The ‘Around the Pearl’ initiative kicked off yesterday for the second consecutive year, and 20 business leaders embarked on a 1,400 km bicycle ride around Sri Lanka to raise public support and funds for children affected by cerebral palsy (CP).
The 10-day bicycle tour will take the cyclists to all corners of the country and this year, all proceeds from the initiative will be donated to the Cerebral Palsy Lanka Foundation (CPLF). Cyclists participating in the ‘Around the Pearl’ initiative this year include leading business professionals Ajith Fernando, Yasas Hewage and SarindaUnamboowe.
‘Around the Pearl’ is an initiative by ‘Wheels for Wheels’ which is conducted in partnership with the Cerebral Palsy Lanka Foundation (CPLF) and WrooM – a project that promotes cycling as an alternative mode of transport and increases awareness of public road safety rules.
Wheelchair donation camp in Galle
The 20 cyclists will travel the perimeter of the entire island and their journey will take them from the city of Colombo to Galle, Negombo, Mirissa, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Kilinochchi, Jaffna, Vavuniya, Anuradhapura and onwards. During the course of the journey, members of the public will be able to follow the cyclists and pledge donations by logging on to www.aroundthepearl.lk.
Last year, the ‘Around the Pearl’ initiative raised funds for 1,000 wheelchairs, and throughout this year’s journey, some of these wheelchairs will be donated to children in need across the country. Additionally, special camps to raise awareness about cerebral palsy, will be conducted in Galle, Batticaloa and Colombo. As the cyclists travel across the island, they’ll also conduct special WrooM cycling and road safety sessions for members of the local community. Commenting on this year’s ‘Around the Pearl’ journey, one of the cyclists Ajith Fernando, Managing Director, Capital Alliance, stated, “We feel honoured to participate in the ‘Around the Pearl’ initiative for the second consecutive year. Last year’s bicycle ride was an immense success and we were able to provide 1,000 children suffering from cerebral palsy with greater mobility and freedom. This year, all the funds we raise will be donated to the Cerebral Palsy Lanka Foundation which provides assistance to children with cerebral palsy across the island. The incidence of children with cerebral palsy is a high as 12-15 per 1,000 births in Sri Lanka while it is as low as six per 1,000 births in the developed world. There are an estimated 40,000 children with Cerebral Palsy in Sri Lanka and CPLF strives to provide as many children as possible with therapeutic assistance to improve their quality of life.”
