My name is Gemma. If you know me you already know my story. You know the struggles and challenges I have faced over the past year. Yet through this, having received incredible support, I am now finally in a place where I can say there is a light at the end of the tunnel (granted, this could be a train!) and I have decided to take a big step (okay, it’s more of a cliff jump than a step) and do something amazing for others in need.

As my friends and family know, I am at my very best when I am helping people. It’s something that I believe I was born to do. I can’t drive passed a broken down car without stopping to help, and I’ve lost count of the times I have driven elderly people home from the supermarket because I can’t stand the thought of them waiting for the bus.

I guess this is actually a selfish trait - I like to help people because it makes me feel good. And I feel somehow that it goes a little way to make up for the people in the past that I have hurt or treated badly. Whatever the reason, I have decided to embark on a project where I can honestly and truly make a difference to people who really need it.

So, I am off to Asia. I have spent hours researching non-government funded organisations, and finding the ones which appear to be in the most desperate need for help. This has been incredibly difficult because there are so many. I wish that I could help them all.

But, I have finally narrowed it down to two projects that I will do in May, and another two or 3 for October. I would like to spend 2 weeks in each of them. The May ones are as follows:

1. An orphanage in Cambodia for children who either have no parents, or have been taken away from parents due to abuse. This project is funded only by charity and they are struggling to make ends meet. It means the children are hungry, frightened and desperately in need of love. I intend to go to the orphanage, with as many supplies as I can carry, and spend a fortnight with the children, sharing love, knowledge and whatever else I can give. Currently, there are 25 children and just one member of staff- a local volunteer who has opened the orphanage out of the goodness of his heart and currently receives no funding whatsoever. I will be the first volunteer to ever attend this incredible program.

2. A special needs orphanage and food outreach program in Vietnam. This project is absolutely phenomenal. There are terrifying levels of poverty in Vietnam, and there are literally children starving on the streets. The program, again not funded, tries to provide meals for the people who desperately need them. I am going to spend a fortnight cooking and serving food for these people. I am going to try and stretch out the meagre rations to provide some nutrition to the local malnourished people. The special needs orphanage is due to babies still being born severely disabled in Vietnam, after the chemicals from the American bombing. Due to the poverty, many of these babies are left to suffer, and desperately need volunteers to help care for them.

I am self funding the entire project. I will be staying in the Orphanage in Cambodia, and in Vietnam I will be staying on site also. The areas are all very poor, some without running water or electricity. In the Vietnam project, I am told I will be treated with a cold bucket shower once a day!

So, friends family and colleagues- I’m reaching out to you. I am raising money for this trip, and also for the projects. As usual, (impulsive? Me!?) I am planning this last minute and will be setting off in a couple of weeks.

So, all of you that have so kindly asked me over the passed year if there is anything you can do to help, here it is. If you can spare a quid or two, it will be appreciated more than you could ever know. (It costs less than £30 to fund a child to go to school for an entire year in Cambodia).

If you can’t spare a quid, then I would appreciate moral support as much as financial on this endeavour. So, a kindly word or a joke here and there would be very gladly accepted.

Of course I shall blog the entire trip, and provide plenty of photos.

NB- Lisa has prohibited me from bringing home any Cambodian orphans. 😐