Thank you for taking the time to take a look at my fundraising page. I am running the Brighton Half Marathon (my first ever race!) on 25th February to raise money to help me take part in a volunteering program in Ecuador during my gap year.

The volunteering efforts will be focused on the development of indigenous communities, enabling them to be self-reliant and improve their quality of life, whilst sustaining their traditional ways of life in the modernising world.

The first part to the 10 week program involves helping the Agato Community to improve their village infrastructure, as well as teaching English, harvesting crops and clearing debris from floods. The second stage is assisting the Tsáchila Tribe’s reforestation efforts using sustainable materials and providing a foundation for future revenue from cacao plantations. Lastly, we will be volunteering at Hacienda Tranquilla in the Galapogas to bring clean water to the community and aid environmental conservation by discouraging local farmers from using chemical pesticides and fertilisers, in order to protect the ecosystems.

The projects are run though the charity Yanapuma, which provides bottom-up development so that the communities themselves are able to decide which projects are prioritised. I can’t wait to work within these communities and make a difference whilst living with host families.

The program costs are spent directly on the communities and any necessary materials (I’ll be paying for flights etc. myself). Any donations are HUGELY appreciated! Thank you xx