“We had a great time meeting the young women of R4WR. They are young, bright and so motivated about their mission. They are the new
generation Soroptimists!” Frances Luns, President-Elect SI Bangkok

It is not every day that you hear from a group of young
women travelling on tandem bicycles from Jakarta to Amsterdam, raising awareness for women’s
rights. However, much to our delight, four young graduates, Carlijn Bettink, Lidewij Ponjee, Sophie van Hoof and Monique van der Veeken, collectively
known as R4WR, contacted us to tell us of their trip and a recent visit with SI
Bangkok during the first leg of a global ride that will see the young women cross over 22
countries.

 

Photograph: The R4WR team with members of SI Bangkok

Carlijn Bettink 24, President of R4WR says: “Our main goal
is to raise awareness for women’s rights and we are doing this by cycling from
Jakarta to Amsterdam on two tandem bikes: 14000km in 400 days. We have now been
cycling for two months. On our journey we are spending time at local women’s projects and also Soroptimist clubs in the cities that we visit.

President-Elect SI Bangkok, Frances Luns, read an article about the women on Facebook and noticed that they would be passing Hua Hin. Frances instantly offered her hospitality and notified other members of SI Bangkok, so they might do the same.

R4WR met up with members of SI Bangkok and the meeting proved mutually beneficial. The team of young women were very enthusiastic about Soroptimism.

Carlijn Bettink explains: "Meeting the Soroptimists was a real joy. In Hua Hin we stayed with Frances who is a Soroptimist in Bangkok and herself (and her husband) gave us all a real boost for the remainder of the journey. Via Frances, we also got to stay with Rojy, the President of the Soroptimists in Bangkok, who introduced us to her students at the SSR University of Bangkok. It was inspiring and educational. We talked with women from different cultures and of different ages and heard stories about women’s rights. It was very interesting to hear their insights and discuss all kinds of themes. Meeting with Soroptimists brought many good and interesting things for our ride for women’s rights and this upcoming year we hope to talk with many more.

President-Elect SI Bangkok, Frances Luns says:  “We had a great time meeting the young women of R4WR. They are young, bright and so motivated about their mission!  They
are very enthusiastic about Soroptimism and after two days with them they were
already thinking of starting a young Soroptimist club like Rotoract (who I organised a get together with), when they
return to Holland!

 

Photograph:  Carlijn Bettink with
a visiting Soroptimist from Australia, President SI Geelong Karen Thornton.

 

Photograph: R4WR meeting the Rotoract club of
the Webster University

 

Photograph:  Lidewij Ponjee and SI members Jinee Russell and Rani
Narula. 
 

Now in Cambodia R4WR are mostly visiting projects from the non-profit organizations Plan and Care International, the route chosen was designed to ensure they get to see projects which focus on the empowerment of women. R4WR are also visiting other local women’s projects that they come across or find interesting. In Singapore, the girls visited a project called HOME which helps migrant domestic maids treated badly by their employers in the houses where they used to work.

 

Photograph: left to right: Frances Luns, Monique van der Veeken, Carlijn Bettink, Robert Luns, Lidewij Ponjee and Sophie van Hoof. 

Good luck from all at Soroptimist International and stay in touch!

Follow the girls on facebook

or keep up to date with their route on R4WR