As many of you have shared with us, there are additional people out there who, although unable to join us in Rajasthan, would very much like to support our work through donations. Appreciating this fact, and also having reached a point where guest rider fees cannot fully support our program of ever-expanding charitable work, we have begun a larger fundraising initiative to subsidize our relief programs. To enable us to raise funds more effectively, we have established a relationship with Documentary Educational Resource (DER.org) giving the 501(c)(3) non-profit status to both our Give the Gift of Sight and Give a Goat programs. Now anyone who is interested can make a tax-deductible charitable donation If you are interested in making a tax deductible donation please make your checks out to DER and mail it to Relief Riders International, 304 Main St, Great Barrington, MA 01230

Children receiving educational materials at Sotwara. Photo by Barry Boscoe
Behind the Scenes of Relief Riders’ Aid Programs
Because of the growing interest in our life-changing cataract eye surgery program, we have added some important new information to our website about blindness in India and how our approach to providing surgery is helping. Beyond statistics we share information about our philosophy and use of mobile clinics for treatment. We’ve also added a new detailed page of Frequently Asked Questions, which provides more detail on our mission and results. Click here to learn more.

Upcoming Rides
There are still spaces available on some of our rides. If you are considering joining one of our upcoming trips, call now to learn more. If you would like to make a reservation on one of our trips please e-mail us your mailing address, and we will send you a reservation kit.

Khirod Relief Ride: Oct. 1-16, 2006 : Going back to Khirod is especially meaningful for us, since the people of Khirod provided us with the inspiration for our first cataract eye surgery camp. The riding also promises to be thrilling as we will travel through varied terrain such as dunes, dried up riverbeds, and spend a couple of nights in the Temple at Lohargal.

New Year’s Relief Ride Dec. 28 - Jan. 12, 2007 : We’re planning excellent surprise festivities to celebrate the New Year! Day-to-day, riders will enjoy the unusual landscape which provides stunning views of the Sambhar Lake Salt flats paralleling the Aravelli hills. Our relief efforts will take us to Panchota where we will hold our free eye surgery camp.

Nagaur Relief Ride Feb. 20 - Mar. 7, 2007 : One of the poorest regions of Rajasthan, the people of the remote and beautiful Nagaur region are often neglected by larger health service providers and are a wonderful group for us to serve. Providing visitors with a breathtaking experience of the Indian desert, the area gives riders the chance to travel through rolling dunes, visit imposing palaces, and take in the sculptured temples of red and yellow sand stone which display some of the finest creations of Rajput civilization.

We hope that you will be able to ride with us in India, this fall. The experience will prove to be uniquely filled with humanity and excitement!

As always, please contact us if you have questions about upcoming rides or would like more information about our relief missions.

Best,

Alexander Souri

Executive Director
Relief Riders International

“Be the change that you seek” –Mahatma Gandhi