Thank you for visiting my Accenture Kilimanjaro Trek 2008 fundraising for VSO page!

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor my journey.  Donations through this website are in British Pounds so please read below for currency conversion and tax information.

My Journey:
On June 14th I will be setting out on a 10 day trip with a group of my Accenture colleagues from around the globe (including my good friends Gayle Delahunt from Montreal and Alex Binek from Ottawa) to Tanzania where I will begin my journey with a visit to see some of the VSO development work in action and then continue my trip with a trek up Mount Kilimanjaro.  The purpose of the trek is to raise funds for VSO, which is the largest independent charity in the world, working through its volunteers. They work in over 30 countries in the poorest regions of the world.  Instead of sending money, food or clothes, VSO sends people from a range of professions who want to make a difference.  VSO volunteers work in six specific areas: HIV and AIDS, disability, participation and governance, secure livelihoods, education, health and well-being.

When I first heard about this trip, I thought that it would be an amazing but challenging experience. Having never travelled to developing areas in the world or been working out in a consistent fashion, I knew that signing up for this would be a big personal commitment and challenge. However, after hearing about the purpose behind the trek, my personal reservations about the mental/physical demands diminished and I felt motivated by the meaningful purpose behind the trek.

The money raised from this year's Kilimanjaro treks will support VSO's development work inEast Africa.  In money raised by this years Kilimanjaro treks will help to improve access to quality and relevance of education and HIV and AIDS services and to strengthen the ability of disadvantaged people to make a viable living. There is further information regarding this on the following pages of this microsite: http://www.vso.org.uk/accentureglobalkilimanjaro/2008/about_vso_in_country.htm.

To find out more about VSO follow this link: http://www.vso.org.uk/about/
To find out more about Kilimanjaro follow this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Kilimanjaro

Specifics:
1. Unfortunately donations to the VSO will not be tax deductible unless you file taxes in the United Kingdom.  If you are a UK taxpayer and you donate using the online tool, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

2. Using the online tool all donations are measured in United Kingdom Pounds (£).  To calculate the donation rate for your donation you can visit: http://www.xe.com/ucc/  

The rough calculation is that 1GBP(£) = 2 Canadian Dollars. 

Examples:

10 GBP(£) = $20.00 CND / 25 GBP(£) = $50.00 CND / 50 GBP(£) = $100.00 CND.

What impact do donations have?

To give you an idea of the impact your donations could give:

$100.00 CND: provides HIV and AIDS training for a VSO volunteer to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS in local communities throughout Zambia.

$500.00: helps a VSO volunteer to train 20 local teachers in special teaching methods and in the management of Special Needs Units in Kenya in order to support children with disabilities.

$2000.00: helps to fund a community-initiated project in The Gambia that, with the support of a VSO volunteer, could help to set up small enterprises run by local communities.

Thank you for your support. Every dollar will help me reach my goal.

Sincerely,

Annie Hsu

Thank you to my offline sponsors:

1. Caprice Clubbing night fundraising attendees

2. Vince Huan

3. Greg Guthridge

4. Linda Brown

5. Janice Strandt

6. Petra Kuret