It is so easy to take for granted things we have always had access to or are entitled to by law, for example a free education, easily accessible healthcare and equal representation in the workforce.

Such important opportunities available to women in Australia and other developed countries is the direct result of social and governmental investment in women and the ability to recognise the vital role women play not just as caregivers, but as business women and community leaders.

In the beginning…

In an effort to further promote the concept of equality and empowerment of women worldwide, the United Nations General Assembly in 1977 invited member states to proclaim March 8 as a day to celebrate women’s rights and world peace. Although not a new concept (the Socialist Party of America celebrated their first national women’s day on 28 February 1909), celebrating the contribution women make to family, community and the economy has been steadily increasing. Unfortunately though, not fast enough to compete with the myriad changes and challenges faced by women in developing countries.

Improving women’s rights and opportunities…

As a result of rapid population growth, armed conflict and disease, countless efforts to improve women’s rights and opportunities in developing countries have often been unsuccessful. Currently approximately only half the female population of developing countries will complete schooling, resulting in approximately 75 million girls remaining uneducated. Of those that do have access to education, many will be forced to leave school and enter into marriage or the workforce. In fact, 90% of the child workforce in developing countries is made up of girls aged between 12 and 17.

Inspired Adventures and Plan Australia: Cycle for Girls 2013

This year, Inspired Adventures, Plan Australia and a group of dedicated fundraisers celebrated International Women’s day in Siem Reap, Cambodia as part of their 2013 Cycle for Girls, a trip to also be recreated next year.

Overcoming barriers to women’s equality: education and health

Plan Australia believe educated women have the potential to not only move themselves out of poverty, but greatly contribute to the economic and social stabilisation of their communities and countries. Through education, Plan aims to reduce gender inequality in developing countries and narrow the economic disparities between men and women. Educated women in developing countries have the opportunity to own and manage property and invest in technology to increase productivity as well as launch income-generating and entrepreneurial ventures. The funds raised for the 2013 Cycle for Girls supported Plan Australia’s ‘Because I am a Girl’ campaign.

Addressing another key barrier to women’s equality in developing countries is the Barbara May Foundation, who in conjunction with Inspired Adventures, will take on Mt Kilimanjaro in 2014 to ensure women in developing countries have safe maternal health care during pregnancy and labour. Of the half a million women who die each year during or soon after childbirth, almost 99%, are in developing countries. This equates to a childbirth-related death approximately every 60 seconds and for every woman who dies, about 30 develop a labour-related injury, including obstetric fistula, a condition which causes constant incontinence resulting in health complications and social ostracism.

When presented in facts and figures, the issue of women’s equality seem insurmountable. However, with the dedication of our charity partners, fundraisers and newcomers, anything and everything is achievable.

“…we can as women and with women, change poverty into opportunity and look forward to creating a world without limits for all women.” Justine Curtis, founder Inspired Adventures

We leave you with a video put together by Plan Cambodia. They received our 2013 Cycle for Girls team and invited them to hear firsthand how access to education is important for girls.

To all of you inspirational women out there, we want to be a part of your fitness and fundraising revolution! Go online to www.inspiredadventures.com.au to see how you can make your mark.

In 2013, Inspired Adventures’ fundraisers will help…

January

• Oaktree Foundation give young people the skills and knowledge to create lasting change and fight extreme poverty through education.

February

• raise funds for Wayside Chapel’s Community Service Centre that assists those less fortunate to make the transition through to better health and a better life.
• Special Olympics Australia inspire children and adults with an intellectual disability to achieve their personal best in sport and in life.

March

• Plan Australia lift millions out of poverty and assist in the fight to end the practice of child marriage.
• World Vision Australia improve the lives of some of the world’s poorest children.
• Cure Cancer Australia Foundation support the next generation of researchers in their quest to find a cure for cancer.
• Flinders Medical Centre Foundation fund world-leading cancer research at the Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer.

April

• raise funds for Scope to support and encourage Victorian children and adults with a disability.
• RSPCA continue to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome animals that need their care and attention.
• Leukaemia Foundation raise funds to continue their vital work.
• Lifeline Australia in developing their Online Crisis Support Chat, a new online service for people who would prefer to seek help and advice via a real time, one-on-one, online conversation.
• Variety the Children’s Charity continue to empower Australian children who are sick, disadvantaged or have special needs to live, laugh and learn through the provision of specialised equipment and services, regardless of background or ability.
• Cure Cancer Australia Foundation to fund young researchers and champion their fresh ideas in the fight against cancer.

May

• The Smith Family to transform the lives of disadvantaged youths unable to access the same basic educational and life opportunities as their peers by raising funds for their Learning for Life program.

June

• Mater Foundation raise funds for fertility research and research to save the lives of babies in Mater’s Neonatal Critical Care Unit (NCCU).
• Cure for Cancer Foundation fund the next generation of researchers in their quest to find a cure for cancer.
• Vision Australia raise funds for vital equipment and training that will enable people who are blind or have low vision to live their lives to the full.
• MS Queensland in raising $80,000 for people living with multiple sclerosis in Australia.

July

• Flinders Medical Centre Foundation support Flinders University and Medical Centre researchers working in areas such as cancer prevention and control, heart and circulation and neurosciences.
• Amnesty International defend human rights and create a world of freedom, justice and dignity for all men women and children.

August

• Cure Cancer Australia Foundation fund cancer research that can save millions of lives as well as fund the next generation of researchers in their quest to find a cure for cancer.

September

• Australian Youth Climate Coalition raise much needed funds to develop climate change campaigns in Australia and Nepal.
• Indigenous Community Volunteers fund community development projects that improve quality of life, health, social and economic wellbeing
• Cerebral Palsy Alliance raise funds to improve medical services in rural NSW communities, giving greater access to programs and equipment needed for children with cerebral palsy.
• Australian Youth Climate Coalition build a generation-wide movement to solve the worldwide climate crisis.
• Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Foundation continue to advocate for issues influencing GP’s and their practices, improving patient care Australia-wide.
• Animals Asia Australia raise funds to assist in the rescue, recovery and rehabilitation of Moon Bears throughout Asia.

October

• Greenpeace Australia Pacific’s forest campaigns to stop illegal logging, end the clearing of ancient forests and help protect our climate. Zero deforestation by 2020!
• Jeans for Genes continue their vital research into congenital abnormalities and genetic diseases in children.
• Good Beginnings raise funds to continue their community-based early childhood and practical parenting programs.
• Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation continue to deliver life-saving advances in paediatric health care.
• Black Dog Institute fund programs in Australian rural and urban communities to raise awareness of mood disorders and reduce stigmas.
• Schizophrenia Research Institute in their research into schizophrenia, its causes, treatment and a cure.
• Plan Australia ‘Stop the Hunger’ by providing children with school lunches to help them cope with the food crisis.
• Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service in raising $200,000 to overhaul their life-saving chopper fleet.
• Greenpeace Australia Pacific protect the world’s tropical rainforests and work towards its goal of zero deforestation globally by 2020
• Southern Cross Care Vic raise funds to improve the lives of dementia sufferers and support vital research projects.
• The Wayside Chapel continue their support of people living on the streets to overcome addictions, hardships and get back on track.
• World Vision Australia provide life-changing assistance to improve the lives of the world’s poorest children and their communities.
• Travellers Aid provide travel-related emergency help for people who are stranded, in danger, or facing some other kind of travel-related emergency.

November

• Cure Cancer Australia Foundation raise funds for cancer research to save millions of lives.
• Amnesty International fight injustice and defend the human rights of people everywhere.
• Kids Helpline to raise funds to enable counsellors to answer more calls from youth reaching out for help.
• Arthritis NSW raise funds to help improve the quality of life for people with arthritis, osteoporosis and related conditions.
• Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute continue their life-saving research to develop cures and treatments that will transform the lives of millions of people, both in Australia and around the world.
• ChildFund Australia in rebuilding communities in north-eastern Sri-Lanka and giving them hope for the future.

All year (JUMP! Program):

• Mater Foundation raise over $100,000 for prostate cancer research.
• Animals Asia Improve the lives of moon bears rescued from bear farms by providing essential rehabilitation equipment to exercise their wasted minds and bodies.
• Cure Cancer Australia Foundation fund vital cancer research.

Read more Charity Fundraising Tips or visit the Inspired Adventures Calendar and find a Fundraising Trek or Adventure perfect for you.

A Personal Message from the ChildFund Laos Team

In November 2012, a group of 16 passionate Aussies will cycle from Laos to Cambodia as part of ChildFund Australia’s “Laos Water Cycle” challenge. Not only will the group get to explore these two beautiful countries, they’ll also have the opportunity to visit rural communities supported by ChildFund and learn about development issues in Laos. Currently our Laos Water Cyclists are busy training for their trip and putting in a huge amount of effort to fundraise at least $8,000 each to provide water tanks and household toilets for communities in northern Laos. This video was put together by the ChildFund Laos team to thank them for their efforts so far.

For more information, visit http://www.childfund.org.au/act/LaosWaterCycle 

Image: www.childfund.org.au/act/LaosWaterCycle

FEELING INSPIRED?

• More about ChildFund Australia
• Find an Inspired Adventure
• Inspired Cycling Tips
• Karly kilts up & fundraises for the ChildFund Dublin Marathon

Inspired Adventures has joined forces with more than 50 incredible not-for-profits since its birth in 2004. This month we introduce three of our overseas children’s aid charities, ChildFund, World Vision and Plan. These organisations all share a dedication to making a difference to the lives of children, families and communities living in poverty. With the help of Inspired Adventures they have offered their supporters the opportunity to participate in an adventure of a lifetime and raise vital funds for their projects around the world. We investigate the success of their past Inspired Adventures and share their plans for the future.

ChildFund Australia

ChildFund Australia is an independent and non-religious international development organisation that works to reduce or eliminate poverty for children in the developing world.

In 2009, 14 Inspired Adventures participants cycled over 300km through the Cambodian countryside after raising more than $60,000 for ChildFund Australia. Thanks to the funds raised through Cycle Cambodia, the village of Chouk Meas now has a new primary school giving over 550 children access to education.

Riding on the success of Cycle Cambodia, in 2011 ChildFund Australia and Inspired Adventures created a trek through the luscious Sapa region in northern Vietnam. 17 participants joined the 12-day adventure raising over $70,000 to build a preschool in Go Thau, Vietnam. The construction project is due to be completed later this year and means more children can attend a full day of school in a safe and stimulating environment.

2012 is going to be another big year for ChildFund Australia. 10 runners have pledged to run 42km in the Paris and Dublin Marathons and in November, 5 individuals will run the New York marathon. A further 20 participants will take part in the Laos Water Cycle – over the coming months these fantastic fundraisers will be hosting events and collecting donations to fund three community water tanks and approximately 200 household toilets in northern Laos, where 75% of households have little or no access to clean and safe water. This could help save the lives of thousands of children by reducing life-threatening disease.

To participate in the Laos Water Cycle 2012 click here

Call 1300 905 188 to register your interest in the New York Marathon

World Vision

World Vision Australia is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organisation dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice.

In November 2011, nine dedicated World Vision supporters ran the ING New York Marathon, raising over $125,000 for World Vision’s social and economic development program, SEE Solutions. SEE Solutions supports a range of practical and innovative social and economic empowerment projects around the world, projects that provide the working poor with access to knowledge, capital, markets and skills training so they can become independent in the long term.

With 2011 proving such a success, World Vision will be offering 15 places in the 2012 ING New York Marathon. This challenge will raise over $150,000, which will go towards providing life-saving food aid and relief essentials to desperately hungry children and families.

And if that wasn’t enough, World Vision are also going to offer 20 people the opportunity of a lifetime to conquer the mighty Mount Kilimanjaro in March 2013. Participants will also experience the work of the charity first hand, visiting the World Vision Area Development Program in Mukolat.

Call 1300 905 188 to register your interest in a World Vision adventure

Plan Australia

Plan Australia works at the grassroots in more than 49 developing countries, empowering communities to overcome poverty so that children have the opportunity to reach their full potential – and encouraging children to be actively involved in the process.

Plan Australia partnered with Inspired Adventures in 2010, taking 14 trekkers on the adventure of a lifetime to Nepal. Gill Brzoska, one of the incredible participants, said “What a life changing experience…I never expected to feel so humble, forge such beautiful friendships with like-minded people, and feel proud that I have been able to contribute to such a worthy cause”. $50,000 was raised through the determination, dedication and passion of these 14 trekkers and was invested in Plan projects addressing social inequalities for girls in Africa and Asia.

In July 2012, Plan Australia has two Inspired Adventures departures. The Asia Insight Tour will visit Plan supported projects in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia to see the impact of gender disparities and development first hand. Funds raised will support Plan’s GirlsFund – an initiative that helps to identify and respond to the barriers girls face.

Their second adventure will take a dedicated group of fundraisers to Mount Kilimanjaro to summit the highest freestanding mountain in the world. These participants will gain a valuable insight into an Urban Sanitation project in Nairobi.

Click here to join Plan’s Asia Insight Tour or Kilimanjaro Challenge and Project Visit

Visit the Inspired Adventures Calendar and find a Charity Challenge perfect for you.

★ LAOS  ★ CAMBODIA  ★ VIETNAM 

“Across the world, girls face double discrimination due to their gender and age, leaving them at the bottom of

the social ladder.” Plan

With 2012 just around the corner it is hard to believe that girls around the world still find themselves at the bottom of the social ladder. Research shows that:

• girls are more likely to be forced into the sex trade;
• more likely to suffer from malnutrition;
• more likely to become infected with HIV;
• more likely to be subjected to intimidation and violence and
• more likely to be forced into marriage at an early age.

Our good friends at Plan have been working hard to address these issues and are empowering women and girls all over the world to overcome poverty.

In July 2012, Plan brings you the Asia Insight Tour – an inspired adventure like no other. Differing from our other trips, the Plan Asia Insight Tour has no challenging physical component. The trip has been exclusively designed to allow participants to engage with their experience on a deeper level and immerse themselves in the cultural and community development aspects of the trip. This is a very unique opportunity to go behind the scenes and off the tourist trail to see firsthand how Plan helps communities address gender inequality facing young girls and women.

The Asia Insight Tour follows on the success of the Plan Trek Nepal. In May 2011, 13 people trekked the Himalayas to raise over $53,000 for Plan. Inspired Adventures and Plan have teamed up again in 2012 to offer you a rare adventure that will take you right down to the grassroots level where Plan does its most important work. You will be taken to Southeast Asia’s most and least visited areas and your heart and mind will work overtime when you talk directly with community project participants as you acquaint yourself with Plan’s projects.

The Asia Insight Tour encapsulates everything that you could ask for in a unique travel experience – a rare insight into communities and the impact of grassroots projects implemented by one of the oldest and largest children’s development organisations in the world.

Inspired Adventures fully supports Plan’s commitment to investing in girls in order to break the poverty cycle and we are excited to be able to offer this tour with a difference in 2012.

As a Mum to a beautiful 3-year-old girl, with many exciting opportunities ahead of her, it is unbelievable that many girls around the world are so suppressed and have very little opportunity available to them to have a good life. Many of us naturally take education, healthcare and the support of a loving family for granted.

Our ability to make a difference to these girls’ lives starts with knowledge and insight. That is, getting a clear understanding about the problems that they face and how we can effect change.

Justine

♀ More information on Plan’s campaign to fight gender inequality

♀ Find out more about the Plan Asia Insight Tour

♀ Read more from Justine’s Corner