Last month I arrived back in the UK from Uganda after spending 1 month building and refurbishing primary schools in the rural Bulisa District. Due to the hard work of volunteers and the generosity of the project donaters who funded the building materials and paid for the wages of local tradesmen that were on-site with us, the project was a roaring success! So to begin, I thank everyone who helped transform both Walakuba and Ngwedo Primary Schools in Uganda, bringing  children closer to a prosperous future.

While on my trip, I was keen to do even more and work even harder for donators who want to make a difference in the developing world just as I do. So before even arriving back in the UK, I set myself up for an even bigger challenge in East Africa...

What next?

At the end of September I will be travelling to Nakuru in Kenya for 3 months under the charity ‘Balloon Kenya’ as part of International Citizen’s Service and Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO). VSO along with The Department of International Development, aim 'to promote sustainable development and eliminate world poverty. They do this by taking volunteers to work on the ground with organisations that serve local people in the developing world. Volunteers like me have one aim: do whatever needs to be done to break down the barriers that trap people in poverty.

Why?

One of the best and most sustainable ways to change the future of a community in the developing world is to feed the fire of entrepreneurship. By developing an entrepreneur’s ideas, giving them the confidence to launch an innovative venture and through providing them with a seed of investment, people in developing countries can address problems in their own local community and lead a change for the future. This approach can help build a sustainable model of development that can be scaled across the globe.

What will I be doing?

As part of selected team of 20 young people, I will be thrown into the lives of local volunteer entrepreneurs, working alongside them to launch and develop businesses in Nakuru.

I will be the bridge that helps these entrepreneurs obtain the funding they need to build a better life for themselves, their community and their local economy. Our team of volunteers will be testing, refining and developing their businesses ideas, with the ultimate aim of securing them an investment towards the end of our 12 weeks in Kenya, then going on to put the investment to use.

Balloon Kenya has been sending volunteers to do this work for 3 years in the region, and so far have funded 652 Kenyan Entrepreneurs and their businesses, with over £18,000 of investment. Some examples of their success stories can be found here: http://www.balloonkenya.com/

Why we need you to get involved!

In order for this program, and programs just like this launching in Uganda next year to continue, VSO needs funds which will enable them to keep volunteers from the UK directly contributing to the fight against poverty in the developing world.

Money from donations will go directly to VSO’s core four development areas which are linked to the priorities of international development targets and each charity's areas of expertise: Health, Participation & governance, Secure livelihoods and Education. Along with this, VSO is commitment to gender equality in all of its work, meaning that men and women alike can have equal opportunities to realise their potential.

Money helps disadvantaged people in the developing world build skills that improve employment prospects for them so they can support their families and contribute to bettering their communities.

Examples of such life changing projects include:

• Training small-scale farmers with technical skills, whilst giving them access to markets and opportunities that will secure the future income for their family.

• Training Nurses and Health workers with vital medical skills to improve the quality of care in areas such as medication administration, paediatric life support, midwifery, cleanliness and nutrition for patients.

• Creation of leadership training that supports women in remote villages to pursue education and realise their rights as equals.

Along with hundreds of other successful projects you can read about here!: http://www.vso.org.uk/about/stories

How you can help

In order for me to undertake 3 months working to create opportunities for people in Nukuru, I need to raise money for VSO for them to continue with the life changing work they do in the developing world. Without donations, volunteers like me cannot go to work in projects under VSO which is why it is so important for me to raise £800. This will enable me to reach out and put my skills to work, creating a tangible difference for the futures of disadvantaged people in Kenya, as I work on behalf of you the donators.

Any money you wish to donate will not be going to me or going towards paying for my 3 month working period. 100% of your donations go to VSO to help run the programs on the ground. (Money that will be used to get me to Kenya and for the living costs for 3 months are entirely separate and your donations will not be paying for this).

Ultimately this project cannot happen without you, and I ask humbly that you donate what you can for this project to help me reach my target of £800 and go on to secure the futures of local Kenyans.

Donating to VSO through JustGiving as a platform is a method that you can trust; confidently knowing that your donation will be going directly to funding programs like those above and the one I will be a part of in Kenya.

If you have family members who are from East-Africa, or know of anyone who would like to support this project please introduce them to what I am doing and send them a link to this page! If you would like to get involved with helping me raise money through other means please let me know, your help will be highly appreciated and valued.

Our work as the fortunate people in the world does not ever stop, as we are bound by responsibility to those less fortunate. To make a change in this world we must embody a cause and act upon it at the best possible chances presented to us. I believe this to be one of those chances, and put myself forward to work on the ground in East-Africa again. I ask for nothing except requesting your support; directed towards helping people in the developing world who are those most most in need. Donate for them, it’s not for me!

Thank you in advance to everyone who donates and supports this cause!! Your contribution will make a real difference to the lives of people in developing countries.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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.