Hi! Thanks for visiting my crowdfunding page!

I'm so happy to have been offered a volunteering placement with the incredible team at El Shaddai Charitable Trust in India for 6 weeks. They are a charity that help disadvantaged children by providing shelter, food, an education and a future. I really cant wait to be part of their team. I will be flying out to Goa early November and I get back just in time for Christmas! I've set this page up to raise as much money as possible for the children that El Shaddai support in India.

Why am I doing this?

A few reasons....but the main one being that my family (Mum, dad & two sisters) were all born in India. I would love to see where my sisters grew up and maybe visit a few places that my mum danced and my dad sang as they were both performers!

I've been putting off going India for so long as my mum has been living with Dementia for nearly 8 years now and the thought of going without her and the rest my family broke my heart. I haven't been away from my family for longer than 10 days in all that time. As I'm sure some of you reading this will know that when a loved one is ill, it changes you. I'm quite a sensitive soul, so I think I might have let the fear of something possibly happening to my mum while I'm away take over and it has stopped me from doing a few things in the past.

A tough experience recently has been the jolt I needed to realise that I do not want the house, the car etc just yet - I want to help people. I want to experience part of my culture, explore the world and grow even more as a person. If I can make a difference while im doing that...... then that to me is perfect! I know my mum is strong and I have to believe that she will.........

no1. Be there to give me a massive hug when I get back

no2. Be proud of the work I'm doing in her home country

Working with Children

After considering a few different volunteering options I really felt that I would love to do some work that involved helping some of the more disadvantaged children in India. I feel like that only reason I had the childhood I did was because I was born here in the UK, to a loving family, that gave me (what I feel was) everything I needed.....I got lucky!! There are so many children all around the world that weren't as fortunate, so If I can make some sort of difference to one child in India during my 6 week trip, then I will be so happy! This is not a travelling holiday for me... I'm planning on working as much I'm needed, but I have asked for one full day off a week to visit family out there and to do a bit of exploring.

Why El Shaddai Charitable Trust?

When I read about the amazing work these guys have already done, I knew its something I wanted to be part of! They have been running for over 20 years now and they care for over 4000 children, in seven states through 25 different projects.

They implement Childrens Rights & Juvenile Justice for orphans, street children and children coming from economically underprivileged conditions. Children are cared for and provided with food, clothing, shelter and education, for a better future. They have Residential Homes, Day Care Centres, Community Centres, and Cottages for adults who are attending University, Colleges, Technical Institutions and Professional Training Centres.

They also have a Manna Khana free food distribution programme every week day, where Manna takeaway packets are provided for around 300 poor children and adults living on the streets.

How can you help?

Please dig deep and help me raise as much money for El Shaddai Charitable Trust as possible. I have already made a donation of £200 (and I will add it on to my fundraising total when I figure out how). This covers my food and accommodation for 4 weeks and I will be booking my flights separately sometime in the next couple of weeks. All of the money raised on this site (minus the crowdfunding fee's) will go straight to the charity and I have just under 6 weeks to reach my target, so any help would be so gratefully received!!

If you are not able to donate at this time, then please help by sharing my page on social media, at work, by email and with anyone you may think might be interested in making a contribution.

It costs 100 Rs (the equivalent to £1, €1.3, or $1.5 ) a day to provide a home, food, clothing, education, medication, shelter, and recreational facilities for one child which is (shockingly) such a small amount of money! Think of the difference we can make if I manage to reach my target!

I will be keep this site up to date with as much info as possible. Here is the web address for El Shaddai Charitable Trust if you would like to take a look - www.childrescue.net/

Considering volunteering? Check out Indigo Volunteers - This is where I found El Shaddai. It's a really useful online platform for volunteers to connect with projects and vice versa all around the world - www.indigovolunteers.org/

You can also follow my story by finding me on Facebook or my volunteering Instagram page - @caz_goa

Thank you so much for taking the time to ready this & thank you in advance for your donation/share!!!

Caroline Ignatius xx