Latest news - 18th May 2009

'The first shelter is now complete in Burkina Faso.

Photos are on our website www.ontheedgeofafrica.com.

Please help us to continue this work for the children of Africa.

Jon Beswick and Charlie Curtis, partnered with One to One children's fund, set off from London on 14th March 2009 in a bid to circumnavigate Africa in a Land Rover Defender. The plan is to drive down through Europe and around the edge of Africa, following as much of the coastline as possible.

"Once our tyres hit African soil we will be following the coastline down to Cape Town, dipping in and out of the desert and rain forest. The return journey will see us heading up the east coast, allowing us to trek in Uganda in search of gorillas, and climb Kilimanjaro. This voyage promises to test our limits, offering some of the most exciting and challenging experiences one could encounter anywhere on the planet".

Jon and Charlie will be working with the One to One Children’s Fund, which works across Africa to relieve the suffering of children. One to one have set up a network of 105 paediatric clinics across 23 countries specialising in the treatment of HIV for the 60,000 children currently affected.

"On route and with help from One to One, we will be assisting in the construction of shelters at these clinics. We plan to use our skills as architect and management consultant to design and build shelters for the PATA clinics. As an architect, Jon is developing plans for an outdoor shelter and community area to be used as a waiting room, aimed at preventing the further spread of airborne disease amongst vulnerable children. The design will be refined as the journey progresses depending on available resources.

Together with our sponsors we are raising money to build these ‘bandas’ while on our trip, working with the charity to source materials and labour. We will project manage the early development of these shelters, and share our experience with the local community to enable them to complete the work.

We will be documenting our travels on our web site www.ontheedgeofafrica.com so you can see just how much of a change could be made with your generosity. 
If you would like to help to make a direct difference to the lives of these children, please make any donation you can.

Thank you

Charlie and Jon