A pastor, an environmentalist, a rock climber and an amateur cyclist, Huang Tian-jen (黃天人) is organizing a cycling trip in northern Thailand to help local villages and orphans next month.
Huang fell in love with the northern Thai city of Chiang Rai and the surrounding areas, which he first visited 15 years ago.
“I enjoyed the environment there. It’s natural and beautiful and is very suitable for cycling,” Huang said in a telephone interview.
After his first visit to Chiang Rai, Huang went there five more times. During his trips, Huang discovered that he could actually do something to help local communities.
“The minority group living in the area are called the Akhas. They are the poorest minority group in the country,” he said.
Hence, he said he came up with the idea of organizing a volunteer cycling trip to the area next month.
“Because I am an amateur cyclist, I think it’s a great idea to invite other cyclists to join me in a trip to northern Thailand while helping the locals,” Huang said.
Huang’s plan includes staying at an orphanage run by a local church to teach Mandarin, English and ecological conservation to local children.
“We plan to teach them Mandarin as there is a large ethnic Chinese population in the area. Knowing Chinese would be a plus for the children when they grow up and seek employment,” Huang said.
“We will also teach them about ecological conservation, as the locals have been cutting trees heavily — just like what we did decades ago in Taiwan,” he said.
The group is also planning to teach children how to repair bicycles and to help repair houses in local villages.
“Hopefully, the skills and knowledge that we teach the children can help them become economically independent,” Huang said.
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