Story
Hi!! Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. Have a look below on the updates section to see how I'm getting on! So far I have ran a 10K race and lived on £1 of food and drink a day for 5 days to representing living below the extreme poverty line. To support my fundraising my mum, brother and sister did this with me too! (I hope people donate just for them being that awesome! <3)
https://www.livebelowtheline.com/uk/partner/restlessdevelopment).I'm planning a curry 'n' quiz night, bake sale and presentations. Maybe some live music...
I'm not just doing all these things for the experiences or the laughs (and tears) I've had and will have, I am doing them for a cause. On the 28th of May I will be off to Zambia for 12 weeks to volunteer with Restless Development. Restless Development run amazing youth led programmes across Africa and South Asia. Aiming to empower the young people to be the driving force to make change happen, have their voices heard when solutions are being created to end poverty and generate opportunities for themselves and their communities. This is part of the governments International Citizen Service (ICS) scheme which sends young people from the UK abroad to help with development programmes around the world. http://www.volunteerics.org/
Zambia is a landlocked country that sits in Southern Africa, east of Angola and has the fifth youngest population in the world with just under 70% of people under 25 years old.
Volunteering with Restless Development I hope to show the worth of this powerful energy. My time in Zambia will be spent living alongside and working as a team with national volunteers from Zambia. We will aim to empower young people regarding livelihood opportunities and safe choices regarding their sexual and reproductive health working within local schools, clinics and holding community events. As a team we will aim to raise civic awareness on the rights and responsibilities of young citizens, encouraging young people to take action and hold government to account for the provision of accessible and adequate youth friendly health services. ICS and Restless Development only work with communities that have asked for their help in partnership to make a difference that is real and sustainable.Being an ICS Restless Development volunteer is a three part process made up of fundraising, overseas placement and action at home when I return. Before I leave in May I have to raise £800 for Restless Development. I must stress this money DOES NOT fund my placement (as ICS is a government funded scheme) but goes directly to Restless Development. Your money will help Restless Development continue to bring about positive change, to the developing communities they work with. When I return home I will continue to raise awareness of the great work Restless Development does and take part volunteering in my community. I love volunteering!
You can find out more about the work ICS and Restless Development do on their website http://restlessdevelopment.org/ics and feel free to ask me questions any time!
I've got some exciting fundraising ideas, well I'm super excited! You can keep track of how I get on here and on my twitter @ASLowndes so keep checking back for updates!
Any contributions big or small are greatly appreciated and your generosity means the world! You will make a real and sustainable difference to the lives of young people living in extreme poverty. Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. Wish me luck!
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.