Raleigh international is a charity that that travels to and works in some of the poorest and most remote locations across the globe, working with locals on projects to improve their quality of life and living standards, and also working to help restore, maintain and cultivate the natural environment surrounding these communities.

My name is Beth Andrews. I’m from the UK, and I have been fortunate enough to secure a place on a 10 week expedition to Tanzania next February, with the charity Raleigh International.

Tanzania is one of the world’s poorest countries, with approximately 75% of all Tanzanians living in rural communities. Adequate access to safe water and sanitation is extremely rare, and there are few opportunities for employment in the local villages.

One of the massively prominent issues Raleigh International tackles is that of water facilities and sanitation. They work within communities to help build water and toilet systems, which allows access to safe, clean drinking water; helping to prevent the spread of life threatening waterborne diseases and bacteria.

Statistics show that there is a large number of young children attending primary schools and nurseries- however, there is a significant drop in the number of young women who go on to secondary education. This is often the result of there being a lack of separate toilet facilities for boys and girls, which means when menstruation begins, there is limited privacy/appropriate facilites to support these women. This, combined with insufficent guidance/education to help girls feel confident attending school is a big reason as to why many young girls drop out of school early.

As someone who has been extremely fortunate to have benefited greatly from a good education, I see this as something incredibly important- as I believe all young women should have a right to an education, and so aiding the construction of provisions to help acheive this would be hugely satisfying and worthwhile.

Another element to this expedition includes environmental conservation, where I will be working with other young locals helping with reforestation; planting new trees and promoting sustainable business and material use. Raleigh International will soon be overseeing a project in partnership with the Tanzanian Forestry Conservation Group (TFCG) aiming to plant 150,000 new seedlings in the village of Mpanga, Mufindi, whcih I will hopefully get to be a part of. We live in a time where the devastating effects of climate change and deforestation is becoming increasingly concerning. To be able to do anything to help slow it’s rapid growth would be incredibly fulfilling, as I firmly believe we all need to do our part. Being able to encourage other young people from across the globe to hold similar beliefs is a small step in the right direction.

Due to the large proportion of younger people within the Tanzanian population, the need for employment and economic opportunities is greater than ever, and so Raleigh international works with young entrepreneurs to help with setting up small businesses within their communities, to benefit not only themselves, but others around them too, encouraging the use of renewable and sustainable materials, also. This is so important for locals to be able to support themselves and to be involved in something that is so hugely positive for everyone involved.

All in all, any donations to help facilitate this volunteering work would be greatly appreciated. This is such a worthwhile cause, and Raleigh international is an incredible charity who work tirelessly to create lasting change. I would love to be able to be a part of it.

thank you :-)

Here is the link to Raleigh International’s website, where you will be able to find any information you need about the charity and what they do:

https://raleighinternational.org