Charity
Charitable Focus of the Rally
Everything about the Rickshaw Challenge brings to mind complete insanity. However, we are not just about fun and adventure; we believe firmly in participating in, not simply passing through, the lives of the people we meet in villages and cities along the route. For this reason, the Rickshaw Challenge has teamed up with Round Table India, a national organization that oversees charitable needs, donations, and projects.
Round Table India
Since 1962, Round Table India has been a respected, established entity throughout India. The local Chennai table, Madras Midtown Round Table # 42, has a specific pairing with RTI’s “Freedom Through Education” program. This initiative focuses strongly on finding areas of India where schools are scarce and then establishing schools in those areas. The common problem found throughout India is not simply that children do not attend school, but rather, the closest school they are able to attend is a great distance (roughly 15 kilometers or more) from their residencies. Through the use of donations from Rickshaw Challenge participants and with the efforts of RTI, together we are able to build schools in these areas, find quality teachers, and educate the children of India, thus giving them better opportunities for leading greater lives.
CEMS strongly encourages participants to take to heart the projects that may be seen along the route of the rally’s. Though many of the projects are completed, they would not be so without donations from you. The schools you may see and the children you may meet are all beneficiaries of the incredible efforts of Round Table India and donations from nationals and internationals alike. If you choose to donate to Round Table India, they will provide you with detailed information regarding how your donations are being used along with the beneficiaries of that project. CEMS is happy to coordinate contact between you and RTI. However, donations must be received directly by RTI, rather than passed through CEMS.
The positive impact of this initiative cannot be stressed enough. The problem is simple, and so is the solution. With no uncertain terms, CEMS and RTI can promise you that the donations you make to this effort will be for the benefit of the children of India, who have the a long future ahead to make a difference for India.
To donate to Round Table India, please contact a member of the Organizing team, so that we may acquaint you with a member of RTI.
Our Environmental Responsibility Pledge
An autorickshaw rally across India may not be the most environmentally conscious of activities, however the Rickshaw Challenge is working on ways to reduce the event’s impact on the surrounding environment and introducing a new charity mission in 2010 to implement this. Offsetting carbon emission and reducing pollution will be a major theme of upcoming events.
