I'm biking 1,000 miles for Embers!
Click here to track my daily progress
Riding to break the cycle of violence [Warning: it's a little graphic]
In 2014, I lent my apartment in London to a friend who was on her way back from India. When she met me to return the key, she told me about the brothel she visited and the sex slave who, impregnated by a customer, had put blankets under her bed as a makeshift place for her 6 month old infant to sleep. When customers visited, she either kept the baby underneath the bed or would ask another worker to care for the baby until the client left.
This reality was so far removed from my comfortable life that I knew I had to help. Since its inception, I've partnered with the nonprofit Embers International who helps protect and empower children born into brothels and are trapped in repeated cycles of exploitation.
1 Mile, 1 Child
On Friday June 11, I will begin a three week gravel ride of the Continental Divide; some of the most majestic scenery in America stretching from Montana to New Mexico. Every mile biked will bring badly needed resources to children born into brothels in India's Turbhe red-light district.
-> $20 feeds an entire family for 2 weeks
-> $50 provides a child with a school uniform for 1 year
-> $100 shelters a child born into a brothel for 30 nights
-> $125 provides 1 month of trauma-informed counseling to 20 children
-> $500 helps expand programs to serve children with special needs and teach those who have aged out of the school system
-> $1,200 provides 1 month of daycare to children in a red-light district
100% of proceeds go to Embers International, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
100% of expenses (bike equipment, travel, and endless Snickers bars) paid by me
[ DONATE HERE! ] 
Photo credit: Adventure Cycling Association
I will be climbing thousands of feet in elevation daily on a fully loaded gravel bike, and camping or staying in hostels or motels as available along the route; no support cars! 
While I'll be self-supported, I am starting with about 200 other gravel bikepackers on Friday (Jun 11) in Roosville MT at the Canadian border and hope to find some new friends to ride with. #tourdivide2021
My goal is to complete 1000 miles of the Tour Divide. Please help Embers @embersint and me @darrenjer finish this JER-NEY by following us on Instagram!
[ DONATE HERE! ]
And remember, if you walk, run, hike, or bike a mile, don't forget to tag it #1mile1child !
Organizer
