A woman from St Jude’s has cycled 406km in six days, from Cambodia to Ho Chi Min in Vietnam, to raise cash for a children’s charity.
Fiona Hill-Heaton, aged 55, is part of a team which has so far raised £19,000 and is made up of cyclists from around the world for the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation.
The Christina Noble Children’s Foundation is an international partnership of people dedicated to serving children in need of emergency and long-term medical care, nutritional rehabilitation, educational opportunities, vocational training and job placement, as well as children at risk of sexual and economic exploitation.
Fiona, who is retired, was part of a 21-strong team, which rode the 406km, and included Australian and British riders.
She said: ‘We spent two days at the Christina Noble Children’s Centres.
‘One of the centres is for visually impaired children. There they are taught valuable life skills to enable them to lead independent lives, including learning to cut vegetables, with a machete!
‘At the main centre, the children are educated, given healthcare in the centre’s hospital and intensive therapy unit. Not only are the children educated until they are 16, but those who are able to go on to study at university have their fees paid by the Christina Noble charity, and then for a further six months after attaining their degrees, they have six month’s rent provided by the charity, to fully get the young adults onto their feet, debt free.
‘Many come back to the centre to then work. One girl has qualified as a human rights lawyer and works for the centre.’
Fiona said that the ride was challenging, with the team cycling over 100km on some days, in chunks of 20km.
She said: ‘It’s not far in our climate, however the heat and humidity took its toll on a small number of us, and tummy upsets were the main topic of conversation.
‘I fared quite well, still able to ride, though feeling rough for a couple of days. We were burning up 3,500 to 4,000 calories a day, so maintaining our calorie and water content was vital. I did struggle to eat, and managed for two days on just rice, broth and soy sauce, however it passed. The longest sections I was ok, I lost over half a stone though!
‘The day we finally cycled into the main Christina Noble Children’s Centre was incredibly emotional. Children, of all ages, babies to young adults cheered and thronged around us. This was what we cycled for and where all the gratefully received donations were being put to use. We just burst into tears.
‘Suffice to say, it was a life changer. If you ever get the chance to do something like this, then do it. Alternatively go and cycle round these parts, you see so much more on a bike and living is very simple and cheap. I’ll be going back one day.’
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Source: http://www.iomtoday.co.im/
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