Hello - my name is Mark Lloydbottom and I am a Trustee of Aid International. I am within a few days of leaving the UK to undertake a solo 600 mile cycle around the Netherlands. For me this is a personal challenge like no other. A couple of days I am cycling over 100 miles and given that I have never cycled more than 75 miles in a day I still wake up wondering if I can make it to the next B&B.

I am also seeking to raise funds for two amazing charities. Tutela Africa and Charity Water.

Please will you generously consider sponsoring this journey? I am covering ALL my personal travel costs and can guarantee that 100% of any sponsorship will go direct to the two charities – No one is deducting any costs.

Tutela Africa

We provide safe and nurturing family-based care for children in Mozambique who really need it, enabling them to belong in a family and thrive in life.

Supporting Families

We are passionate about children having a safe family to live with. Tutela provides support to help struggling families to stay together and give better care. And for children who are abandoned, we provide them with caring foster families.

Here are two things that Tutela are focusing on and which will benefit from Cycle Holland:-

- Bella has spent most of her life in foster care, including the past five years with our Tutela carers. Her dad died when she was ten and the family home was no longer a place she could stay. She recently finished Grade 12 (A-levels equivalent) and is now pursuing nursing school with a place at the school that is connected to the main hospital for Maputo city. We want to see her fully funded into independence, able to stand on her own two feet. It will be quite an amazing thing when this happens, considering both the life she has had plus all the difficulties most young people encounter finding work in Mozambique. The most immediate need on this front is to fund her schooling for the next academic year (around £500). Bella has started contributing to her costs with some part time work as a tutor to students in secondary school, so she is determined to pursue a good future. We also want to consider how to transition her into a new life, perhaps into a halfway home. This will take some more thinking through, along with funding.

- In September we are providing some parent-strengthening tools to parents in some of the poorer districts of Maputo. The aim is to reduce the number of families who face relational breakdown with their children. Starting by running a course that helps parents unpack their struggles and gives simple tools to give better care to their children. We hope to reach around 60-80 parents in the first round with some intensive seminars. Last time we ran the course, we had some amazing testimonies from the participants, including relationships being restored. Expecting there to be a cost of around £25 per head for the course. So a total of £1,500 to run it for 60 people.

Charity Water

Help bring clean and safe water to every person on the planet.

The water crisis is massive. But we can solve it. Together. Give today and every penny will bring clean water to families around the world. When charity: water began, we made a bold promise: 100% of public donations would go directly to fund clean water projects. Philanthropists and Gift Aid cover our operating costs so 100% of your money can fund water projects.

Please remember that I am covering all my own expenses, the Wonderful fundraising platform takes no fees and Aid International takes no fees so every penny donated will go to these two charities.

Thank you for taking the time to read this - please donate as generously as you are able.

Fundraising Targets

All funds raised will be passed to the charity irrespective of whether my target is reached, not reached or exceeded.

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