Our Charities

Our Charities

Please sponsor us here

Amount raised to date £6441

As much fun as careening around corners in a rickshaw will be, there is a serious motive here: to raise sack loads of cash for two incredible charities. We’re paying all of our travel, accommodation, food, petrol and bribery expenses ourselves, so each and every penny raised will go straight to the following worthy causes:

Mercy Corps in India

Mercy Corps' assistance to India dates back to January 2001 when the agency responded to a devastating earthquake in Gujarat. Today, Mercy Corps is working in India to build community collaboration and fulfil dire health and economic needs.

The Himalayan foothills around Darjeeling are home to some of the world's finest teas - and some of Asia's poorest families. The CHAI Programme, implemented through local partners, strives to improve the quality of life for communities in rural villages in the hills of Darjeeling by reducing waterborne diseases, strengthening the capacity of community groups and enhancing young people's leadership skills.

Mercy Corps was the official charity last year, and now those trusty rickshaws are zipping around making a huge difference to communities around Darjeeling and Manali. Some are being used by a school for blind children transporting the children to and from school and allowing them to visit their families. Another school for blind and mentally handicapped children is using them for the same purpose. A hospital for seriously and terminally ill people from poor communities is using our three wheelers to get medical supplies and transport family to visit patients. The regional government is using them to give villagers in very remote areas access to travelling hospital clinics for much needed medical attention.

Frank Water Projects

	1 billion people worldwide lack access to clean drinking water.
	2.2 million people die every year from dirty water-related disease - mainly under 5’s.
	85% of hospital admissions in Andhra Pradesh are related to dirty water.
	Women and children walk miles and spend hours collecting dirty water.
	Old pumps, boreholes and wells are often contaminated.

These are just some of the facts associated with the problems of lack of clean water facilities in India. Frank Water Projects are working in partnership with Water Health International (technologists) and Naandi (a local NGO) to fund and implement community clean water projects.

£6,749 is the cost of building one clean water facility. Villagers also contribute to build costs (approx £2K) for commitment and ownership. Since 2005 Frank Water Projects have funded 5 clean water projects. They send a team (on a self financed trip) out every year to visit the villages to meet all stakeholders and monitor progress.

The contributions from the Summer Rickshaw Run will go a long way to achieving clean water facilities in areas of India desperately in need.