As part of my Civil Engineering Masters Degree, I hope to complete a 4-week volunteer Internship with the charity EcoSwell in Peru.

EcoSwell is a small charity that operates in the Lobitos district of Peru. My degree offers the opportunity to design and deliver a piece of invaluable, sustainable infrastructure to an impoverished community that is particularly vulnerable to climate change. Between Sept-December we will organise and design, then deliver the project on a 5-week expedition in January 2024.

To do this, I need to raise a £2,000 donation to EcoSwell. This covers the delivery of the project (materials and labour) and generates funds for other EcoSwell initiatives. Newcastle University pay for our flights, and I am paying for my equipment, vaccines, and living costs, so all your money will go directly to EcoSwell.

I understand that my participation does not help fund EcoSwell, but the work we provide will. Any donations will have an immediate and direct impact, and this is work I want to pursue when I graduate. I see a career working for NGOs and charities like EcoSwell, using my degree to benefit underprivileged communities and protect our suffering natural environment. You would be supporting someone who is not intending to enjoy some voluntourism but is there to provide valuable skills and work.

Finally, to prove to you that I have some level of commitment and mild insanity, I'll be running (an activity I despise) the Leeds Canal 1/2 Marathon - 4th of June - and then the Saltaire 20 Mile - 22nd of July - to support my fundraising effort.

Anything you give means a lot. Thank you. :)

EcoSwell's Current Projects:

Lobitos experiences weekly electricity Blackouts, and nearly 1.5 million people in Peru have no access to any electricity. EcoSwell is providing reliable, resilient and renewable energy to communities across Lobitos by working with engineers and volunteers like myself.

Nearly 35% of Peru has no access to sanitation and it has little infrastructure that treats the wastewater. EcoSwell is working with engineers to trial solar distillation to produce clean water, as well as implement municipal wastewater treatment and greywater (water from sinks, showers, etc) recycling.

Peru's complex and dynamic Geography means that it is particularly vulnerable to destructive and illegal deforestation practices. EcoSwell has helped repopulate native species and establish ecotourism, which encourages the protection of natural assets.

EcoSwell works with local authorities and organisations to provide knowledge and support local scientific research. EcoSwell provides studies that the local government can use for policy decisions, such as how successfully Lobitos could cope with another pandemic, dry toilet feasibility study, and environmental degradation monitoring.

EcoSwell works jointly with UK Medical Doctors, the Talara Hospital and Lobitos Medical Post to help UK medical and dentistry students provide care and information to the local community. This is invaluable for Public Health in Lobitos.

https://www.ecoswell.org/