Once in a Lifetime....

Means there's no second chance...(for those Disney nerds out there)...

Anyways.

Hi, everyone! My name is Sharon and I am a senior journalism major at the University of Maryland!

I have been given a once in a lifetime opportunity to go to South India with ten other female volunteers to bicycle ride for 30 days with 20 young women survivors of Odanadi Seva Trust. Odanadi is a non-profit organization based in Mysore, India, which rescues, rehabilitates and empowers young women and children survivors of sex trafficking.

AND I HAVE DECIDED THAT I HAVE TO DO THIS!!!!!

We will be cycling for about 12.4 miles for 30 days to 60 different villages in Karnataka, India. In each village, the Odanadi women will make presentations about human trafficking and environmental justice. The girls and volunteers will plant a tree in each village as a gift from Odanadi and as a reminder about the issues discussed.

Here are some Q&As on the CYCLE itself:

Q: Is this a new program or has it been done before?

Odanadi did a similar cycle for 35 days 3 years ago. We had both Indian and foreign volunteers cycle with about a dozen of the girls. It was a huge success and there were no problems during the entire duration of the cycle.

Q: What kind of bike will the volunteers be provided with and what sort of terrain/landscape is Karnataka?

Since we will only be cycling no more than 20 kilometers each day and will be riding on relatively flat terrain, all participants will use a basic bicycle. These are the same bicycles that the women use to ride back and forth to school every day. All participants will be provided helmets, t-shirts, track suit pants and caps.

Q: What will the volunteers be doing?

The purpose of the cycle is to raise awareness about human trafficking and environmental justice. In each village, the Odanadi women will make presentations about these issues and we will plant a tree in each village as a gift from Odanadi.

I've created this blog in order to help fundraise for my trip to India as well as to keep everyone informed of any updates and happenings with the trip.

ALL EXTRA DONATIONS WILL BE DONATED TO THE ORGANIZATION. ALL SPONSORS WILL BE ABLE TO GET A TAX RECEIPT. They will receive a formal letter and receipt from Odanadi immediately.

COSTS: Each volunteer or sponsoring organization/institution will be expected to pay for the costs of the flight to and from India and pay $800 US to Odanadi for all costs, including food, accommodations, transportation and bicycle equipment.

Each participant is expected to pay for the costs of the flight to and from India and pay $800 US to Odanadi for all costs, including food, accommodations, transportation and bicycle equipment.

I have exactly a month before I will be in South India and I would GREATLY APPRECIATE ANY AMOUNT OF DONATIONS FOR THIS CAUSE!!

For more information on Odanadi, please visit: www.odandi.org, www.odanadi-uk.org

<3,

Sharon