Mary's Cancer Kiddies - all about us

Founded by Mary Binks in 2003, Mary's Cancer Kiddies (MCK) is a registered charity in Indonesia with volunteers based in Jakarta and Hong Kong who raise and manage funds to cover the cost of medical treatment for children from poor families.

To ensure that children from financially disadvantaged families have access to the medical treatment they need and to help them go through a difficult time with dignity.

For some families, the government-sponsored insurance for the poorest in society is complex and time consuming, many giving up on the system, afraid they may be found ineligible and then liable for medical costs, or later unable to obtain cover and face chronic, unendurable financial burdens.

Children with cancer

MCK has provided financial support for hundreds of young cancer patients at leading child cancer treatment centres: Dharmais and Cipto hospitals in Jakarta

Children with infectious diseases

Since 2007 MCK also covers treatment costs for illnesses such as tetanus, HIV, tuberculosis, acute diarrhea and malnutrition.

Visit MCK’s website to learn more: http://www.maryscancerkiddies.org

Platinum Sponsor - Guinness

It's not every day you get to announce to the world – or the 3 good folk that continue to read my blog – that one of our planets most iconic ‘Made of More™’, iron nutrient-rich drinks; a global brand like nae other, and the quality of product peerless in its pour, has generously agreed to support the Becak challenge. Yes, it's a GUINNESS® all round. Sláinte dong! 

I am super thrilled to welcome Guinness on board, and alongside ICAP will be Becakterus' number 2 Platinum Sponsor. 

"Life is better after a Guinness" it has been proclaimed in the past, and I know a few - probably the same 3 persevering with my blog - that would readily agree with this statement. I know I do.*

Thank you Graham Villiers-Tuthill for your wonderful support and kind donation of Rp250 million. These funds will go a very long way. This donation from Guinness lifts the total funds raised to Rp613,000,000, or at an exchange rate of Rp13,000/US$ to over US$47,000. 

Mr John Galvin, I owe you too, mate. Big time, many thanks. A huge thank you again Graham, and of course to Guinness and Diageo as a whole. Wonderful support!

Thank you, Becakterus

*Please remember to drink Guinness® responsibly - Becakterus does...

Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa - all about us

YCAB is the abbreviation for the organisation’s full name in the Indonesian language, Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa, which translates to “Loving the Nation’s Children Foundation“. The word “Cinta” means Love. YCAB is about loving the least served children of a nation.

This Love is translated into providing hope and opportunity to marginalised youth. We at YCAB believe that inherent in the vision of youth development, is the idea of economic independence; by empowering youth to be independent through educational provisions, economic assistance, and welfare creation for a better and sustainable future.

YCAB Foundation’s programs comprise of:

1. Healthy Lifestyle Promotion (HeLP): the primary prevention of risky behaviour including drug abuse and HIV/AIDS through education and the adoption of a positive lifestyle
2. House of Learning and Development (HoLD): affordable education for underprivileged and school dropout youths, providing Basic Education, Digital Inclusion, and English Literacy courses
3. Hands-on Operation for Entrepreneurship/Economic (HOpE): this program is 2-prong. The first is to empower HoLD graduates to find jobs and to start micro businesses by providing entrepreneurship training and seed capital. The second part is to help mothers (of the students) who run small business to improve their income through micro-loans and micro capital

We at YCAB would like to formally thank every single person, be it a large corporation, a small business, our thousands of volunteer’s, and to the man in the street, for we know that without YOUR hard work, love and kindness we would not be where we are now.

After a 43 year absence, a famous international football club makes its presence felt once more in Jakarta

In 1972, Partick Thistle played their one and only game in Indonesia, against Lokomotiv Plovdiv. I can't determine what the score was that day, but google searches do attest to 60,000 (Thistle fans, possibly) strong crowd enjoying some wonderful fitba. 

43 years on, Partick Thistle once again make their presence felt in the Big Durian, and Becakterus is delighted to welcome the Jags ASEAN Community as our first Silver Sponsor at RP25 Million.

To the Club, management and players, their new Mascot, Kingsley, and of course to their point man in the region, Mr Ainsley Mann, Thank YOU. I am thrilled to have the support of one of Britain's top football teams! 

Joining the Thistle supporters is a very generous proposal from Ian Ogilvie. Ian has been a fantastic supporter on every major fund-raiser I've set, and again he's coming in strong and promising to donate Rp30 million - provided I complete the following (pledge to be split equally across the 3 tasks): 1) get to the start line, 2) break the current rickshaw/becak world record, and 3) complete the entire challenge to Jakarta. I hope I'm not being over confident, but will accept Ian's proposal, and book his full pledge on the understanding we reconcile after the event.

Therefore an additional Rp55 million raised to date, which lifts the grand total to Rp363 million.

Much love, and thanks, Becakterus  

Sponsorship update: total raised to date Rp308 Million or a touch over US$23,000

Becakterus would like to thank the following beautiful folks/companies for kindly agreeing to donate to the chosen charities as 'Bronze Sponsors' of the Sumatra Charity Ride. Rp58 Million raised as Bronze Sponsors so far. Thank you.

To the St David's Society here in Jakarta, thank you for agreeing to come onboard as a Bronze Sponsor at Rp10 million. Malcolm and Janey Llewellyn, thank you very much.

Again, to Malcolm at Numada Consulting, thank you. Awesomeness personified, Mr Llewellyn. Rp10 Million.

To Augur Resources, Norm and Peter down in Sydney, and of course to Justin Werner, thank you all for your great support, Rp10 million to our charities.

My special thanks to Ground Risk Management, and Simon Ballantyne. Thank you Simon for Rp13 million in sponsorship.



A big thanks to Mr Dave Carswell also coming in at Rp10 million. Brilliant stuff, thank you Dave. Also to Dan and Dessy for your kind donation of Rp5 million. Many thanks to you all.