This September I am off to Rwanda with a group of supporters where we will be cycling through the country terrifyingly nicknamed the 'Land of a Thousand Hills.' I will be
raising money for Hope and Homes for Children, a charity which has really
got under my skin over the past year.

In May I went to Moldover and visited an orphanage in the North of the country. I saw, behind thick glass, a 10 month-old girl, staring back at me with such a soulless look behind her eyes. Tatiana was in isolation because she had a cold. She would spend the
next 21 days in complete isolation, because of her 'cold'. This was her third
time in isolation, 63 days. Over a 5th of her young life.

And it is not only those with colds who face isolation.  On arrival, every child, from new born babies to 7 year-olds, are isolated for 21 days to make sure they don't have any
'germs'.  They are put in a room, visited 3 times a day to be fed.  No toys, no-one
to cuddle them, play with them, talk to them.

It absolutely broke my heart seeing Tatiana through the glass.

Before I started at Hope and Homes I hadn't given any thought to the orphanage system.  I didn't realise that there are over 8million children confined to orphanages around the world. I didn't realise that 80% of the children living in these loveless places, suffering unbelievable levels of abuse and neglect, had families.  That they are there because of poverty, discrimination or disability. And I didn't know what the solution was. But I have had the honour to work with an extraordinary group of people who do have a solution that works. We close orphanages and find alternative, family based, care. Tatiana doesn't need to be imprisoned because she has a 'cold'. She can be comforted if she was unwell. Be read a story, given a cuddle, a toy to play with, a kiss on the forehead. She can have the love of a family.

It only costs £1,200 to free a child from institution care which is why I am asking you to donate whatever you can, pennies or pounds to help me, help children like Tatiana.

Or if that's not an incentive enough, just think of me in lycra for a week tackling those thousands of hills...come on, that's gotta be worth a couple of quid at least?...


Thank you in advance for your support!

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