Positive News: 5 Reasons to Travel by Bicycle
Cycle touring, bicycles, travel the world by bicycle, bikewander 5 Reasons to Travel by Bicycle: we wrote an article for Positive News. Have a read here.
Cycle Touring in Burma
We cycled from the border of Thailand to Bagan. Due to continuing border issues between India and Burma in April 2017, we were unable to cross this border by bicycle and instead flew to Imphal, north-east India. We do know cyclists who were able to cross from India to Burma around this time. The purpose of Gearing Up [...]
Advice for the social sector in South-East Asia
We’ve spent 7 months travelling by bicycle through Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and India meeting countless social enterprises, NGOs, businesses, governmental bodies and entrepreneurs. Through this initiative we have developed a number of insights to report back to the social sector. This article includes some of these insights and is based upon a presentation we gave (by video) [...]
Cycle Touring in Thailand: A Route from Cambodia to Burma
Perfect tarmac and zero traffic Thailand's back roads We spent three weeks in Thailand cycling from the border of Cambodia to the border of Burma. It’s a classic cycle touring route but we did it a bit differently – avoiding all major roads! Please refer to our route map while you are reading this guide! [...]
Basic healthcare for the forgotten islands of the Brahmaputra
The Brahmaputra River, in north-east India, is home to 2.5 million people on a vast network of thousands of islands. Isolated from the mainland (or out of sight, out of mind for most government officials, perhaps), these islands lack basic infrastructure. Mothers and their children waiting their turn to be seen by the Boat Clinic staff [...]
Collective action: it starts with one person
Sievituo Solo (“Chevy”) has a vision for his town of Kohima, the capital of Nagaland, a state in the north-east of India. Kohima is perched high within the wondrous Naga hills and feels a world away from the country to which it belongs. Kohima: the capital of Nagaland, a state in north-east India, perched high in the mountains [...]
Cycle Touring in Cambodia: A Socially Conscious Guide
Cambodia has a lot to offer - Ream National Park's deserted beaches make ideal camping spots. In this article we describe the highs, lows and logistics of cycle touring in Cambodia- the perfect guide for anyone interested in doing the same. We've created Gearing Up to raise awareness of the work of social initiatives in Asia. [...]
Children are not tourist attractions
We were shocked to see this poster in the guesthouse we were staying in last night in Pyay, Burma. This poster should take its place: It is estimated that 80% of the 8 million children in orphanages worldwide have at least one living parent. So what brings them there, you might ask? Tourism! In Cambodia the number of orphanages [...]
Cycle Touring in Vietnam: Everything You Need To Know
After a long and much needed descent, dwarfed by Indochina's highest mountain, Fansipan, in North Vietnam In this article we describe the highs, lows and logistics of cycle touring in Vietnam - the perfect guide for anyone interested in doing the same! Before the more specific cycling advice, we've written about some of the social enterprises you can [...]
Politicians can salvage their reputation: social enterprise is the key
Today’s distrust in politicians and politics is creating an environment from which social entrepreneurs can benefit. Politicians are desperate for believable, positive news stories, and social entrepreneurs need government support to further social enterprise. This opportunity should be relentlessly exploited by social entrepreneurs and politicians should recognise the value of championing this pivotal movement. Peter Holbrook, CEO of Social Enterprise [...]
What counts when the environment doesn’t
Innovation in cookstove technology must reflect Lao culture for a chance of success Lao people don’t care about reducing carbon emissions from their traditional cookstoves, nor do they really care about the long-term negative health effects these stoves create. What they do care about is the operating cost. This is in fact a convenient truth, but if only SNV, [...]
Cycle Touring in Laos: Everything You Need To Know
In this article we describe the joys and practicalities of cycle touring in Laos - the perfect guide for anyone interested in doing the same! This page is split into three sections: Practicalities, Best Bits and Worst Bits (only a few of these!) We've created Gearing Up to raise awareness of the work of social initiatives in Asia. In this [...]
Socially inclusive business is for everyone
Business in the UK and around much of the world is stuck with the perspective of the past in assuming social development is a side-line to business goals; this attitude ignores massive opportunities available to those willing to explore the concept of socially inclusive business. Kym Viet, a social enterprise that employs women with hearing impediments to make [...]
The education of women and girls is important to us, and should be to you too
Education is the best investment: a sign in an English language school, Hanoi Girls worldwide, in their millions, are denied education. Unlike their brothers, some girls are never sent to school, or stop attending school after primary school. Education is not considered a worthwhile pursuit, and instead a pointless investment, for a girl who will spend her [...]
Why Inclusivity Matters: Response to Trump Election
For many, following the final hours of the US Presidential campaign signalled utter despair. For British people who voted against Brexit, the feeling was almost one of déjà vu. Although this time it was slightly different. Unlike Brexit, where the outcome and reality of a Brexit vote was (and remains) unclear, the American people know exactly what it meant to [...]
Why are we Gearing Up?
Starting in October 2016 we will cycle from Vietnam to Nepal meeting charities and social enterprises working in two fields: sustainable energy and education of women and girls. We believe engaging others to understand the challenges being faced around the world is an essential foundation to taking a collective responsibility. No longer do individual countries and nation states live in [...]