Chris Prasad

Dear family and friends,

In less than a month I will again be participating in the "Ride Against Traffick", the goal of which to raise public awareness to the plight of the victims of human trafficking both here in Korea and abroad. This issue is one that is often pushed aside and forgotten, simply because it doesn't affect us directly or the task of addressing the problem seems too insurmountable. Human traffickers largely target the most vulnerable of our societies, women and children, for the sake of unlawful, selfish person gain or as an illegal means of acquiring wealth through the enslavement of these trafficked victims.
In raising public awareness of this injustice, our hope is that doors will begin to close for those who perpetuate this crime, that local government bodies and law enforcement agencies would continue to enact and enforce laws against these evils.

For the victims of human trafficking and the vulnerable children in our society, namely orphans, we are hoping to raise funds, 100% of which will go toward House of Hope, a shelter for victims rescued out of sex-trafficking and Oak Tree Foundation, a fund set up to provide scholarships and a mentoring program for orphans attending University in Korea. Would you kindly consider partnering with me, by making a donation towards reaching my fundraising goal of 2million won (approx. $2000 USD) Help us stand up to these injustices, together, we can make a difference in the lives of these women and orphans.

The "Ride Against Traffick 2014" will take place on Sept 6-10, from the city of Busan to Seoul, a total distance of over 500kms. There will be two groups of riders, one will cover the distance over 5 days while the other will complete the distance in 3 days. I will be riding in the latter group, with 8 other riders, riding around 200kms / day for the first two days and a 100kms on the final day. As much as it will be challenging for us physically and mentally, it does not even begin to compare with the torment that these victims of human trafficking are subjected to each day by their captors. Let's us raise our voices on behalf of the voiceless victims of Human Trafficking!

UPDATE: We have exceeded our original goal of 20 million won! Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed so far. But it's not too late to give! Let's see if we can hit 30 million now!

Details:
Dates: 2014 Chuseok weekend Sep 6-10 (Saturday to Wednesday)
Route: 4 Rivers Cycle Path from Busan to Seoul (riders will take the KTX to Busan, and the bikes will be sent via truck ahead of time). We'll cover approximately 120-135 km per day.
Worship and Prayer: Each night we'll have an optional worship and prayer meeting.  Sunday morning we will have an optional worship service before we depart for the day.
Cost:  Still TBD, but in the neighborhood of 120,000 - 150,000 plus money for meals.
Who:  Anyone who is cleared physically by a doctor to join and willing to train.  Novice to expert levels are welcome.  We are also in need of support crew volunteers.
Sign Up Deadline:  Cyclists and support crew volunteers should contact John Choi (johnchoi80@gmail.com) by June 15th.  After June 15th cyclists will be put on a waiting list.

Objectives:
1. Raise awareness about the injustice of human trafficking, especially sex trafficking, as well as the plight of orphans (high risk targets of pimps/traffickers) in Korea. Awareness is spread through each involved person's relationships, social circles and social networks - there will be daily updates as we bike from Busan to Seoul.
2. Raise funds for House of Hope (Korea's only gospel-centered restoration center for trafficked victims) and Oak Tree Project (college scholarship and mentoring program for true orphans).  We raise funds through our website www.rideagainsttraffick.org
3. Pray for leaders, laws, law enforcement, society/culture perspective, pimps/traffickers, johns, and victims. Pray for justice. Pray for churches and Christians to rise up, live out the gospel in caring for the orphans, marginalized, and oppressed.

Requirements:
1. A road bike or hybrid bike, front and rear lights, helmet. Biking shorts highly recommended.
2. Physical / doctor approval of health
3. Training - Cyclists must commit to ride 20 km 3x a week and to taking one longer ride per week.  We have a group that is already training in Seoul and the Incheon group will start next week.