A British man will cycle 1,600km from Ha Noi to Ho Chi Minh City in 16 days next month to raise awareness and funds to help Vietnamese children with congenital heart disease.

Scott Kirkham with children with congenital heart disease and their mothers in a hospital

After moving to Viet Nam last year with his family, Scott Kirkham quickly realized that he wanted to help disadvantaged children who live a life in contrast to his own, acknowledging he is grateful to have a good life with two healthy and happy kids.

“It was intuitive. I’m a father and my wife and I wanted to find a way to give something back to this wonderful country,” Kirkham said.

“Looking for a charity that could help save children’s lives just made sense.”

Working with international brand activation agency Geometry Global and Heartbeat Viet Nam Fund, Kirkham created a campaign called Cyclefor16 that has so far reached over 750,000 people and raised more than US$50,000.

The numbers are far beyond anything he expected, he said.

When he first discussed the plan with his wife last April, he only dared to think about raising money to save 16 children with congenital heart disease.

“What started as a plan to save the lives of 16 children quickly turned into something much bigger as we realized the amount of support being generated,” the 39-year-old said.

“I’m really proud to say that we’ve now saved 40 lives and we plan for more!”

Kirkham’s friends at Geometry Global have been proud to support his cause gratis.

“When Scott pitched me his idea, I knew we could do something very special together for a wonderful cause,” Simon Breen, head of business at Geometry Global, said.

“I’m extremely happy that so many generous people have got behind Cyclefor16.”

The 16-day ride, the main activity of Cyclefor16, is meant to raise awareness about his initiative.

“We decided that we need to kick off with something different, physically challenging, something that links to health, heart and also children,” he said.

This is not the first time Kirkham has done charity work in Viet Nam.

Last year he joined some kitchens to serve disadvantaged people in Ho Chi Minh City.

(Source: Tuoitrenews)