Nice article I wrote for Women In Focus

https://womeninfocus.jive-mobile.com/#jive-document?content=%2Fapi%2Fcore%2Fv1%2Fdocuments%2F1568

Australia Day from Bangkok

It is Australia day and I find myself alone in Bangkok reflecting on the last month. It has been a magical time, we suffered in the heat, wind, rough roads and steep hills. But through perseverance we reached our goal.

We enjoyed the celebrations, the dancing and the parties, but it is only through the long, hard and enduring persistence that we make real change. The impact we make at Hands is not one off. Like the bike ride, there is a lot of grinding away, it isn't the sexy stuff that changes lives, it is the consistent, persistent pursuit to fight for the kids that makes it sustainable.

The last person to address us as a group was Khun Um, she has just finished high school and is heading to University to study English. Her tearful, heartfelt message was that she will never forget the help she has received and that she will return to help the kids when she has finished. Because the struggles go on and on, so do we.

The hills seem endless, you feel like you want to get off the bike. It would be easier to just give up... But as Australians it is not in our nature, we love the fight, and we love to fight for the underdog.

So this Australia day I hope we all show our patriotic spirit by helping out a mate who is doing it tough. Show kindness, acceptance and embrace the spirit that is inside us but that we are slowly eroding with our insular protectiveness and fear of outsiders. That is not Australia, we are the ones who fight for our mates, even the ones we haven't met yet, and especially the ones doing it tough.

Saying goodbye

It's never easy, after 2 soccer games we said goodbye to the children. But it gets easier.When I say Laow Pop Gan (see you again), I know that it is true. In Bangkok I will meet Khru Prateep to discuss the New Life project. The job is not done yet...

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We made it!

More words need to be written but at the moment I am just worn out! What a magical experience and a wonderful final day.
To my dear friend Peter Baines, you are a true hero! Thanks for making this all happen!

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Last day thoughts

In this world there are many bad people and many good people, but there are very few special people. These are the ones who risk it all for others, who fight their way out of the slums only to willingly return to fight for a better future for there neighbors. Those who give up their lives, spouse and devote their lives to these kids. Those who sell everything to follow a dream to make the lives of others better at the detriment of their own even in the face of an unthinkable battle with cancer.

To Khru Prateep, Khun Rotjana and the wonderful Mae Thiew, you are the special ones! You save lives of kids everyday, you choose to live this life and I am both honoured and humbled to be on your presence.

Onwards and upwards!

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Day 7... So close!

Today was tough! 106km through jungle sided roads and hills... Oh the hills!!! We pushed hard in parts and were lucky to end at a beautiful spot in the mountains! Looking forward to an amazing day tomorrow. Here is a pick of me and the co-pilot.

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Meet Nang a sign of hope!

To this day, Prateep is still not sure where Nang is from. She cannot remember where she was born, but she knows her parents sold her to the street gangs when she was very young. At the age of 6 the gang would send her out to beg on the streets every day. If she didn't earn at least 500bht each day they would burn her with cigarettes and beat her. The beatings were continuous as they helped her look more needy to make money. For years they would break her nose to make her look needy and hopefully earn them more money on the streets.
Prateep was able to rescue her from the gangs and provide her a new life. Nang has had 2 major plastic surgeries to help correct the damage she has suffered, but she still wears the scars all over her body from the cigarette burns. She still thinks she is ugly and has struggled with interacting with people sometimes due to her experiences.
The New Life program has supported her for a number of years and she this year is starting her second year of University studying Communications. It was so lovely to meet Nang but it is clear that without the support of the foundation her future would be so different as it is for the hundreds of children still walking the streets of many south east asian cities begging for money. This is why we need to support the amazing people like Prateep to keep chipping away at the problems and changing the lives of these young people who've had their childhoods stolen.

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125km to Surat Thani!

A long hot day but only a few small hills. Great effort by everyone supporting each other, tonight we are across from a tesco so it's KFC for dinner and a good rest, tomorrow we hit the mountains!

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New Life Project

Tonight we visited another of Prateep's projects. New Life looks to give skills, confidence and a brighter future to kids who have suffered abuse, neglect and substance dependencies. Some of these kids have suffered do much so we had a great dinner & dance!

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