Four Australians will ride across India to help poor kids

New Delhi: When Cameron Perry first came to India in 2015, he came across several stories of underprivileged children lacking opportunities. One such story stuck with him.

“I met a child working at a tea stall in Uttar Pradesh. He had a bright smile and spoke very good English. He had never been to school and said he is self-taught. He wanted to be a nurse but said there were not many opportunities available within his community,” said Perry, the 25-year-old Australian.

The encounter made Mr Perry think about the potential the kids have and how lack of opportunities and awareness have forced them into child labour or kept them away from bearing the fruits of development in the country.

After going back to Australia, Mr Perry, along with his three friends — Scott Grills (25), Taylor Hogan (25), and Ben Butcher (25) — came up with an idea of documenting such stories in the form of a documentary film and raise awareness of the plight of millions of underprivileged children.

The team is all set to leave on their bike journey on Friday. The four have collaborated with CRY (Child Rights and You) for research work and other assistance. Sitting at the CRY office in Saket in South Delhi, the friends cannot believe how far they have come, from just an ‘idea’ to a full blown project called the ‘Ride for Rights.’ The plan is to visit children and leaders at different CRY projects across India, from the urban slums and rural Rajasthan to Southern cities. They will be visiting cities like Ahmedabad, Surat, Hampi, Mumbai, Davangere, Chennai, Vijaywada, Vizag, Bodh Gaya, among others. The friends are raising money through crowdfunding and have already raised $18,832 ('12,57,412) till now.

“We will be filming to portray the hope and change underway, along with the work of those involved directly,” said Mr Perry.

“All four of us are driven by the same passion towards the cause,” said Mr Grills.

“Growing up in Sydney, we’ve been fortunate to live in an environment that is active in supporting the next generation. Whilst we’ve all been impacted in our own profound ways, we believe that collectively we can make a difference. And now is the time,” added Mr Perry.

Mr Butcher is a freelance filmmaker and the rest have regular jobs. While Mr Perry quit his job before coming to India, Mr Grills and Mr Hogan have taken leave for the project. But they too are likely to quit their jobs and take this project further to Australia and to the rest of the globe.

“I think this is it, for all of us,” said Mr Perry.