Britishers Pete and Fiona Molloy are driving from London to Sydney, raising money for CARE’s project during their travels.

The Molloys traversed Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, and seven European countries before they arrived in India this month. Entering India through the Waga border-crossing, they were treated to cups of tea on both sides of the border. They remarked that lands and peoples should never be judged by their governments, nor by politics, nor by what is represented in the newspapers. “People across the world laugh at the same things, simple jokes, little episodes of day to day life,” they said, noting that this was especially true of children.

In fact after visiting CARE’s Urban development project in West Delhi and CARE’s early childhood development project for girls’ in Ghaziabad, Pete said, “The greatest thing we have learned is that people across the world are remarkably similar. They have the same concerns: concerns that affect their families – health, food, security, livelihoods, education.”

The Molloys could have spent the money they required for this trip on a fancy university degree. Instead, they chose to experience an overland journey, spending time with people from different cultures. “Everywhere I have been, I have sensed peoples’ pride and dignity,” said Fiona. “CARE is trying to bring these very qualities to the lives of the poor in developing countries. This is why it is so perfect that we can give something back to the countries we visit, through CARE.”

Fiona was saddened by the fact that so many of Delhi’s slum dwellers were excluded from the city’s development plans. The bright spot in their lives was that CARE encouraged them to actively participate in their own development agenda. Commenting on CARE’s rehabilitation work with former drug-addicts at Sultan Puri in West Delhi, she said, “I am deeply moved by their willingness to share their stories.” “CARE is doing great work turning people back from the brink,” said Pete.

On their visit to CARE’s education project in Ghaziabad district, the couple were enchanted by the children of Patti village, who were learning to master their environment at the pre-schools run by CARE. They were most impressed by the fact that mothers in the village took an active interest in the managing these schools. The couple presented the children with a set of toy farm animals from the U.K.

The Mollys also visited CARE’s office in Hauz Khas village. They were impressed that CARE had nearly 600 staff managing development programmes in India. When they found out that CARE’s projects reached over 7 million people across 11 Indian States, they thought this number was small by comparison! By the end of their visit, they were also impressed by the quality of programmes and staff handling projects at CARE in India. Besides dubbing the staff “very professional”, they appreciated how much thought and effort was behind each intervention. Pete and Fiona gave up jobs in Finance and TV Direction respectively, spending nearly a year to get their trip organised. During this time, they also conducted a rigorous search to identify the organisation they wanted to support with the money they raised. They said CARE won hands down, on every count.

After their stopover in New Delhi, the couple are headed to Nepal, Tibet, China, Thailand and several other countries in their Land Rover, before they arrive in Sydney, sometime in March-April next year.

To read more about the Molly’s experiences at CARE and in India, or to donate to CARE by supporting the couple, please visit www.londontosydney.com