IN THIS ISSUE
	August trip to CCF How Can YOU Help? Author Loung Ung Joins PEPY Join us in December in Cambodia Protect the Earth. Protect Yourself. Featured Sponsor: VCan Sports Upcoming PEPY Events

Dear PEPY Friends,

In Cambodia, the rainy season is coming to a close, which means PEPY tours are back again and we have an exciting new season of projects and trips. We celebrated the end of "summer" with two volunteer trips at CCF in Phnom Pehn, and we have a number of unique opportunities coming up including our annual Christmas trip in Siem Reap at The PEPY School.

We're also excited to announce that the annual PEPY Ride has a guest joining us that many of you might know. Loung Ung the well-known author of "First They Killed My Father" will be joining us for three weeks while we bike across Cambodia.

Starting in September, we're beginning a new PEPY Program, our monthly donor raffle. Between September 15th and October 13th, if you donate $30 or more to PEPY and write CONTEST in the comments line, you will be entered in a drawing for a sponspred prize. This month's raffle will be for a Go Pro Digital Hero Camera. Check it out at www.goprocamera.com . The camera take
pictures as well as VIDEO and attaches to your wrist! It's completely waterproof so you can use it to film while surfing, skiing, snorkeling, waterskiing, BIKING, any time!!! Our thanks go out to
GoPro for their support. To donate and have a chance to win this AWESOME prize - those with US credit cards can donate at: http://partners.guidestar.org/controller/searchResults.gs?action_donateReport=1&partner=networkforgood&ein=20-4739485 and if you have a foreign card donate at www.firstgiving.com/pepyride (new site!). If you want to donate by US check, see our address at
the bottom of this newsletter and enter!!! We will call up one readers of the newsletter to pick a number from the randomly assigned entries and announce our winner in next month's newsletter.

Keep us posted on what you want to see in this newsletter at teamleader@pepyride.org

Many thanks for all you do,

The PEPY Team

August Volunteer Trips at CCF

A dance party under a house on stilts, surrounded by chickens, grooving to Khmer pop. Cambodians from three generations, two Americans, a South African, and an Aussie. What else but a PEPY trip.... We arrived, from Hong-Kong, Bangkok, and Japan, tired and jet-lagged on Sunday morning in Phnom Penh. By Monday we were all united, relishing the new sights, smells and smiles of the people of Cambodia. I totally believe that money doesn't necessarily make you happy, especially after witnessing the spirit and liveliness of so many Cambodians, despite not having very much by Western standards. I was blown away by the resilience of people who had suffered under the Khmer Rouge, their determination to make a better life for themselves and their families. It's a strange feeling, to be a Westerner who is so rich compared to locals, to be eating big meals in beautiful restaurants while I knew that little kids just outside on the street were hungry. It's sometimes hard to know where to put your money, and what you can do to help, and what your limits are. I learnt a lot on this trip, about my place in the world, about what I personally can do to make the world a more equal place. And, I learnt that I have a lot more questions! I can't describe to you everything we did and experienced on this trip. If you want to know more, you'll have to go yourself! So many events and encounters stick in my mind, for example the affection of the children at the CCF orphanage. They need a lot of love, but they give so much back in return! They are so eager to study and learn, and probably really grateful to have the opportunity, when so many don't. Such a contrast to so many of us who take our education for granted. As part of our volunteer work, we visited an NGO titled RDI (Resource Development International). We had a chance to see what projects were being implemented under the guidance of Mickey, a chemist from Texas. RDI's philosophy is "helping Cambodians help themselves," trying to help the local community become self-sustainable. RDI's ingenious projects included soap manufactured for the treatment of scabies (employing local women) and organic farming and food production (the hygienic pigs were the happiest, pinkest porkers I've ever seen, and the grafted mango trees were also pretty cool). Mickey also filmed homemade educational videos on topics such as safe drinking water, AIDS awareness and English education. These featured guitar playing-puppets and beautiful Cambodian actors in a Bollywood-style romance involving a water pump. Just nearby RDI's headquarters was the tiny school where we were going to be doing our own labour, mixing cement and becoming amateur trades helping in the construction of a water tank. As Mickey explained, the water that the local people drink is contaminated with arsenic, and our water tank would provide this village with clean water. For me at least, the three days we spent volunteering on the site were the most memorable of our two week trip, and everyday I looked forward to seeing the smiling, welcoming faces of the village kids, to hear them call "susadai" (hello), and above all to feel like we were giving back something to this country we were visiting. Like one of my friends in Japan said to me, just to travel in a new country is fun, but to work there, and especially to volunteer your work, is a totally different, intense experience of a place. I'm still washing the cement from my pants, but every time I see the photos of the amazing people I traveled with, and people I met along the way in Cambodia, I smile in realization of what a special and unique trip it was. ~Katy Schneider, PEPY Tour Participant

How Can YOU Help?

PEPY is going to have a raffle event, and we are looking for some great prizes! Got anything you can donate? Let us know: volunteer@pepyride.org Spread the word about the PEPY Tour in November! We still have quite a few spots left and the tour is in danger of being canceled if we don't fill them soon. Know someone interested? Let them know what PEPY has meant to you! You can now download PEPY's Bike-to-School flier at http://www.pepyride.org/downloads/bike-to-school-flier.pdf. Give it to friends and family! During this holiday season, encourage your loved ones to give bikes to Cambodian children as gifts to friends and family! Do you have experience writing grants, or know of any the PEPY might qualify for? Let us know: teamleader@pepyride.org Now support PEPY by booking hotel rooms AROUND THE WORLD! From our website, www.pepyride.org you can now book hotel rooms in over 15 countries around the world! Make sure that you click on the exact city you want from the PEPY site and then book in order for a percentage of your donation to be donated to the PEPY cause! PEPY desperately needs laptops with wireless internet capability. Can you donate an old laptop...or even a new one? PEPY has 3 interns coming to Cambodia this fall. We need to provide 3 laptops for them and future interns in Cambodia.

Loung Ung Joins The PEPY Ride 2007

IAnyone who walks through the markets of Siem Reap or Phnom Penh can't help but notice the compelling cover on the paperback copies of Loung Ung's memior "First They Killed My Father." This haunting and disarming story of a young girl growing up under the genocide of the Khmer Rouge is both a touching and troubling tale of life under Pol Pot's regime. Her memoir is one of the most well-known windows into life under the bloody regime which is estimated to have killed 2 million Cambodians. Since her first book, Ung has traveled all over Cambodia and the world, speaking out on issues ranging from domestic violence to landmines. She currently serves as theNational Spokesperson for the Campaign for a Landmine-Free World, and was selected by the World Economic Forum as one of the "100 Global Leaders of Tomorrow." PEPY is privelidged to announce that Ms. Ung will be joining The PEPY Team in December to bike across the country, working with team members volunteering at local schools and NGOs. We are looking forward to learning more from Ms. Ung during the ride, and having her as part of our team!For more information on Ms. Ung, her works, and her life visit her extensive website at http://www.loungung.com/ung_home.php

Join us for the a PEPY Volunteer Tour in December!

For many people the holidays have come to mean shopping, time off work or school, and increasing commercialization. Why not spend your holiday this year exploring the meaning of giving and self-discovery? The PEPY December volunteer trip at our school in Siem Reap offers a unique experience to explore the wonders of Cambodia while making a real difference in lives around you. Check out the itinerary below, or see our website for more details. Dec 24- Arrivals in Siem Reap. Welcome dinner and orientation. Dec 25- Free Day. Some people will be exploring the temples,others may choose to join a group singing carols and delivering giftsto a local children's hospital (multi-religious! everyone welcome!). We will have a Norwegian Christmas Dinner together, celebrating in the custom of our guesthouse owners. Dec 26- Volunteering at The PEPY Ride School. Participants can choose from a number of activities including teaching, painting/sanding, delivering sorting donations, and sports/games. Dec 27- Temple day! We will have a full day exploring the famous temples of Angkor with students from The PEPY Ride School. For nearly 100% of them, this will be their first time to the temples, and one of the most memorable days of their lives... and yours. Dec 28- BIKE DAY! We will be painting, labeling, organizing, all of the bikes to be delivered for the Bike-to-School Program. There will be shift work - and time for people to explore the temples, land mine museum, etc on their own. Dec 29- Volunteering at The PEPY Ride School. Dec 30- Visit to The PEPY Ride School and delivery of the Bike-to-School Program Bikes! Dec 31- Free day to explore. We will rent bikes for everyone - and groups will be cycling through the temples, others through the village and markets, etc. New Years Eve Dinner/Party to follow Jan 1- Departures There are only 15 spots left, so sign up today! For more information or to apply for a spot, visit www.pepyride.org

Protect the Earth. Protect Yourself.

Harvesting Rainwater with RDIC Cambodia’s dry season lasts typically from December to March. While this means plenty of sunshine and dry roads for PEPY tours, it also often means difficulty accessing clean and safe water for many rural families and communities. PEPY's mission is education-based, however its hard to untangle the web of health and hygeine needs that are necessary in order to affect education. Water-borne illnesses are responsible for over 74% of deaths in Cambodia. Additionally, when drinking water isn't available or isn't safe and clean, children are less receptive to learning, and attend school less often. Access to safe water is a basic human need, and a basic human right. Its impossible to "Protect Yourself" without it! Clean water projects have shown remarkable success in decreasing mortality, increasing health, and increasing school attendance. RDIC (Resource Development International Cambodia) is a PEPY partner in Cambodia that works to efficiently and cheaply harvest safe water for rural families, schools, and communities in need. PEPY’s August trips at CCF worked with RDIC to build a water harvesting systems for two schools which will give nearly 500 children access to safe drinking water, in turn affecting each of their families. How does it work? Gutters are added to the roofs of nearby buildings, with PVC pipes running from the gutter to a 40,000 liter tank. During the rainy season, the tank fills, diverting clean water for hand washing stations, drinking water, and toilets. For only about 2,000 US Dollars, this type of tank can provide enough water to get a typical large Cambodian school through the dry season. Funds also provide for water filters for the classroom, and educational materials. Rural schools are often located both physically and culturally at the center of the community and provide excellent locations for a community water supply. Through RDIC’s program, children are given access to clean water that they can even carry home. This has tremendous effects on both health and education. Clean water reduces the risk of diarrhea and disease, in turn raising school attendance. Principles and teachers report attendance at schools with a system are up. Studies have also shown attention spam of school kids can go up when they have clean water. Want to learn more about RDIC’s innovative ideas and their water, health, and education programs? Visit their website at www.rdic.org.

Featured Sponsor: VCan Sports

A tremendous thank you to VCan Sports, who generously donated helmets for The PEPY Ride 2007! VCan Sports manufactures bicycle, snow, and motorcycle helmets, with a wide range of innovative products, some even including state of the art Bluetooth technology! VCan also has a new patented product soon to be available in the US: a bike helmet equipped with five super-powerful 50,000 mcd LED's to brightly light the road ahead of you. Many thanks to VCan for helping PEPY protect ourselves! For more information on VCan Products, visit their website at http://www.vcansports.com/

PEPY Events

Thank you to BEE Japan (Bicycle for Everyone's Earth) for throwing a fabulous joint fundraising party for PEPY at Down Under Cafe in Hamamatsu, Japan. BEE is a group of international members that promotes environmental awareness and green living in Japan. BEE's main event is the annual 2-3 month BEE ride, begining in August, from the northern most island of Japan to the southern most. Riders are still making their way through Japan, so if you'd like to open up your home to some inspiring, fun and friendly folks please check out their website at www.beejapan.org Upcoming PEPY Trips: November 18-26: Siem Reap to Phnom Penh Adventure Ride PEPY Tours provide hands-on volunteering opportunities in remote Cambodian communities combined with adventure travel. This November we will cycle from Siem Reap down to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Funds raised by participants will support The PEPY Ride School in Siem Reap as well as support our lessons at a rural school in Kompong Channang Province. Email volunteer@pepyride.org for more information. December 24- January 1: The PEPY Ride School Volunteer Trip Email volunteer@pepyride.org for more info. December 27-January 18: The 2007 PEPY Ride This 3 week ride follows in the tread marks of the original 2006 PEPY Ride. Riders will visit local schools and amazing NGOs as they learn, connect and cycle through Cambodia. This ride is full! So sorry! Upcoming PEPY Events: Sept 23rd- Creative Fundraising Techniques. PEPY Co-Founder Daniela Papi will be facilitating a workshop on fundraising in cooperation with the 7th Skills Build Forum. The forum includes a number of speakers and workshops aimed at informing, training and empoweringparticipants into active community involvement. The event will take place from 10:30-6:30 at Jingumae Kumin Kaikan, in the Harajuku/Omotesando area. For more information , please visitthe website http://people-for-social-change-forum.blogspot.com/ or to sign up contact rose.ito@gmail.com Sept 30th- PEPY Fundraiser at The Pig and Whistle in Kyoto The PEPY Ride will be hosting a fundraising event at the Pig and Whistle pub in Kyoto city on Saturday, September 30th! There's going to be live music featuring PEPY riders Dave R. and Tom, a darts tournament, book auction, and oh so much more. The fun starts at 8 pm, and the pub is right by the Keihan Sanjo subway stop. Come by and meet Erica, Dave S., Tom, and Dave R.--one quarter of the 2007 PEPY Ride team! Email drodwin@gmail.com for more information. Sept 30th-Oct 1st and Dec 2nd-3rd: The All-Japan Soccer Tournament Play soccer. Enjoy the party. Be part of a team. Support PEPY. Doesn't get much better than that! The Eastern Soccer tournament starts Sept 30th and the Western tournament on Dec 2nd with the All-Japan finals in Saitama World Cup Stadium in January! Find out more at the tournament's new email address: altsoccertournament@gmail.com and thank them for supporting PEPY! Saturday Oct 28th: Tokyo Charity Scavenger Hunt's Halloween Hunt Compete with teams from all over Japan. Enjoy an awesome night out in Tokyo. Party it up Halloween-style and explore all that Tokyo has to offer. If you don't know the best places to go in Toyko, come to find out. If you do, come to win. Find out more at www.tokyoscavengerhunt.com Feel free to start your own PEPY events! We'd LOVE your support!

The PEPY Ride Sponsors