XX Treks for RENEW Bhutan

Dear family and friends,

On 25 September, I am starting my 24 days on the Snowman Trek in Bhutan, known as the toughest commercial trek in the world and a true Himalayan adventure. It will be a 350km journey on foot, across 11 high mountain passes over 4,500m above sea level, sleeping in tents for 3.5 weeks. Only a handful of trekkers attempt this every year, and the number of people who have completed this trek is less than the number who have summitted Mount Everest.

As some of you would know, I take opportunities like these to raise funds and awareness for non-profit organisations of my choice which are deeply rooted in the local communities, especially those which support the development of women and children. In 2013, XX Rides For Hope, through which with your help, raised funds to buy computers for a school in rural Zhejiang Province in China (https://www.facebook.com/xxridesforhope/).

This year, I've picked RENEW (Respect, Educate, Nurture and Empower Women). As Bhutan continues to develop in its own unique ways, RENEW is dedicated to ensure that the rights of women and families are protected in this process. This is a non-profit organisation based in the capital Thimphu, founded by Her Majesty the Queen Mother Sangay Choden Wangchuck in 2004. You can learn more about RENEW by visiting their website: http://renew.org.bt.

There are a few projects I would like to support through this fundraising effort:

1. DAISAN - RENEW's youth volunteer network

DAISAN focuses on raising awareness on gender-based violence, as well as sexual reproductive health and rights. There are two areas where we can help:

• Fund the purchase of portable / chargeable speakers with 2 microphone sets for each of the 20 dzhongkhags (administrative districts of Bhutan), as well as additional two for the head office in RENEW. These are used during the outdoor community outreach programmes, which usually take place at local religious festivals and school events, and
• Contribute to a part of the upcoming annual Winter Camp, where volunteers of 13 to 24 years old gather once a year in Thimphu for capacity building training, before returning to their dzhongkhag to raise awareness in their own communities.

2. Gawailing Happy Home

Gawailing (Happy Home) is an emergency safe home for women and their children, which provides an environment of physical, psychological and economic safety. They offer counseling, legal aid (where needed), emergency medical aid, crisis intervention, meditation practices, education for the children and livelihood training for each individual who seek shelter at Gawailing.

The target of SGD20,000 is to be split between the three projects mentioned above, with priority given to DAISAN.

In the spirit of full disclosure, GoGetFunding.com will charge me 6.9% fees. This will be deducted from the final amount raised, not from you directly. Also, please note that I have already fully paid for my expedition and flights, and none of these funds raised will be used to sponsor my trip.

Thank you in advance for your consideration and generosity! If you would like more information on RENEW or any of these projects, please feel free to reach out to me! I will still have network coverage until 25 September.

Lots of love,

Xin