JustWorld Supporter Cycles for a Cause
After 30 years working hard as a teacher, a JustWorld International friend, Maureen, decided to dedicate some of her time to train and enter in The Nello Charity Cycle Ride to help support JustWorld. The Nello ride was 55 miles and held on June 28, 2015, in the United Kingdom, and despite foul weather for the first half, Maureen completed the ride! She told JustWorld, "I wouldn't say I was the fastest or fittest of people, but because I had the time to spare (and was frightened of the hills, to be honest!) I was able to train and train again on the worst of the hills which are just outside our doorstep here in the wilds of Devon. It was really gratifying that when we got to the big hills on the day of the ride, I overtook lots of other people - not by being competitive, but just through the experience I'd built up, and going at the pace I was doing them routinely by that point."
The Nello Charity Cycle Ride allows the bikers to support an organization of their choice. Maureen says that she has done a few half marathons before, but this time it was a pleasure to be able to add in a fundraising element. She chose to raise funds for the mobile library in Honduras. JustWorld partners with Asociación Compartir to provide a mobile library for the children of Tegucigalpa. This library reaches thousands of children who live too far to attend local schools and brings them books and educational activities. It brings educational and cultural activities to thousands of children in three slum areas and encourages youth literacy and social integration while providing access to books, a reading program, scholastic support, educational supplies, and nutritious snacks. The program allows vulnerable children the chance to spend quality time together with a dedicated team of educators and volunteers in a safe environment.Maureen told JustWorld that she loves the concept and ideals of the mobile library and was moved by the short film by Aeden O'Connor, "Books in the Midst of Violence: The Mobile Library." O'Connor explains how "the mobile library is like an ice cream truck! Nelson, the library leader, comes in on the main road of the neighborhood, and when he starts honking its like a call to all the children …you hear them screaming and see them running around, jumping in joy, charging towards the car!"
We are so lucky to have friends like Maureen who take time away from their busy lives to support a partner project of JustWorld International. Every little bit counts and makes a difference in children’s lives around the world!To watch the film, "Books in the Midst of violence: The Mobile Library" by Aeden O'Conner, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XVt4ELNIB8