I look in the mirror and what do I see,
A crooked face following me.
Unable to close my lips, teeth stained
With the ravages of the elements tempting morsels tease,
Children shift their gaze,
Strangers pity me,
And many faces mock.
Unable to sound my thoughts,
I wonder through relentless haunted words I do not voice,
Until a day comes and I am simply transformed.
I look in the mirror now and what do I see,
I see happiness looking back.
A face surrounded by joy,
A smile, that will not fade away.
I will eat rice from a rice bowl,
I will pout a perfect kiss,
I will sing to my mother,
I will break the silence, with laughter and song, from here to eternity.
I have hope, and I have a destiny.

The Sewa UK Rickshaw Run 2023 (RR23) will be supporting the refurbishment of a dental unit at Arogyadham in Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh, India. The 108 Rickshaw Run self-funded participants from around the world will be travelling from Chitrakoot to Kutch in 36 Rickshaws covering over 2000 km in 12 days, looking to raise £500,000.

Over 35,000 children are born with a cleft defect annually in India. Over half of those are either unable to afford treatments or are completely unaware that this can be treated at all. The operations that take place are life changing for the children and allow them to integrate into normal society without any associated stigma.

The facility provides FREE or very affordable cleft and palate surgery to support the 500 surrounding villages. Your donation will go directly to building 7 dental surgeries, an operating theatre, a dental lab, waiting areas, offices and washroom facilities allowing a child to sing, smile and embrace a brighter future. Working within healthcare in the UK, I see the huge positive impact, affordable, if not free healthcare can make. In India, it is much more difficult for the same care to be distributed and lack of healthcare facilities means those in the rural areas suffer most. Therefore, I would be really grateful if you can support me in achieving the fundraising target by donating as much as you can.

Sewa UK is 100 per cent volunteer-operated, therefore all your donations will go directly to the cause without any admin costs. Every penny counts and no donation is too small.