Hi!

I volunteered for Raleigh international earlier this year. I lived off tins of Pork and Beans for rations, slept in jungles with poisonous snakes and walked miles and miles carrying bags of rocks. Reading that now, it seems like something only a crazy person would volunteer to do, but it was one of the best experiences of my life, which is why I am taking part in the Jurassic Coast Trek THIS WEEKEND to raise money for them again.

Me wielding a pick axe. Health and Safety kids, always wear goggles!

Raleigh's objectives: 

1. advancement of education and global citizenship

2. relief of those in need by reason of disadvantage 

3. advancement of environmental protection and sustainable community development

 

These objectives are carried out in the various projects that Raleigh undertake all over the world. Here are some of the projects they worked on during my expedition:

 

 

La Cangreja - viewing platform and trail
La Cangreja is Costa Rica's newest National Park which owes its name to the striking 1,305 metre peak Cerro Cangreja. The park has a mixture of Tropical Humid forest and Pre-Montane forest with a number of species of plant found nowhere else in the world which makes the area important for research purposes and for conservation. The park is also blessed with amazing waterfalls only to be found through exploring the forest. At present the government is developing the facilities in the park and Raleigh volunteers will build a viewing platform near to the main park headquarters that looks over the national park and a trail for local school groups and other visitors. This environmental project is a unique opportunity to live right in the middle of the jungle!

 

Camaronal - Tree planting and turtle conservation
This is the first time we have worked in this unique protected area famous for its nesting turtles. In 2008 they reported over 5,000 turtle nests during the period of June to November on this 3km long beach found in the Nicoya Peninsula. Raleigh has been invited to help with the turtle egg collection and hatchery, construct a trail that runs behind the beach and plant trees to reforest the area behind the beach. Living on this stunning beach and interacting with these stunning creatures will be a once in a lifetime experience

 

La Calera, Achapa, Nicaragua
High in the hills above Achuapa, in one of the poorest most remote areas of Nicaragua, Raleigh will be working on a project to bring clean and safe drinking water to 14 families in La Calera. At present the local people get their water from the river which often dries up in summer or comes from polluted water sources.. Raleigh International volunteers will be working with the local population to dam small streams, build tanks to collect the water from where it can run through pipes to all the local houses. Volunteers will be living directly with families in the village and will help out with their day to day tasks.

 

Miraflor Community centre project, Nicaragua
The Miraflor reserve is 206sqkm of beautiful mountainous terrain with various different ecosystems such as tropical savannah, dry tropical forest and mountain cloud forest. The local people have few resources and lack access to basic services such as health and education. On this project volunteers will be building a community centre / preschool in the community of El Zacaton where currently there are no facilities for very young children to learn. The community centre will also act as the hub of the community proving a space for meetings, training sessions and social events.

 

 

Our lovely Lavatory

 

Seeing the good work Raleigh was doing first hand was all the motivation I needed to put up with the snakes, long-drop toilets and rations!

 

If you would like to sponsor me please click 'Donate' you can give as little as £2 (which is more than enough - every little helps!) or more if you'd like :)

 

 

Thank you for reading!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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