I'm going to Costa Rica and Nicaragua in February 2010 to volunteer with Raleigh International as part of their Youth Agency Partnership Programme. While there, I will be working on three different projects. Community, Environmental and Adventure. I have taken some examples from the website as to the type of things I could be doing and you can find them below.

The money I am hoping to raise will pay for my flights to Costa Rica, my vaccinations and my kit. My kit will include  things like walking boots,backpack, sleeping bag, water carriers etc.

To help raise this money I'm going to cycle from Glasgow to Edinburgh (eek!) on January 4th 2010. Even a small donation would help me greatly! I promise to keep you all up-to-date with my adventures!!

La Calera, Achapa, Nicaragua (Community)
High in the hills above Achuapa, in one of the poorest most remote areas of Nicaragua, Raleigh will be working on a project to bring clean and safe drinking water to 14 families in La Calera. At present the local people get their water from the river which often dries up in summer or comes from polluted water sources.. Raleigh volunteers will be working with the local population to dam small streams, build tanks to collect the water from where it can run through pipes to all the local houses. Volunteers will be living directly with families in the village and will help out with their day to day tasks.

La Cangreja - viewing platform and trail (Environmental)
La Cangreja is Costa Rica's newest National Park which owes its name to the striking 1,305 metre peak Cerro Cangreja. The park has a mixture of Tropical Humid forest and Pre-Montane forest with a number of species of plant found nowhere else in the world which makes the area important for research purposes and for conservation. The park is also blessed with amazing waterfalls only to be found through exploring the forest. At present the government is developing the facilities in the park and Raleigh volunteers will build a viewing platform near to the main park headquarters that looks over the national park and a trail for local school groups and other visitors. This environmental project is a unique opportunity to live right in the middle of the jungle!

Maribios Volcanoes Trek (Adventure)
In the far north of Nicaragua, close to the border with Honduras, the group will walk along a mountain ridge through the pine forests above Achuapa. From here they will eventually reach the string of volcanoes called ‘Los Maribios' which are named after an ancient tribe who lived in the area. They will follow the line of volcanoes up to the Cosiguina Peninsula for one final volcano ascent. Volcano Cosiguina is the site of the largest volcanic eruption in the history of Americas and from the summit the group will get spectacular views across the Gulf of Fonseca to Honduras and El Salvador. The last day will be spent on the beach and swimming in the Pacific ocean.

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