At the end of July 2008 I'm cycling the west coast of America. I''ll be covering a distance of 1838 miles in 24 days, starting in Vancouver, north of the American border and finishing in San Diego, on the border with Mexico. I'm doing it to raise money for the Calvary Zion Children's Home in Mombasa, Kenya, where I worked as a volunteer three years ago and visited again last year. Calvary Zion feeds, houses, and educates destitute and abandoned children and babies. There are 38 children in the home at present, and funds are urgently needed for new buildings on a 2.5 acre plot of land donated to them last year, to secure the homes future and increase its capacity. The journey is the equivalent of cycling from Land's End to John O'Groats three times (the top to the bottom of UK for my overseas friends). I'm planning to do this in 24 days, which will work out at an average of about 75 miles a day. I have been training over the past few months and courtesy of Vaseline have managed to stay almost painlessly lubricated. Calvary Zion is a wonderful place run by caring generous hearted individuals dedicated to trying to help with the enormous problem of abandoned children in Kenya. The children’s ages range from 3 months to 16 years old. They are either destitute or abandoned. For example Prince, who is now 14 months old was found on the side of the road still attached his placenta, his mother having given birth to him and run off. Gideon, now 8 yrs old, was found when he was 4 yrs old, having been abandoned by his father, who told him to wait at a food stall and never returned. Massi, 8 months old, was found in a bush. Her mother, who had got pregnant by her own father, had left her there because the family thought the baby was a curse. These are just a few examples; the stories of how the other children came to be in the home are equally as sad. At the moment they don't own a home and so have to pay rent every month for a 4 bedroom bungalow. These are full of bunk beds and the children sleep 2 or 3 to a bed. Jane Karigoh, who runs the home, has to find the money for the rent, food, clothing, school fees and medical care from well-wishers on a day-to-day basis. Amazingly, money was raised last year to buy a 2.5 acre plot of land and this is being cleared as we speak. The next step is to build a home for the children. The plan is to build 5 units which will house 10 children each. Not only will this mean that the rent money will be put back into the home but also there will be space to admit more children and the home will be able to become self-sufficient by growing crops and keeping chickens and goats. The kids are incredibly well behaved, have a great sense of humour and are very caring. When I was there I was especially moved by how the kids look out for each other. Even the 8 yr olds know how to change a nappy and to look after the babies. I remember playing football with them barefoot and constantly stubbing my toes. Every time I did they would run over and say, "sor-ry" and check I was ok. (I did of course take advantage of this by faining injuries to divert play, perhaps a bit unfair but its the nature of the game innit!) These kids deserve a better chance in life. The situation at the moment is a precarious one: if the rent cannot be paid, the home will have to be closed down and the children will be forced to live on the streets. If we can build a new home for them we will be giving them a secure future. I realise that £30,000 is a huge target and that this may not be achieved immediately. It is however, a work in progress and I may have to create other fundraising initiatives to reach the required amount. The funds will therefore be accrued before being transferred to the construction company in Kenya. 5% of the money raised will go to the charity Aidlink which is a Dublin based non-denominational Third World Development Organisation providing over €2,000,000 per annum to long-term community development projects in Africa. They are also the planners of the bike ride. The money will go specifically to projects in Kenya that help provide shelter and food for street children. Thanks for visiting my fundraising page. Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Calvary Zion Children's Home Support Trust gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation. So please sponsor me now! Many thanks for your support!