Hello and thank you for taking a moment to look at my fundraising page.

I have been given the incredible opportunity of volunteering in Bolivia for 10 weeks starting in late September.

ICS brings together young people between 18 and 25 to fight poverty and make a difference where it is most needed. The work I might do could involve anything from helping people to access better healthcare, to working with farmers on sustainable development.

Volunteering with ICS is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. It is no secret to those that know me that I have a lot of beliefs about the global economic order. This is an opportunity to put my money where my mouth is and try and produce some actual positive change myself. It has been too easy for me to philosophise in a comfy armchair.

ICS was set up by the last government and is funded by DFID. However, as part of my commitment to the programme I am asked to raise £1500. This money does not pay for my placement. Instead the money is used to continue the development of ICS and help it bring even more positive change in the future.

I will be doing a "Live below the Line" challenge on the last week of July (more on that later). I will also be doing a ridiculously long erg (100,000 metres) in the middle of August. Watch this space and my facebook page for more details.

Any contribution would be absolutely fantastic and will make a real difference to the lives of people in developing countries. Thank you, and I truly appreciate your support.

Richard