My name is Lauren and I am a 15 year old student at Sidmouth College in Sidmouth, Devon. I am participating in an expedition to Ecuador in the summer of 2018 with CAMPS International. It will be a four week expedition and will include community development work, environmental projects and wildlife conservation.

The core objectives of this expedition are to undertake projects in order to:
• Raise the educational and living standards of developing communities within a rural district of Ecuador.

•Assist with ongoing wildlife conservation programmes to preserve biodiversity and protect vulnerable habitats.

During my adventure, I will be taking part in activities such as: building schools and homes for local communities, replanting trees in the Amazon rainforest, wildlife and environmental conservation, and large-scale beach clean ups.

Personally, this expedition is extremely important to me as I feel very strongly about the conservation of endangered species and their habitats. I also feel very strongly that all people, no matter where they originate from, deserve the opportunity to have an education and decent living conditions.

During the trip, I hope to gain and develop many important life skills, such as teamwork, personal confidence, planning/organising, and social and practical skills; these are skills that I hope to carry with me into my adult life.

42% of money fundraised goes directly towards investing in local economies, communities, and wildlife & environmental conservation. The remaining percentages go towards support costs, programme planning, infrastructure development, and expedition delivery costs.

I am extremely excited to go on this trip as it gives me the opportunity to make a change and give something back to the world.