Thanks for taking the time to visit my page!

Hi! My name's Coco and I'm fundraising for international sustainable development charity Raleigh International ahead of my volunteer placement in Nicaragua in February 2018. Raleigh International work with developing rural communities to facilitate them with knowledge in how to start their own businesses, and improve their quality of life through shared knowledge about sanitation and hygiene. Raleigh put a great emphasis on providing sustainable development through facilitation and teaching with a focus on young people, in order to create lasting change and improve the lives of the worlds future population.  

I will be working on a WASH program, which focuses on water, sanitation and hygiene. Only 63% of the rural population of Nicaragua has access to clean drinking water and only 34% has access to improved sanitation. All of Raleighs projects are based in rural communities, not only as they have the greatest need, but also because of their willingness to engage in sustainable development. My placement will be 3 months long and in that time I will be supporting the construction of eco-latrines, gravity fed water systems, and water source protection as well as inspiring behavior change through tippy-tap and hand washing demonstrations, among other projects to inspire sustainable behavior change.

I am truly passionate about international development work and believe that Raleigh International and ICS are excellent programs for their inclusive and diverse programs. The ratio of UK and local volunteers is 1:1, meaning to each UK volunteer there is a young member of the community we are working in who has taken an active role in improving the quality of life for the rest of their community. I believe that it is this aspect of the program that truly inspires sustainability of the work done in-country and sets ICS apart from other organizations. I am hoping that this program will be the first step in setting me up to continue working in International Development in the future.

It's important you know that this money is not intended to pay for my flights, accommodation or food in Nicaragua as this is paid by the UK Government's Department for International Development through ICS, but will rather go directly to the charity in order to help them continue their excellent work in Nicaragua and all over the world!

More info can be found at:

1. https://raleighinternational.org/ 
2. https://raleighinternational.org/countries/nicaragua/
   
3. https://raleighinternational.org/volunteer/ways-to-volunteer/raleigh-
4. https://www.volunteerics.org/
5. https://www.volunteerics.org/blogs/international-volunteering-no-longer-just-rich