Hello! Thanks for visiting my fundraising page. I will be spending all 12 weeks of my summer volunteering with people who are living with disabilities in Bolivia, South America (wow!). This is set up by a York-based charity called International Service :)
International Service are a voice for human rights, believing that when these rights are violated, people are denied the opportunity to reach their full potential. They become trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty and inequality. International Service's goal is to support people worldwide in practical ways - to help them understand their rights and become empowered to put these rights into action, changing their lives for the better.
I am soon to become part of this movement, volunteering with the International Service Project "Tourism and Disability" (11th July-1st October, 2011). The focus of the project is to get individuals with disabilities, who live in the Bolivian area La Paz, aware of their place within their local community. Goals include improving their interaction levels along with self-esteem, cultural awareness and personal/cultural acceptance. Disability, when combined with ignorance and poverty, is extremely difficult to deal with and we hope to have a significant impact in this three months - one that can be sustained in the future by sharing skills, knowledge and culture.
The focus will be on touring them around the area, visiting cultural/heritage sites and places of interest (e.g. the museums, Lake Titicaca). Reflection sessions will also be run, and a project newsletter developed. This is like no volunteering project I have ever undertaken! I am excited, nervous, eager and optimistic about the changes that projects such as this can make worldwide. Upon my return I will be focussing intensely on sharing the story of my experiences!
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