In January 2014 Gungahlin local Kerrie Craig (nee McIntosh) will be cycling 800kms across Thailand.
“I’m riding to help raise money for some gorgeous kids in Thailand who were orphaned by the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami, or who have been ostracised from their communities due to having HIV/AIDS.” Kerrie told us.
Kerrie went on to explain “The ride is for a charity called Hands Across The Water, and all the money that I raise will go directly to an Aids orphanage in Yasathon. These children are dying because they don’t have access to the medicine that we have here. This shouldn’t happen, with the medicine they could lead relatively long and normal lives.”
In 2004, countless Thai children were left alone and homeless by the Boxing Day tsunami.
Hands founder, former police forensic specialist Peter Baines, working with the tsunami disaster victim identification team, was deeply touched by the number of children left homeless and alone by the natural disaster. He was inspired to establish an organisation that could make a difference.
Peter started his career as a police officer in the streets of Cabramatta in the early nineties. Becoming a specialist in forensic crime scene investigations he was called upon to bring his skills to the Bali bombings in 2002. But it was the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami that forever changed the direction of his life. Helping the people of Thailand identify their dead, he met the countless children who had been left behind, orphaned, with nowhere to go.
Peter decided to do something, and set about creating the charity HATW, building an orphanage and raising funds to educate the children. He has set up projects within Thailand to help provide long term sustainability for the orphanage. Peter has left the police force to commit his time to supporting these beautiful children. Peter spends his time between Australia, Thailand and other countries speaking at various events about his journey and that of the children of Thailand.
For Kerrie this is the second time that she has undertaken this ride, having raised $12,500 and completed the ride in January of 2012. She also took her three children to the orphanage last year to volunteer, which was a life changing experience for all of them. She is now looking to raise another $10,000.
You can support this cause by donating at: https://handsacrossthewater.org.au/pages/rider/kerrie-mcintosh/
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