This October, I’ll be participating in a cycling challenge across Vietnam - from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City - to raise funds for vision-impaired children at the Tay Ninh Centre through the Christina Noble Foundation. (CNCF). It’s a journey I’ll make on two wheels, and one that comes from the heart.

The Vietnam Noble Challenge 2025 directly supports CNCF’s mission to provide vital education, healthcare, and community development services to vulnerable children and their communities. All money raised from my fundraising goes directly to supporting the children on the ground.

This is my first time raising money for a charitable cause, and I’ve chosen to do it for a place that has already given me so much. I have spent a lot of time in Vietnam, and it is a country I hold close to my heart - its people, its resilience, and its beauty. But like many others, I also carry a quiet awareness of the scars Vietnam bears - deep environmental and human trauma from a war whose effects are still unfolding. During my Masters at the Royal College of Art, I explored these themes in a project about herbicide contamination and the legacy of Agent Orange. For me, this ride is more than a physical challenge, it’s a gesture of care and commitment to healing, memory, and solidarity.

It is also a personal healing journey. Many years ago, I cycled from London to Seville. While the journey tested me physically, this challenge carries something different - a chance to move forward through service, to ride in support and honour of others, and to help vulnerable children whose lives can be changed through the incredible work of the CNCF.

I am also doing this for my Mum and my Nannie, who both passed away last year. They had a deep belief in helping others, and I carry that spirit with me now. Riding across Vietnam (a place I’ve come to care deeply about) and doing it to support children in need, feels like something they would quietly smile at - and I hope to make them proud.

And maybe in giving to others, I’ll learn a little more about how to help myself too - because that’s something I’ve often struggled with, and this feels like a good place to start.

The Christina Noble Children’s Foundation supports children who have been orphaned, abandoned, or who live in extreme poverty. They provide access to education, healthcare, shelter, emotional support, love and safety. Every child deserves the chance to dream and to thrive, and CNCF makes that possible.

Some of the children this challenge supports are cared for at CNCF’s Tay Ninh Centre for the Visually Impaired, a place that offers blind and partially sighted children education, therapy, shelter, and a chance at independence. It’s one of many centres that embody CNCF’s approach - not just providing charity, but restoring dignity, skill, and joy where there was once only struggle.

I’ve committed to raising $5,000 USD (approx. £3,800 GBP). Your donation (big or small) will go directly to the charity and help fund long-term meaningful support for children in Vietnam. It’s fast, secure, and handled entirely through JustGiving.

If you'd like to support me, I’ll carry your kindness with me over every kilometre.

If you’re not in a position to donate, even a share or a kind word would be so appreciated.

Many thanks and lots of love,

Tom