Where I just went backpacking in South
America for a few months after I graduated from university, these four young
Dutch girls are looking for a bigger adventure. In just over a year they will
cycle from Jakarta to Amsterdam. On two tandems. Not only that, they do it for
a good cause: to raise awareness for women’s rights. A ‘Ride 4 Women’s Rights.’
A few weeks after their departure from
Jakarta Carlijn, Monique, Lidewij and Sophie arrived in Singapore, staying with
a friendly Dutch expat couple that took them under their wings. The next day I
took them to HOME, the NGO I work for. HOME supports migrant workers in
Singapore, and the Dutch girls were invited to join in my Dreams Class, where
we dreamed about our prospective futures together with domestic workers staying
at the HOME shelter. We found that, although the contestants came from very
different countries (the Netherlands, Myanmar, Indonesia, the Philippines,
Greece and India) their dreams were not that different. We all wanted to start our
own companies, build our dream house and be able to take care of our loved
ones.
The day after the four girls cycled on,
over the causeway to Malaysia, but luckily there was time for a quick
interview. I was curious how they got the idea for this challenging journey. It
turned out not to be the first time these women, that have been friends since
primary school, travelled together. This time they wanted to do something
different. ‘It was on our last trip that
we realised that students like us are very self-centered. We took all our
opportunities for self-development for grated, without stopping to think how
special they are. Because we are all quite sporty, we wanted to add a
challenge. To be aware, for 400 days, whilst cycling, of women’s rights, will
be an unforgettable exploration. So that is how we started the ‘Ride for
Women’s rights.’
The four women will visit various projects
from Plan International and Care International during their journey, as well as
other local projects that support women’s rights, and share their stories on
their website. So far the group cycled through Indonesia to Singapore,
neighbouring countries but which are worlds apart. Singapore impressed them as
being ‘futuristic, grand, visionary, and
full of expats.’ The ladies of R4WR don’t like to judge. Their journey is
one of exploration. Yet they have to admit that Singapore is more modern, and
much wealthier than Indonesia. The visit to HOME showed them that ‘beneath the veneer of Singapore there is a
darker area, where for instance migrants rights are not always heard.’
How does the public respond to four cycling
Dutch girls? ‘When in the busy Indonesian
traffic two red tandems appear, men, women as well as children laugh their
heads off. There is astonishment, but we also get positive reactions, when we
tell that we will cycle 14000 kilometres from Jakarta to Amsterdam to raise
awareness on women’s rights. Four girls cycling? Really…from Jakarta to
Rembang? O no, all the way up to Amsterdam?’ They had not expected all
these positive reactions, and the sign, conversations and meetings that came
forth made a lasting impression on the four.
Apart from the Far East they will also
cross the Middle East. All countries that are not as safe as Singapore. Are
they never afraid? ‘In the Netherlands we
did training on how to handle aggressive situations. This was also a
prerequisite for our parents and sponsors. Safety remains very important to us.
In Indonesia we often slept at police stations, a golden concept. In every town
or village we’d knock on the door at the local police office. After the first
week police offices started to feel like home! Every office we slept at (on our
mats) would provide us with a letter of recommendation for the next one. When
we arrived at the last one, in Bali, we had 17 letters. Let’s hope this trick
will work in other countries too.’
After Singapore, Sophie, Carlijn, Monique
and Lidewij will cycle through Malaysia, then Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and
Myanmar before entering the Middle East. If you want to follow their
adventures, do check their website at www.r4wr.or
or find them on facebook as R4WR.
And if you have suggestions for projects to
visit, or places to stay in any of these countries, don’t hesitate to drop them
an email at info@r4wr.org
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