I DID IT!

Wow, what a challenge it was, both physically and emotionally. After five days of arduous trekking in the highlands we arrived at Lake Atitlán with the volcano, San Pedro, in sight. After a 4am start, and a boat transfer to the foot of the volcano, the ascent began! And shortly afterwards I started to wonder why I was doing this...! It was very tough, and on several occasions I didn't think I'd make it to the top, but we did! And it was all made worthwhile when a couple of days later we visited the school in Guatemala City and met the children and the mothers that the money was going towards. It was a very emotional experience and we realised what we were helping to achieve. We really were making such a huge difference to these children's lives. The highlight of the day was when the children surprised us with a musical parade down the road infront of the school. They had been practising for 2 months before our arrival to welcome and thank us, and the blood, sweat and tears of the last week paled into insignificance.  

What a challenge, but what a cause.

If you would like to contribute towards this amazing project, you still have time! Study Guatemala is trying to raise enough money to build or purchase a school building so that some of the poorest children in Guatemala City can have a secondary education. The existing rented premises are expensive, overcrowded, have no running water and are in desperate need of repair. The funds from the trek will help make the new school building a reality for the existing school children, while hopefully giving many more children the opportunity to have an education, something which we all take very much for granted.

I need to raise at least £2,600 to put towards the project and would be very grateful for any support you could offer.

In addition to the volcano trek, I ran the Cardiff Half-Marathon on October 14th to raise money for this great cause and managed to complete it in 1 hour 55 minutes and 51 long seconds! The concert before Christmas was a great success raising over £500.

A massive thank you to Gweido who came all the way from the Isle of Wight and all the support acts, The Project, Anti-podes and Olympic 48 for putting on three fantastic gigs which raised £600.

Despite the success of the various fundraising events, we're still short of the target so, if you can, please make a donation, however small, below.

Remember, any money you give will go directly towards providing an education for disadvantaged children, which in turn will play an important role in breaking the cycle of poverty which so many families are trapped in.  What an amazing gift to give!

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Study Guatemala 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.

Thank you so much for your support! It means a lot.

Jess