Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

In January 2014 I will be off to Uganda to volunteer with Restless Development for 10-12 weeks. Restless Development runs a selectoin of excellent youth-led programmes, primarily in Africa and South Asia, to help young people get their foot on the ladder and have a promising future. Restless Development is part of the government's International Citizen Service scheme and sends young people abroad to help with three key things;

- Getting young people involved in civic participation in their local areas.

- Helping young people adopt a productive livelihood which will lead to better employment opportunities.

- Raising awareness about sexual health and rights, including HIV.

I could be helping with any one of these things in a country which requests the help of Restless Development at the time.

Being selected for ICS is part a three-part process made up of fundraising, the placement itself and Action at Home. Before I depart in 2014 I must raise £1500 for Restless Development. This money does not fund my volunteering, but goes directly to the charity itself. I'm yet to find out the details of my placement but I will be sent abroad to work with other young people, both national and international, in order to collaborate with local youths and help them plan a more positive future. Once I've returned from my placement I will continue to do my best to raise awareness about the great work that Restless Development does and hopefully encourage other people to consider this form of volunteering which focusses on cultural awareness and a response to real and immediate needs across the globe.

In the run up to my volunteering I will be holding several fundraising events! I will soon publish a blog publicising these, so watch this space. I might even try running and there will definitely be lots of cake this Christmas!

Please do donate whatever you can, your genoursity will mean the world and wil go towards helping a genuinely fantastic cause. Over half the world is under 25, so spurring young people on is such a worthwhile endeavour. Buckets of thank yous and and any questions feel free to quiz me!

For more information on all of the work that Restless Development does, as well information about the ICS programme, check out their website at http://www.restlessdevelopment.org/ics

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Thank you everyone!

Megan xxx