Women In Need (WIN) is a leading charitable organisation in Sri Lanka working towards the prevention of violence against women and children. The organisation enjoys a high level of visibility, respect and authority in-line with its longstanding experience and expertise and works with government and state actors on policy development, and in national forums and processes.

WIN is highly active across the country and is responding to a recognised need to support victims of abuse and violence – from domestic violence to incest, rape and abuse of children – WIN has well established legal aid services, psychological counselling, victim shelters, intervention services and livelihood centres. Its work focuses mainly on service delivery.

In September 2015, the Royal Norwegian Embassy sponsored a review of WIN, carried out by NORAD, which calls for sweeping changes to the organisations operating systems and management procedures – required for WIN to remain sustainable and relevant.

The review recognises the need for WIN to transform its current operations to a more contemporary RBM (Results Based Management) structure that will strengthen and develop new standard operating procedures and ethical guidelines for the organisations work. It will set the platform for WIN to step-up advocacy and prevention efforts and provide a measurable results framework with analytical capacity. RBM further provides an information base with sound data useful in strategic planning and forecasting; cuts out waste, corruption, and overall strengthens and enhances WIN’s operations.

Ride for WIN 2019 – is a fundraising event to help WIN pay for these changes, but also to pay for an overall ten-year development strategy for WIN, and a structured, long-term, consistent and comprehensive strategy for its advocacy activities that will focus to ‘prevent violence occurring in the first place’.

to prevent violence occurring in the first place

Big or small, your contribution towards this project is important – it will help prevent future violence, rape and child abuse, and give victims the support they badly deserve.

THE EVENT – RIDE FOR WIN 2019

With two successful events completed RfC has the experience to operate quality cycling challenges to the highest standards of safety – while acknowledging their responsibility towards the environment and local communities. In 2019, RfC is hosting a 410km charity cycling challenge from Colombo to Pasikuda in aid of WIN.

The ride is designed to zig-zag across the country – due to sponsor commitments, terrain and other “cycling” considerations – against the scenic backdrop of Sri Lanka’s cultural triangle, with air conditioned accommodation and transport, top-notch services, and supported rest stops along a fully serviced tour.

• Day 1 (Thu – 28/02/19) – Colombo to Puttalam
• Day 2 (Fri – 01/03/19) – Puttalam to Anuradhapura
• Day 3 (Sat – 02/03/19) – Anuradhapura to Polonnaruwa
• Day 4 (Sun – 03/03/19) – Polonnaruwa to Batticaloa

The event will be open to the cycling public or anyone with adequate levels of fitness and enough motivation to go beyond their comfort zone for a worthy cause. These could include: corporate groups, sports and social clubs, groups of friends or colleagues, or anyone who simply wants to take-on the challenge.

The event will be held on public ‘A’ roads that are well surfaced and cyclist friendly. All riders are required to have well maintained bikes – road bikes preferably; carry a set of functional lights, spare tubes and two water bottles. The ride will cover approximately 100km daily beginning at 6:00am and ending by 11:30am.

EVENT GUIDELINES

RfC understands that transparency is the key to success of any volunteer group and as such sets-out the following policy guidelines on:

Participant: Participants’ have various motives for joining a charity challenge. They may just want to challenge themselves or perhaps they are setting out to mark a landmark birthday or anniversary. Whatever their reasons, participants all come united in the desire to do something completely different and all for a worthy cause.

The only stipulations are that one is over 18 or accompanied by a parent or guardian of legal age, relatively fit, willing to take responsibility for oneself and have a positive and flexible approach to adventure travel. As for the upper age limit, well, there’s no such thing!

Participant Registration Fee: All riders will be expected to make a donation towards the charity (WIN), whether it’s a personal donation or a donation raised from ones employer, family, friends, or corporate donor. RfC hopes to offer a fully sponsored tour; otherwise each rider may have to contribute towards his own share of the costs to cover 4 days accommodation, food, refreshments and return transport. Get in touch for details – we can help with sponsor letters to employers, donors, etc.

Donations: Riders for Charity will not handle any donations whatsoever – all fundraising will go directly to the charity accounts of WIN. WIN will keep record of all donations and transparently share the records with RfC. How funds collected get utilised is also a matter of importance and will be published on the RfC website.

Sponsorship: All event collateral belongs to RfC. Sponsorship funds raised through selling advertising on rider jerseys, event banners, etc; will be used to fund the event. Sponsorship funds belong to and will be managed by RfC. Any excess monies from sponsorship will be donated by RfC at their own discretion to WIN at the end of the event.

Read about WIN here.