Australia and India Celebrate

Australian-and-Indian-flags

While in Australia millions are celebrating Australia Day, half a world away India is celebrating Republic Day.

Though India became a free nation on August 15, 1947, it declared itself a Sovereign, Democratic and Republic state with the adoption of the Constitution on January 26, 1950.

A salute of 21 guns and the unfurling of the Indian National Flag by Dr. Rajendra Prasad heralded the historic birth of the Indian Republic on that day. Thereafter 26th of January was decreed a national holiday and was recognised as the Republic Day of India.

The Constitution gave the citizens of India the power to choose their own government and paved the way for democracy. Dr. Rajendra Prasad took oath as the first President of India at the Durbar Hall in Government House and this was followed by the Presidential drive along a five-mile route to the Irwin Stadium, where he unfurled the National Flag. – Know India

I’ve had the privilege of visiting India three times over several years. It’s a truly amazing place. Below is a video of my first trip to India in 2003. I was joined by several locals to ride from Agra, home of the Taj Mahal, to Delhi, as well as cycling around Delhi. I was there as a guest of the Bible Society.



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What will you be doing next week?

I’ll be cycling over 500 kilometres next week so that young girls can escape the horror of an abusive past. I’m hoping that you think that that’s something important and that maybe you’ll be able to support some of those girls by sponsoring my ride.

Childhood should be a time of innocence, yet for millions around the world it’s a time of abuse, exploitation and despair. It’s impossible to imagine the horror a young girl experiences when she’s stolen from her home then raped a dozen times a day by different men to make money for someone else.

Human trafficking enslaves about 27 million people around the world. That is more than the population of Australia. Of these modern day slaves the UN estimates 79% of them are caught up in sexual trafficking. According to “Save the Children” at any one time across the world, around 1.8 million children are being abused through prostitution, child pornography and sex tourism.

I took a trip in December last year to Bangladesh and India to see the excellent work being done through SIMaid’s Girls off the Streets. I was so amazed at the work that is being done to bring hope and healing to young women who have been rescued from sex trafficking that I wanted to do more to help shine some light into some very dark corners of our world.

What I saw on my trip was young women, some very young, who had been sexually exploited and sold into prostitution but who are now growing in confidence as they learn to trust again and develop life skills that will give them a strong foundation for life ahead. Girls off the Streets is giving them a future and importantly, letting them know that they are truly loved.

Morning Cafe Ride for Hope

So next week I’ll be leading 98five’s Morning Cafe Ride for Hope. The ride will involve more than 20 cyclists riding over 500 kilometres from Albany to Perth. As part of the event I’m raising money for SIMaid’s Girls off the Streets. My personal fund raising target is $1500. Thanks to some very generous and caring people I’m heading towards that goal. Can you please consider helping me get across the line by making a donation?

Please consider giving whatever you can. What can you give? Five dollars? Ten dollars? Fifty dollars? The need is desperate and any donation of $2 or more is tax deductible (in Australia).

If you’d like to make a difference in the lives of young girls who desperately need your support, simply visit our fundraising page and choose my name from the drop down menu as the participant you’d like to support.

Let me thank you in anticipation of your support.



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A Simple Transaction

keep-calm-and-sponsor-me

It’s a simple transaction. I promise to ride over 500 kilometres in a week and you promise to sponsor me so that young girls can escape the horror of an abusive past. Do we have a deal?

Childhood should be a time of innocence, yet for millions around the world it’s a time of abuse, exploitation and despair. It’s impossible to imagine the horror a young girl experiences when she’s stolen from her home then raped a dozen times a day by different men to make money for someone else.

Human trafficking enslaves about 27 million people around the world. That is more than the population of Australia. Of these modern day slaves the UN estimates 79% of them are caught up in sexual trafficking. According to “Save the Children” at any one time across the world, around 1.8 million children are being abused through prostitution, child pornography and sex tourism.

I took a trip in December last year to Bangladesh and India to see the excellent work being done through SIMaid’s Girls off the Streets. I was so amazed at the work that is being done to bring hope and healing to young women who have been rescued from sex trafficking that I wanted to do more to help shine some light into some very dark corners of our world.

What I saw on my trip was young women, some very young, who had been sexually exploited and sold into prostitution but who are now growing in confidence as they learn to trust again and develop life skills that will give them a strong foundation for life ahead. Girls off the Streets is giving them a future and importantly, letting them know that they are truly loved.

Morning Cafe Ride for Hope

Next month I’ll be leading 98five’s Morning Cafe Ride for Hope. The ride will involve more than 20 cyclists riding over 500 kilometres from Albany to Perth. As part of the event I’m raising money for SIMaid’s Girls off the Streets. My personal fund raising target is $1500. To reach that goal I need 15 people who are prepared to donate $100. Can you please consider being one of those people? You may even be in a position to give substantially more.

Of course I understand that not everyone can afford to be so generous so please consider giving whatever you can. What can you give? Five dollars? Ten dollars? Fifty dollars? The need is desperate and any donation of $2 or more is tax deductible.

If you’d like to make a difference in the lives of young girls who desperately need your support, simply visit our fundraising page and choose my name from the drop down menu as the participant you’d like to support.

Let me thank you in anticipation of your support.



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Poverty Reduces Brain Power

brain

A new study has found that a lack of money could cause a drop in your IQ. It’s been found that our cognitive capacity can drop if we’re under financial stress.

Poverty and the all-consuming fretting that comes with it require so much mental energy that the poor have little brain power left to devote to other areas of life, according to the findings of an international study published on Thursday.

The mental strain could be costing poor people up to 13 IQ (intelligence quotient) points and means they are more likely to make mistakes and bad decisions that amplify and perpetuate their financial woes, researchers found. – Reuters

The study looked at a number of situations where people are faced in financial difficulty such as Indian farmers who only receive income once a year. They have to borrow money and live on very little leading up to harvest but have significant money once they receive the proceeds of their annual harvest. The testing a month before and a month after harvest showed significant difference.

The research also focused on shoppers at a mall in New Jersey in the United States.

Researchers discovered that financial stress made a far greater difference than other kinds of stress in producing a reduced ability to make sound decisions.

Do you find financial stress adversely affects your ability to think or make difficult decisions?

If only I could find someone to slip me a few million dollars I would prove just how clever I could be.



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Shining Light into Dark Corners

human_trafficking

Childhood should be a time of innocence, yet for millions around the world it’s a time of abuse, exploitation and despair. It’s impossible to imagine the horror a young girl experiences when she’s stolen from her home then raped a dozen times a day by different men to make money for someone else.

Human trafficking enslaves about 27 million people around the world. That is more than the population of Australia. Of these modern day slaves the UN estimates 79% of them are caught up in sexual trafficking. According to “Save the Children” at any one time across the world, around 1.8 million children are being abused through prostitution, child pornography and sex tourism.

I took a trip in December last year to Bangladesh and India to see the excellent work being done through SIMaid’s Girls off the Streets. I was so amazed at the work that is being done to bring hope and healing to young women who have been rescued from sex trafficking that I wanted to do more to help shine some light into some very dark corners of our world.

What I saw on my trip was young women, some very young, who had been sexually exploited and sold into prostitution but who are now growing in confidence as they learn to trust again and develop life skills that will give them a strong foundation for life ahead. Girls off the Streets is giving them a future and importantly, letting them know that they are truly loved.

Morning Cafe Ride for Hope

In October I’ll be taking part in the Morning Cafe Ride for Hope. The ride will involve more than 20 cyclists riding over 500 kilometres from Albany to Perth. As part of the event I’m raising money for SIMaid’s Girls off the Streets. My fund raising target is $1500. To reach that goal I need 15 people who are prepared to donate $100. Can you please consider being one of those people?

Of course I understand that not everyone can afford to be so generous so please consider giving whatever you can. What can you give? Five dollars? Ten dollars? Fifty dollars? The need is desperate and any donation of $2 or more is tax deductible in Australia. (Donations are still welcome from anywhere in the world.)

If you’d like to make a difference in the lives of young girls who desperately need your support, simply visit our fundraising page and choose my name from the drop down menu as the rider you’d like to support.

Let me thank you in anticipation of your support for this vital program.



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