Relief Ride through Rajasthan, India
Great Barrington, MA (August 25, 2004) Relief Riders International (RRI) announces its inaugural adventure ride through the Thar Desert of Rajasthan, India. Beginning on October 22, 2004, a maximum of fifteen riders will travel on horseback through rural India's unforgettable landscape delivering food, medical supplies and medical care, and goats to five remote villages. Relief Riders International offers participants not only an opportunity to see and visit places of extraordinary beauty, but the chance to make life better for the communities they visit along the way.
We have designed our fifteen day Rajasthan relief adventure ride to create meaningful
interactions between our travelers and local residents. At the beginning of the journey all participants, based on their life experience and skills, will be assigned certain responsibilities: helping to organize the caravan, volunteering with the medical team, and helping to facilitate the distribution of the supplies.
According to Founder and Executive Director Alexander Souri: "Relief Riders International is designed to offer individuals not only an exhilarating journey but the chance to use their skills, enthusiasm and experience to promote positive change. I know from my own travels to Rajasthan that for every gift I have given I have received gifts that have changed my life. "
Great care has been taken to conduct a relief assessment of the region, and we have designed our program after discussions with development organizations in Rajasthan in 2003 and early 2004. Our mission addresses some critical local needs: the absence of reliable medical care and information; food supplies to counter the effects of drought; and delivery of the goats to families to create on-going sustainability, and educational materials for the local schools. Guided by Relief Riders' experienced support team, we will bring 10 to 12 camels packed with relief supplies, books, and medicine.
Relief Riders International is working with the Indian Red Cross to develop an HIV/AIDS information campaign. Red Cross personnel will travel with us, distribute educational information and hold discussions in all the villages. This is the first HIV education program in the region.
In addition, we have an extensive medical program. RRI has facilitated the funding and organization of medical camps along the journey. Working with a team of Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat specialists, we will be able to treat hundreds of villagers along the way.
We will travel through areas of great natural beauty, with ancient villages and old forts, rich in culture and wildlife. As we stop along the way, we will experience and enjoy some of the region's unique cultural life, with Performances of traditional dance in Kochor and drumming in Pachar, and sample the region's culinary specialties.
With the exception of a night's stay at The Imperial Hotel in Delhi, 3 nights in forts, and a night in a haveli, a traditional Rajput Villa, our accommodations will consist of tented encampments set up by our support team along the journey route. Riders will average about three to five hours a day of riding at a comfortable pace, stopping for three meals. There will, of course, be ample water for all. In addition to our Relief Rider crew, we will have a support vehicle carrying two medics and a doctor who will accompany our ride on a parallel itinerary.
According to RRI Executive Director, Alexander Souri: "For years, those of us who travel have known the great gift of experiencing new places, encountering new people, and seeing the world in new ways. Relief Riders International now offers travelers the opportunity to return the favor several times over. This time we will bring to those places we visit gifts that really matter."
For more details on this great adventure visit http://www.reliefridersinternational.com or contact:
Relief Riders International
304 Main St, Suite 3-B
Great Barrington, MA 01230
T: 413.329.5876
E-mail: info@reliefridersinternational.com