UPDATE: Unfortunately I was unable to finish the bike ride. For anyone who doesn't have me on facebook Sim had to pull out after the first day due to illness and I started the second day alone. At about 9:30 I hit a patch of black ice and came off the bike, damaging myself and the bike to the extent I couldn't carry on.

I'm sorry to let down everyone who's sponsered me, if you'd like your sponsorship back that's fine.

I'm assuming that most people who sponsored me have seen this on my facebook or on my mum's, but if you haven't and want to more then let me know on here.

 

 

 

In January I am going to Burkina Faso for 12 weeks as part of the International Citizen Service (ICS). Established in 2011 ICS is a volunteering programme for 18-25 year olds funded by the Department for International Development and run by six partner organisations. The organisation I’m going with is called International Service (which I’m well aware is confusingly similar to the name of the programme).

 Volunteers don’t have to pay any costs but are all asked to fund raise for a couple of reasons. One is that it encourages you to explain to people what you are doing and shows a level of commitment before you even leave. The other is to help cover the costs incurred by the organisations that run the programme. DfID funds the trip but there are a lot of costs before that happens and fundraising enables the programme to continue to send volunteers around the world.

You can learn more about ICS on their website - http://www.ics-uk.org.uk/about/  (I'd link it but the Just Giving code doesn't work)

Since I’m fundraising for International Service it makes sense to write a bit about them. Founded in 1953 International Service is an international development charity protecting and promoting the rights of the most marginalised people in Latin America, West Africa, and the Middle East. This is usually (but not limited to) women, disabled people, children and young people, and people living with HIV/Aids.

You can find out more about International Service on their website -http://www.internationalservice.org.uk/index.html

While I’m in Burkina I’ll be working with Kabeela, a non-profit organisation which aims to reduce poverty and improve the living conditions of women within the Central Plateau region of Burkina Faso, West Africa. Women are one of the most marginalised groups within Burkinabé society; they have little say in terms of their rights and little impact over their family and community decisions. 70 percent of women living within the Central Plateau region are directly affected by poverty. Kabeela is currently helping to empower women in 85 rural communities by conducting revenue generating activities, skills training, basic education and health awareness campaigns; we work alongside the provincial government in many of these areas.

My group will be working to help run and promote Kabeela. We’re expecting to get an update on the progress of the group currently out there sometime soon so I’ll update this page and Facebook when I know more specifics about what we’ll be doing when we get there.

You can read more about Kabeela here - http://asskabeela.com/?lang=en

Since no one seems to know anything about Burkina Faso (me included) here’s some info. Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa. A former French colony Burkina has been independent since 1960. The capital is Ouagadougou (pronounced Wagga-doo-goo). It has a GDP per capita of only $1300, making it one of the poorest countries in the world. 90% of the population is involved in subsistence farming (where the farmer grows only enough food to feed themselves and their families) which is vulnerable to droughts. The average temperature in Burkina in January is 37C. I have been known to dehydrate and wither like a pathetic child during the English summer so this should be an interesting  12 weeks.

What I’m doing

Between Friday 30 November and Sunday 2 December my friend Sim and I are aiming to ride around 200miles on our bicycles. For those of you know didn’t know me in 2006 I have attempted a ride like this before, which ended up involving two emergency services and did not go entirely to plan. I figure there’s no way this one can go that badly wrong.

Our route will take us from Luton to Market Harborough in Leicestershire on the first day, travelling via Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Milton Keynes (which is even more horrible to navigate on a bike than it is in a car) and Northampton. The second day involves going from Market Harborough to Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, taking a longwinded route which involves going north and coming down via Peterborough. Our final day takes us back to Luton after a tour of beautiful and not-at-all-mundane Bedfordshire, including Victoria Pendelton’s gold post box (which I'm pictured standing akwardly next to).

It is probably going to be windy, it may well snow, it will almost definitely rain a lot and it is most certainly going to be bloody freezing.

Please give generously if you can. Not for me, even though I will be suffering the cold and rain like a hero, but for the people around the world that ICS helps every year. Your donation will enable them to keep sending volunteers abroad, not only helping people in the third world, but giving unemployed graduates something useful to do.

If you have questions about anything or would just like to know what went so horribly wrong with the last bike ride message me on Facebook or comment on this page.