Jacky Andrews Memorial Fund

After Jacky died we wanted to use the many donations made in her memory in a way she would have wanted. Jacky believed in and supported the Christina Noble Children's Foundation. So we asked the Foundation to help us to set up a fund in Jacky’s memory, which would reflect her lifelong concern for children in need.

As a family, we felt an immediate affinity for the bike donation project in Ho Chi Minh City. Living on an island an hour’s ferry ride from Hong Kong, to get from the pier to the village, work and school, we were constantly on our bikes!

We took our bikes for granted. But in Ho Chi Minh, a bike can mean the difference between a life of poverty and a brighter future. Many of the children who have the opportunity to enter the public High School system school are faced with a long daily journey there and back. If they can’t afford bus fares, or motor taxis, or a bicycle, the only option is to walk. No wonder that many give up and drop out of school.

A bike can transform the lives of the whole family. Students (together with their siblings or friends: you can carry more than one person on a bike) find the journey to school a bit easier. They aren't quite so tired when they get home. Their parents save money because they don't have to pay bus fares or take time out from work. The children can continue their education, which means the family has a chance of breaking out of the cycle of poverty.

So far, the Jacky Andrews Memorial Fund has contributed 30 bikes and helmets to the CNCF Bicycle Support Programme.There is a growing waiting list, and we would like to do more.