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6th Edition, February 2006 | |
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Dear PEPY Friends,
Xin chao from Vietnam! With only two tire punctures, one bent tire frame and some minor gear problems to speak of, the very first PEPY Ride has arrived at its final destination, Ho Chi Minh City! For those of you who were waiting to donate to see if we could do it, we did it! It was almost a week ago that we bid our sad, but decidedly brief, farewells to the quiet, back-country roads of Cambodia and timidly pedaled onto the busy, traffic clogged highways of Vietnam. Now, as our daily interactions, i.e. ordering noodles at the roadside stand and using currency with confidence, become more of a struggle, it seems that PEPY itself has taken flight!
Over the past six weeks we've learned enough to know that we haven't learned enough, seen enough, done enough. There will always be more to do, and we are committed to finding the best ways to support Cambodia's development. We have met with 17 schools, orphanages, and organizations on this ride to learn more about the issues Cambodians are facing today, and who is out there helping. We are committed to identifying those needs, seeking out respectable organizations working to improve those situations, and supporting them through PEPY's network of volunteers and fundraisers. In the coming weeks, check out the PEPY website for lots more information about the amazing non-profit organizations we have met on this journey.
In this newsletter you will hear from the PEPY team about the first PEPY ride, covering over 1,600 km and reaching over 1,900 eager students. Other highlights include a wedding gift that keeps on giving, another CCF orphanage visit, ways to support your favorite adventure racers, more ways to get involved with PEPY, and of course, our feature sponsor: Mt. Borah.
Tonight the ride team will celebrate the successful completion of the first PEPY Ride. There is so much to celebrate, so many stories to recall and laugh about, so many wonderful people to toast. Rest assured, we will toast to YOU. At the same time, there is so much to keep us from celebrating, so much work still to be done, so many scenes to recall with great and heavy sadness. To the work ahead and all that we know PEPY can accomplish, again we will toast. We will toast to the hours, days, and years that PEPY will continue to give Cambodia and underprivileged areas all over the world. And we will  again toast to YOU for ensuring that PEPY found stable ground on which to build and grow.
We can never thank you enough!
The PEPY Ride Team
| Final Weeks on the Road with The PEPY Team |
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Julia: Most likely to move back to Cambodia.
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Greta: Most likely to ham it up in front of the camera.
Crossing the border into Vietnam.
Kristian: Most likely to make the girls carry his stuff.
Daniela: Most likely to finish everything on her plate AND yours, if you ask her to.
Peppi: Most likely to bike with no hands.
Alice: Most likely to bike on rest days.
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Top 5 Moments from the Road:
5. Fit, tan legs!
4. Coming into Kep and seeing the Cambodian coast for the first time.
3. Coconuts and sugar cane juice...nothing as refreshing!
2. Visiting the MAG de-mining site and witnessing the detonation of a safely disposed landmine.
1. The HELLO brigade of children running up to every road we passed!
Bottom 5 Moments from the Road:
5. Greta and Peppi mastering their killer speeds of 3km an hour in unbelievable headwinds!
4. Stomach issues...'nough said!
3. Two beautiful moto exhaust burns (the dangers of jumping around too much on a packed ferry).
2. Insane traffic and car horns on Chinese New Year...near death experiences every other minute!
1. Arriving at a school for our visit only to discover that the kids haveTo test the day off.
If it hadn't been for a couple of assertive moto guys sitting alongside the dirt road near the Vietnam border, we would've biked right by the Cambodian immigration office. In fact, 2 of us did and had to be chased down. When Daniela and Peppi returned from their failed attempt at illegally crossing the border, we flew right through the office. It was a simple process...open passport, look at picture, look at each of us, find Cambodian visa, find Cambodian entrance stamp, pick up a Cambodian exit stamp and lay down some fresh ink. One officer held up Alice's passport, looked up at Kristian, nodded and proceeded to stamp away...do we all really look that much alike...well, maybe after 5 weeks! In no time flat we were again pulling on our well loved gloves, strapping on our trusty helmets and...hesitating. Now, instead of carrying us to our next rural Cambodian school, roadside coconut stand or inspiring aid organization, our tread-bare tires would be taking us into a foreign land...Vietnam.
We pulled out our shiny Vietnam visas, held them up and took one last picture on Cambodian soil. Were you to look at that picture you wouldn't see what the camera couldn't possibly have caught...the weight in the air, but we felt it sitting on our shoulders, pressing against our lungs, holding our feet to the ground. While Vietnam had so much to offer, what could WE bring? The significance of our time in Cambodia was, in large part, due to the opportunities we were given to get personally involved. It was in the limbo between being stamped out of Cambodia and stamped into Vietnam that we let our minds wander through the trip's most significant moments.
Directly after last month's newsletter the PEPY team was able to visit Stoeng Meanchey, Phnom Penh's garbage dump, where hundreds of families live and work. It didn't take long for the scene to grasp every inch of our bodies and compel us to run far away; we didn't run. We walked through the trash, met some of the kids, visited the local village where each morning these families wake up, step out into the dump and try to collect enough trash to earn, on a good day, about sixty cents (less than twenty dollars a month). From this horror we were then privileged to visit the Cambodian Children's Fund, an orphanage started and run by Scott Neeson in Phnom Penh. The majority of CCF's more than 140 children have come from Stoeng Meanchey. Read an article by Alice below and learn more about the many accomplishments of this overwhelmingly successful organization.
On the shortest day of our ride, a mere 17 km out of the city, we arrived at the Future Light Orphanage. It was here that Greta first volunteered in Cambodia, inspiring her to return with PEPY just a year and a half later. Over the course of our stay at FLO we were able to donate coloring and story books to every student and fund an evening class through the Cambodian run environmental education organisation, Mlup Baitong. PEPY is working with Mlup Baitong to bring greater environmental appreciation and understanding to 4 different orphanages and street kids programs in the Phnom Penh area. It was a treat to see a class in action, watch the kids' eyes get bigger and bigger, smile when one student turns to you and asks, "Did you know that trees breathe?" They've got an amazing grasp on English education at FLO, now it's time to offer a new challenge!
From Phnom Penh we biked south towards the ocean. There were times when we were within 100 km from the Vietnam border but we weren't ready to leave yet. Instead we made for Sihanoukville and The Starfish Project www.starfishcambodia.org . Starfish, located on the Cambodian coast, appropriately bases its ideology on a story set along the beach. A monk is strolling down the beach with his apprentice the day after a fierce storm. Soon they find themselves surrounded by thousands of starfish that had the misfortune of being washed up and stranded on the shore. One by one the monk starts picking up the starfish and tossing them back into the sea. His apprentice wonders aloud why the monk bothers when it makes such little difference to the mass of unfortunate creatures. The monk bends down, picks up another starfish, tosses it into the ocean and says, "It made a difference to that one."
The Starfish Project works to build relationships within communities, research their needs and assist families and individuals with small donations. They help families build homes, arrange for operations at, and transportation to, free clinics in Cambodia and seek to provide the most basic necessities for people stranded outside the bounds of assistance from the government and NGOs. Much of Starfish's operation is simply connecting people with the aid organisations that can help. We biked away with an even greater appreciation for the power of one, a greater knowledge of the positive changes that individuals can make.
From Sihanoukville we made our way back to Phnom Penh, this time via a northern route through the foothills of the Cardamom Mountains. After over a month on the road Alice was still leading the pack up and down the mountains, but the rest of us weren't too far behind. Whether we could see her or not, we knew she was up there, leading the way, and we kept truckin'. It was on the road that we first learned the importance of having a pace setter, an encourager, someone who expects you to keep up. It's been in schools, offices, and homes across Cambodia that we've found even greater encouragement. A pace setter, way off in the distance, shows you how far you still have to go. They also show you just how far you CAN go!
When it was finally time to turn in our comfortable Cambodian dirt roads for a set of shiny Vietnam highways, we were ready to press on, knowing that some of those shiny highways would lead back to Cambodia. With the Vietnam border ink still fresh in our passports, we celebrate the completion of PEPY's inaugural ride. Alice will join us at the table, right where we can see her, and we'll smile, knowing that while we celebrate as a team, so many others are still setting the pace back in Cambodia. We may not be able to see them around the many bends between Ho Chi Minh and Cambodia, but we know they're there, and we'll catch up again real soon. |
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| The PEPY Ride School Visits |
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 One goal of our five week ride was to spread the PEPY message, Protect the Earth, Protect Yourself. Our chosen mode of transportation, the bicycle, is one means to this end. In Cambodia we've combined our bicycles with an education program that pedals its way from school to school across the country.
Following a pre-dawn departure, we often cover 50-60 km before arriving, hot, tired, and grimy, at our school destination for the day. Each reception is unique, with the exception of one constant, the enthusiasm we find in every student and their obvious desire to learn. It's this enthusiasm that banishes our fatigue and motivates us to get into the classroom.
[1].JPG) Most of us have been or are teachers of English, so we are used to walking into a classroom and breaking down the language barrier. We begin each class with a greeting and introduction involving actions and games introducing basic English words. We then read a story book called, "A Walk in the Forest", published by Save Cambodia's Wildlife, a local NGO. The story is about a young monk who, whilst walking in the woods, blesses the trees for the different gifts that they provide: shelter, clean air, food, medicines, wood, homes for animals etc. The monk ties a different color ribbon around each tree as he blesses it. The book is written in both English and Khmer and we ask able students, or the teacher if necessary, to read the Khmer for us.
We have been so impressed with the reaction of the students to these classes. When asked at the end, "Why did the monk bless the trees?" it is obvious that they have been paying attention and thinking as many hands are always raised, eager to answer. We leave copies of the book behind for the children to take home and read again hoping these thoughts and discussions will continue well after we pedal on.
 After the story, we do a bracelet-making activity with all the kids in the classroom as well as those who've come to lean in through the windows, attracted by all the excitement. We hand out a piece of string and 5 different colored beads: white for air, blue for water, red for animals, green for plants and yellow for health. By protecting the air, the water, the animals and the plants, by respecting them and keeping our environment clean, we are in turn safeguarding our own health, the yellow bead. It's a simple message: Protect the Earth, Protect Yourself. It's also a fun lesson and allows us to leave behind a memento for every single child. We hope that by making and wearing the bracelets the kids will remember our message.
[1].JPG) Finally, we end on a high, a whole school activity, with the classes as teams. Each team has a color, a chant, a PEPY Rider and a garbage bag. The objective is to see which team can collect the most trash from the school grounds. Having incited the teams into a fervor of competitive energy, they are then set loose to run around cleaning up. Never have we seen children so enthusiastic about picking up litter! The kids' excitement brings smiles of pride and satisfaction to the teachers' faces, and the schools always look so much better when we leave than when we arrived. One of the highlights is watching the reaction when we announce "ALL of the teams have won, because the school is now cleaner!" In most of our past experiences, this would be met with competitive frowns, but in Cambodian schools it has been met with a quick exchange of excited glances followed by a huge WOOOHOOO! and high-fives all around!
 As we wave our goodbyes and ride on to our final destination for the day, we always feel re-energized and re-focused. School visits help us reflect upon why we got involved with PEPY in the first place, why we came here, what we hope to achieve. We find ourselves marvelling at the power and value of education. With every school we visit, every child we teach, every bracelet we make, we believe we get a tiny bit closer to achieving our goal: changing things for the better. We smile and pedal harder. |
| Cambodian Children's Fund |
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After six weeks travelling through Cambodia, the images from the time spent with Scott Neeson, his assistant Allie Hoffman, and the children at Cambodian Children's Fund remain most vividly in my mind. Scott, an ex-Hollywood producer, started the Cambodian Children's Fund (CCF) in 2003 to help children from the poorest areas of Phnom Penh. The PEPY riders were lucky enough to spend two days with the children who live at CCF, and we also went with Scott to the village of Stoeng Meanchey, where many of the children grew up.
 Stoeng Meanchey is home to hundreds of people. It is also the city garbage dump. I won't forget the desperation on the faces of the people we saw digging through the rubbish. Nor will I forget the smell; a mix of rotting rubbish, rotting waste, and dead animals cooking in the heat. The rubbish piles rose above us, stretching like mountain ranges across the skyline. On top of this mass of filth, crowds of people walk in bare feet or donated rubber boots, carrying plastic bags which they fill with plastic and metal and sell. They may piece together 50 cents a day to feed their families. 
Scott has seen children as young as three working amongst the rubbish. Girls are in danger of being stolen or sold in desperation to the pedophile pimps who prey on the families living at the dump. He identifies children who are most in need then meets with their families to explain how CCF can help. Children arrive at CCF suffering from severe dehydration, malnutrition, and a myriad of other medical conditions. They are immediately given medical treatment, vaccinations, food, clean clothes and a safe place to sleep. Then they begin an education program that includes Khmer reading and writing, English, computer classes, and nightly drama and traditional dance.
 We were lucky enough to spend two days at CCF. We split the children into age groups, and spent an afternoon teaching an environmental lesson, and making our PEPY bracelets. Another evening, we were treated to a performance of traditional dance and drama. The children recreated the story of one girl's life at Stoeng Meanchey. Although the play was in Khmer language, the message of the girl's struggle as a child prostitute was chillingly clear. I sat in the dark with goosebumps, trying to comprehend the reality of these childrens' lives.
When the lights went up, the children rushed into the audience to hug and play with us. The sparkle in their eyes, their laughter and care for each other, and the obvious love that Scott, Allie and the other caregivers have for these kids is incredible. We saw a little of this spark in the shy smiles and muffled giggles of the kids at the garbage dump. But CCF is like the sunlight that allows the flower to burst open; the transformation of these children is unbelievable. All these kids want, and deserve, is love, affection, health, and hope for the future.
Please take a look at the CCF website: www.cambodianchildrensfund.org. Scott has many exciting plans for the future, including the opening of two more centres, and an extension of the vocational training program, where students are encouraged to identify their skills and work towards turning these into a practical vocation.
 Sponsoring a child at CCF costs only $100 per month. That amount can even be split between a few friends if necessary. Give what you can. THIS is a place where your money will make a difference and you can know you are helping kids from one of the worst places on the planet. Thanks to Scott, Allie, and the CCF staff for inspiring all of us and for changing the world for these children.
- Alice
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| A Wedding Gift for Cambodia |
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 Last week I received an e-mail that put a permanent smile on my face. My awesome friends Helen and Stefan are getting married in Helsinki in May! The fact that they're getting married is more than enough reason for celebration, but that wasn't all they had to tell me. They had been thinking about what they needed and wanted for their wedding gifts and came to the conclusion that all they really needed was a new cooking pot. They figured they could pick that up on their own, but then what to do about wedding gifts?...So, in a moment of pure selfless giving genius, they've asked their wedding guests to donate towards the PEPY Ride instead of bringing gifts on the wedding day. This has been the cause of utter awe, total admiration, huge inspiration, overwhelming gratitude, chronic goosebumps and continuous warm feelings for all of us on The PEPY Ride. We've spent the last leg of our journey basically worshipping them!
The significance of their generosity will have an unequivocal positive impact on the lives of many of the most underprivileged children in Cambodia for generations to come. This truly is a wedding present that will neither brake, get lost nor collect dust. It is a gift that will keep on giving. Helen and Stefan - you are truly making a difference! On behalf of both the PEPY Team and the children of Cambodia I would like to thank you wholeheartedly for your incredible support!
Lots of love and best wishes with the wedding preparations!
: ) peppi |
| Representing PEPY on the River Kwai |
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| Featured Sponsor: Mt. Borah |
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The PEPY Team would like to thank Mt. Borah for getting our riders across Cambodia in comfort and style!
Mt. Borah creates functional cycling apparel that lets you enjoy your outdoor experience in maximum comfort. Their clothing is made from only the highest quality material and is designed to be long-lasting for extended use in any condition, even Cambodia's heat! Mt. Borah supported The PEPY Ride and our efforts in Cambodia by outfitting the whole PEPY team in custom designed jerseys...special thanks to Raven Stevenson for putting in the time and coming up with an awesome design! We've never looked so good!
Whether you're cycling or just an outdoor enthusiast, Mt. Borah's got comfortable, quality gear for so many outdoor needs. Check them out at http://mtborah.com and get outfitted. |
| Upcoming PEPY Events |
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 THE PEPY LOGO COMPETITION:
The PEPY Ride Team would like to welcome all budding [or more experienced] designers to submit your fantastic, creative and captivating logo designs for the new more international PEPY-identity! We already have an amazing logo, we know, so you might be wondering why we would want to change it. The reason is that PEPY has grown immensely over the last year, and whilst we love the strong and clear logo we currently have, we may want to branch outside of Cambodia in the future and for that we need a more global logo. The competition is open for everyone, just make sure you submit your entries before the deadline on the 31st of March. All you need to do is e-mail with the subject header PEPY LOGO COMPETITION ENTRY to logo@pepyride.org attaching a JPG of your entry, with your contact details in the email body.
What we want is an awesome new logo.... but if you want to throw in more, such as the whole identity concept, go for it! Please visit our website www.pepyride.org to find out what we are about [education, environment, health, personal giving, supporting sustainable NGO projects, international bike rides etc...] but feel free to be as creative as you like. We are open to all new ideas! You may or may not include the name PEPY in the logo, it is up to you to convey our image with your imagination. Just remember that all entries must be original and must be not copied, wholly, substantially or partially from any other work. There is no entry fee and the fantastic prize is the honour and glory of having designed the coolest logo
ever for such a great cause, which will be sported on websites, stickers, videos, bikes, t-shirts, to helmets, shorts, bikinis, you name it, all over the world!!! Also if the winner is a design agency they will of course appear as one of our sponsors on the site and benefit from all of our publicity.
We cannot wait to see your work!!!
 PEPY Trips:
Thinking about joining a future PEPY Ride? Want to support PEPY through one of our global events this year? Here are some of the many PEPY events planned for the following months. If you are planning a PEPY event and would like to get the word out, email the teamleader account and tell us about it!
March 24-31 Volunteer Trip - (Full)
March 27-April 3 PEPY Bike Ride from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh - (Full)
May 2006 PEPY Hurricane Relief Ride from Beaumont, TX to New Orleans- For more information, email YMCAride@pepyride.org. (For other events supporting PEPY in the Texas area, including a golf tournament, email the YMCA address and Maryann will get back to you!)
August PEPY Volunteer trip - PEPY is planning its third volunteer trip in Cambodia! Sign up early! Email volunteer@pepyride.org and Julie, the August trip coordinator, will get back to you with details. The funds raised from this trip will build The PEPY Ride Medical Center at CCF's new facility and the volunteers will spend time with the students as well as constructing rainwater collection units in the most deprived areas of Phnom Penh.
April/May PEPY Volunteer Trip - As there is a holiday in late April/early May for you English teachers in Japan, we have had some interest in a PEPY volunteer trip at that time. If anyone else is interested in a Golden Week PEPY trip, email volunteer@pepyride.org and let us know and we'll see what we can do!
December 2006-Jan 2007 - This 2 week ride will take you across Cambodia, the wildwest of Asia. For more info, email cambodia2007@pepyride.org and either Judy or Audrey, the trip coordinators, will get back to you.
In JAPAN:
The English/Computer program at The PEPY Ride School is funded by the efforts of Phil, Jon, and Andre and their annual Nagano Ski Trip (http://www.naganoskitrip2005.com/) and semi-annual All-Japan Soccer Tournaments (www.altsoccertournament.com). Join one of their awesome events and support the education of our students!
If you have never been to the Izu peninsula, the second annual JUDY Run is the perfect opportunity to mix your Japan travels with a good cause...and get fit! There are 5k, 10k, and 21k options and the world's most amazing onsen/enkai to enjoy afterwards! Email judy@pepyride.org for more information.
There will be another awesome Tokyo Charity Scavenger Hunt on June 3rd! Michelle, Jamie, and Megan are planning yet another amazing event. Join as a team, or sign up solo and get to know some amazing people and you explore Tokyo! Email tokyoscavengerhunt@gmail.com for info.
Feel free to start your own PEPY events! We'd LOVE your support! |
| The PEPY Ride Sponsors |
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The River Kwai Trophy Adventure Race has a PEPY team entered this year! Peppi and Daniela will be competing in this one day event on March 4th representing PEPY and raising funds to support The PEPY Ride School in Cambodia.
