Sisters-in-law have an "incredible" time helping orphans (From Salisbury Journal)
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Sisters-in-law have an "incredible" time helping orphans
10:30am Monday 6th February 2012 in News By Miranda Robertson
Amanda and Zoe Smith meet some of the children being helped by HEAL in India.
SISTERS-in-law Amanda and Zoe Smith have completed Zoe and Amanda Smithwhowhwha 370km cycling mission to help orphaned and poverty-stricken children in India, and have raised £5,500 to help build a children’s village.
Nurse Zoe, 39, from Alderholt, and teacher Amanda, 38, from Northamptonshire, say they had “an incredible time” cycling in the Kerala region of India and visiting the new school and village site.
The pair are supporting the charity HEAL, which is setting up a new school and home for 1,000 children. Amanda is working for the charity as an education consultant.
Amanda said: “Despite our lack of athleticism, we both managed to dig deep and pedal every inch of the ride.
“We met some wonderful people who live in the heart of India including a tea picker who earns £2per day for 12-hour days, seven days a week, 365 days of the year.
“We also visited one of the slums - a real eye-opener and true confirmation that anything we can do to help will make a huge difference.
“The highlight of the trip was to visit the Heal Children's Village in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh,where Heal provides about 200 children with homes, healthcare, education and support and a further 400 children who live in the slums are supported to attend school.
“It is a drop in the ocean but is incredibly beneficial to these children, giving them a start in life that they would never, ever have otherwise.
“Both Zoe and I were incredibly pleased to complete our cycle ride but more notably the whole Cycle-India team have come back with determination to support this small charity in any way we can, such is the difference it makes for the children of the this largely unknown part ofIndia.”
To donate, go to justgiving.com/Zoe-and-Amanda.
HEAL is run by volunteers and all the money raised is used for the benefit of the children.
Go to heal.co.uk to find out more.
