I’m taking a brief sidestep from the development world to highlight an issue important to me: global healthcare. It is a basic human need and right. Not only is it a travesty that some people cannot receive proper health care, missing a basic human need can have terrible social side effects as well. I believe that world peace cannot occur until everyone has all of the basic human needs and rights.
So I’m participating in the Ride for World Health. Our team of bike riders are currently soliciting donations, and this year’s beneficiaries are medWish, AHOPE for Children, and PODEMOS. Through April and May, the team will be biking across the U.S. from San Diego on the west coast to Washington, DC on the east coast. Along the way we’ll stop at numerous locations to create a dialog and lead discussions on issues related to healthcare.
I will only be able to ride a portion of the way; I still have to get multitouch into X.org and Ubuntu 11.04! However, I’m looking forward to my week long adventure at the end of May as we ride from my home of Columbus, OH to Washington.
Funny story: My wife was picking out a bike at roll:, who have generously sponsored the team. She liked this one bike, but wasn’t sure about the color. It’s rather purple. “Actually, it’s aubergine,” said the salesman. We brought it home. My wife looked at it some more, then said, “Oh no! This won’t do! It will clash with our team jerseys!” “What color are they?” I asked. “Orange!” For those unaware, aubergine is the color of Canonical, and orange is the color of Ubuntu!
Anyways, if you would like to make a donation to our effort, please head to my donation page. Any amount is greatly appreciated!