Aussie bikers for change make a Mumbai pit stop

Four young riders from Australia have embarked on a journey to spread awareness and raise funds for child rights in India. Cameron Perry, Scott Grills, Ben Butcher and Taylor Hogan have partnered with the NGO, CRY and will be travelling 7,000 kilometres across India to capture stories of these children and highlight challenges, which deprive them of their rights. The bikers have already embarked on their journey and have travelled through Delhi, Rajasthan and Gujarat so far. In the city to celebrate Holi with the kids in Sion Koliwada, Cameron Perry the trailblazer of the group shares, “I was visiting India on a vacation in 2016 and loved the culture here. It was such an exciting trip. I fell in love with many aspects of the country and decided to come back with my friends and contribute meaningfully to the country.”

These young boys have quit their daily jobs and courses to pursue this dream, “We have left all our current commitments back home to do this. It’s not just a 45-day trip for us; the ride also marks a personal journey of fulfilment. We are determined to experience, empower and change the lives of these children and spread awareness. We are not going to focus on the negative aspects of child labour or lack of education but the positive steps being initiated for their empowerment,” Cameron shares.

With a packed scheduled, the boys are constantly on the move and face some challenges as well, “We are on a tight budget and are on constantly riding. Travelling and manoeuvring the Delhi traffic was difficult, we visit project sites in cities and eat food at local dhabas,” Cameron says.  

The group aims to raise funds and will also we shooting a documentary on the various initiatives undertaken by CRY. 21-year-old Ben Butcher is the youngest of the lot and will be shooting the documentary. “The experience in the four states has been amazing. We want to gather as much support as we can through the portrayal of children via our work and raise funds. The stories that they have to share our inspiring and heart warming,” Ben shares.