some of Manchester's most deprived areas and who are in danger of being drawn into crime and gang activity.

 

This year two further teams from GMP will be travelling to Africa but this time they will be joined by two fire officers and by two young people from Reclaim who themselves have had to overcome adversity. They will be able to see at first hand the challenges of life in Ethiopia, will work with the street children there and then will act as promoters for rights of such African children on their return.

 

(WITHDRAWN On 30th September I will be taking part in a 100 mile bike ride to raise money to fund these two young people on their trip. I need to raise four thousand pounds which will cover their fare and the life changing work of Retrak. This is a great way to make a link between young people in Manchester and Ethiopia and make a real difference in their lives.

 

As part of a Government scheme every pound that Retrak raises between 6th September and 5th December will be matched by the Department of International Development so your giving will be doubled!  Please see below for more information about the ZERO appeal.

 

You will be invited to a presentation in January where our ambassadors will describe their experience.

 

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Retrak ZERO Appeal - No Child Forced to Live on the Streets

Last year Amira spent 270 days sleeping on the streets, alone.

Children too young to be on their own are being forced to live on the streets because of a lack of parental care, violent conflict, extreme poverty, abuse and neglect.  They have nowhere else to go.  Life on the streets of Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya is very dangerous, particularly at night.  Many children choose to sleep in the relative safety of the drains and sewers under the slums of Africa’s major cities.

 

On the streets these young, homeless children are exposed to violence, abuse, hunger, cold, illness and disease.  They are denied their basic human rights; their right to be protected; to access health care; to a roof over their heads; to go to school; and their right to life. As their lives are consumed by the street they are robbed of their innocence and their childhood. These children have been forced onto the streets by circumstances beyond their control, they do not have a choice but you do.

 

Since 1994 Retrak has helped thousands of children on Africa's streets, one child at a time, find a real alternative to life on the street. These are the lucky ones who are now protected, loved and supported, and have access to medical care and school. In many cases they have been helped to return to their family or find an alternative home they can call their own. They now have a much brighter future ahead of them.

We believe that every street child deserves the same opportunities and are working towards a world where ZERO children are forced to live on the streets. We know this will not happen overnight but every child we help takes us one step closer to this critical goal. By donating to the Retrak ZERO Appeal you will help us to reach many more street children and their families in Africa. The more you give the more children we can help.

Now you can make Double the Difference: If you donate between 6 September and 5 December 2012 your gift will be matched £1 for £1 by the UK Government, at no extra cost to yourself

 

-  £15 will become £30 and can help two street children start their journey home 

-  £20 will become £40 and could provide counselling for two abused street children

-  £50 will become £100 and is enough to provide a vulnerable child with food, shelter and care for two months

-  £300 will become £600 and could enable a older street child to learn a skill or trade so that they can earn money and support themselves into adulthood

-  £1,250 will become £2,500 and would allow Retrak to train and employ a social worker who will work to get hundreds of children off the streets every year

-  £1,750 will become £3,500 and is the cost of a nurse and the medical equipment needed to care for 250 children living on the streets