Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

100% of your online donations will go to Save the Children*

Your support is vital to provide vulnerable children education, healthcare, food, water and emotional support. 

Please see Save the Children's website for more information: http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/about-us/emergencies/child-refugee-crisis-appeal

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/refugeecycleride

Refugee Cycle Ride 2016

My name’s Dr Jana Alagarajah. I am a medical doctor with a humanitarian background, a keen cyclist and a tea enthusiast. I am embarking on an exciting adventure this summer that will break down ignorance, build empathy and raise money for a worthy charity in the process. 

We are currently facing the worst humanitarian crises of our time. More than 1.1 million people have now made the perilous trip across the Mediterranean to Europe in search of safety. Many of these migrants are children. For those who survive the journey, their terrifying ordeal is not over. Bundled into trucks or walking many miles, children are afraid and exhausted, toilets are scarce, and food and water are often in short supply. 

The NGO Save the Children have been working to support vulnerable child migrants. They provide food, water and shelter and clothing for children. They offer medical and washing facilities, legal advice, education and emotional support for those in need. 

I am planning a charity bicycle ride to support Save the Children’s work to protect vulnerable child refugees. I will ride from Vancouver, Canada through the USA to Tijauana, Mexico (August-November 2016). The 2000 mile ride crosses national boundaries and highlights the fact that migration is part of being human and that all migrants have human rights. 

I plan to use an arts intervention along the bike ride called EmpaTEA. This involves carrying a mini tea chest with a selection of teas from countries that children would pass along their migration route (Turkey, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Serbia). I would sit down with small groups of the public (adults and children) and essentially have a cuppa. I aim to use EmpaTEA to enhance understanding and empathy for migrants through conversation and cuppas. I feel that tea is a powerful tool to achieve this goal as it is a beverage that stretches cultures, national boundaries and is universally associated with warmth, humanity and peace. 

This is a unique and powerful piece of activism and art. It needs your support to work!

* Offline fundraisers contribute to bike maintenance costs that will help me complete the ride. Overall 90% of all donations go directly to Save the Children and 10% will go to bike maintenance costs.