Kids First Riders

2007 bike tour

We are a group of cyclists brought together for one purpose: to raise funds and awareness for Kids First Vietnam. Formed in 1997 and based in Washington State, USA, Kids First helps disadvantaged youth in Quang Tri Province, one of the most intense battlefields during the Vietnam War. Each rider is required to raise $5,000 in order to qualify for the annual bike tour in Vietnam. In addition to helping fund a worthy organization that is changing lives, riders help increase awareness about the ongoing hardships of Vietnamese children and the Kids First programs that help them.

Kids First 850-Student Elementary School is the only school in Vietnam equipped for and enrolling handicapped children

Some of the many accomplishments of Kids First include creating a Scholarship Fund for young people affected by economic hardship, building an elementary school and, most recently, developing and building a rehabilitation village to provide treatment, education and career training for the disadvantaged young people in the central Vietnam region.

Made onsite in vocational building at Kids First, given to those in Quang Tri who are in need or sold to government hospitals for sustainability

In addition to the elementary school and rehabilitation village, Kids First manufactures wheel chairs, supports area orphanages, runs a Pig Farm and sewing school, and provides free medical and dental care to children and staff of Kids First and its associated projects.

If you would like to help with a donation or are interested in becoming a rider, please contact us as soon as possible. Our trip is planned for February 2009 and the tentative deadline for rider commitment is November 1st.

Why Kids First?

Quang Tri Province is the poorest of the 58 provinces and is located near the 17th parallel that once divided North and South Vietnam. Before the war there were 970 villages. By the end of the war there were only three. Forty percent of farm land in the province cannot be used because of the presence of unexploded ordinance and land mines. On average, one person a week is maimed or killed.

To this day, Vietnam does not allow handicapped children to attend public schools. The Kids First school was built to accommodate them. Although the school is free, students must provide books and uniforms. Since the year 2000, Kids First has helped disadvantaged youth with over 5,000 scholarships. It is one of the best equipped schools in Vietnam with computer training lab, a library, and an audio lab to teach English.