In the summer of 2019 I, as part of a group of students from Sutton Grammar School, will travel to Malawi for a three week-long volunteering trip. Our primary goal there is to work with locals from villages and communities in Malawi to help them with their development. This includes tasks such as repairing water holes, making clay bricks and teaching children in schools.

A major emphasis is placed on teaching local children in schools, which was a major focus of the last trip also. Access to education is limited, and school is often the only place where children can have a meal to eat. For a country like Malawi, it is especially important to have an educated population, so that the economy can move forward.

To raise money for this trip I aim to do a 50 KM walk along the River Thames, staring in Central London and ending in Runnymede-on-Thames. Please donate as much as you can, as every penny goes towards an amazing cause, and will be hugely beneficial for the children of Malawi.

For many Malawians, basic necessities such as water are difficult to come by, so infrastructure such as water holes are, in some cases, the only source of water for miles. It is important to keep these operational, as their breakages have devastating effects on entire communities who rely on them.

We think that this is a worthwhile cause as Malawi is the third-poorest country in the world, with the majority of the population living on under a dollar a day. We aim to provide whatever humanitarian support we can to help local communities grow.

Two years ago, our school ran the first trip to Malawi, and we aim to continue this volunteering tradition biennially, as it is a fantastic opportunity to provide some real-world aid to those who need it most.