Starting in April 2013 ex-Northbourne Park School pupil Oli Goulden and friend Matthieu Liard will cycle from Shanghai to London.
After crossing the breadth of China, the journey will take them through 18 countries, across four deserts, climbing the equivalent of Mt. Everest three times, experiencing temperatures from -8 (Kyrgyzstan) to 43°C (Turkey) and pitching their tents in some of the most inhospitable terrains in the world.
Oli and Matthieu are embarking on this magnificent adventure to raise money for Operation Smile, an international children’s medical charity that heals children’s smiles, forever changing their lives.
The planned is route:
China – Kyrgyzstan – Tajikistan – Uzbekistan – Kazakhstan – Azerbaijan – Georgia – Turkey – Greece – Macedonia – Albania – Bosnia – Montenegro – Slovenia – Croatia – Italy – Switzerland – France – England
Along the route Operation Smile are setting up three mission stations where they will perform corrective surgery on children with cleft palate or facial deformities.
Oli and Matthieu will help them on the ground during the time of the operations and will also do their utmost best to raise the funds to cover around 100 operations.
Oli’s and Matthieu’s target is to raise £30,000 or more through fundraising to help fund these operations.
Between the expedition and the work with Operation Smile it is their ambition to give hope to a handful of children and inspire others to make the most of their life.
Every three minutes a child is born with a cleft. One in 10 of those children will die before their first birthday. The children who survive are often unable to eat, speak, socialise or smile.
In some places, they are shunned and rejected. And in too many cases, their parents cannot afford to give them the surgeries they need to live a productive life.
Since 1982, Operation Smile — through the help of dedicated medical volunteers — has provided more than 3.5 million comprehensive patient evaluations and over 200,000 free surgeries for children and young adults born with facial deformities. Their work creates a lasting global impact.
They train local doctors in developing countries and strengthen healthcare systems so more children in some of the poorest areas in the world can be treated.
Northbourne Park School is supporting Oli and Matthieu with their remarkable adventure and would like to encourage as many parents, friends and families as possible to donate to this very worthy cause.
If you cannot afford to donate to the cause please help by sharing their story. If you can afford to donate, be rest assured that all of the money given on through the below website goes directly to the charity and does not help fund their expedition.
Furthermore, Virgin Money Giving is a not for profit organisation so they do not take commission, and will claim gift aid on a charity's behalf where the donor is eligible for
To donate please visit the Road of Smiles fundraising page on Virgin Money:
www.uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Road-of-Smiles
For more information on Operation Smile please visit:
http://roadofsmiles.com/tag/oli-goulden/