Hi! Thank you for visiting my Justgiving page, and a huge thank you to everyone who has already supported my fundraising!

The trip to Peru was amazing! One of those life changing experiences! We saw spectacular landscapes, incredible Inca ruins......but the best part was the opportunity to visit two UNICEF projects.

The first was a rural community who, supported by UNICEF, were tackling the problems of child malnutrition, health and education. We were given a talk by the village leaders, saw the 'early years' play room they had set up to help with early education (otherwise children just don't have educational toys to play with), and were invited to visit one of their houses. What was lovely was seeing their vision of how they wanted their community to be, and the way that UNICEF was helping to enable that - rather than taking the lead.

The second was a health centre providing care for mothers and young children. Here we had the opportunity to visit the 'waiting house', where mothers to be from rural areas can come, bringing their families and animals, so they are near to good health care when the time comes. Rooms had been specially designed to be like their homes, so the mothers felt safe and comfortable .... even with special areas for the guinea pigs that are a staple part of the Peruvian diet. We were very privileged to have the opportunity to meet a few of the mothers to be and new mothers, with their children.

As you can see I have already raised a lot of money towards these UNICEF projects - but it would be brilliant to meet my target of £5000. There is still a short time to donate, so please support UNICEF's work if you can. Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: UNICEF UK will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you. just 18p can buy a sachet of rehydration powder that can save a childs life - so every donation, however small, can make a real difference.

Thanks for taking the time to read this...if you think you'd like to do something similar, UNICEF are organising another fundraising trek next year, in Nepal!