I'm participating in the International Citizen Service program as a volunteer with Tearfund. International Citizen Service (ICS) is the UK’s leading global volunteering program for young people who want to do voluntary development work abroad.

This is a government-funded programme that gives young people the opportunity to help in the fight against poverty in different developing countries around the world. ICS run this programme through a number of different organisations, and I’ve chosen to go with Tearfund!

I'll be doing a work placement in Rwanda with Tearfund through their ICS placement, in September 2013, where I and around 14 others will be spending 10 exciting, challenging and life-changing weeks!  

We leave on the 30th of September 2013 and returning sometime in the first week of December (when England will most likely be cold, wet and with the traditional build-up to Christmas in full swing!).

I'll be working and living in Kigali, Rwanda's capital. I was going to be based on a project called Moucecore, providing mainly WASH training, but this has now changed and I'm based on a project called AEE in Kigali with 3 other English ICS volunteers as well as Rwandan ICS staff. AEE stands for African Evangelical Enterprise, and they do lots of work in various different African countries. In Kigali, some of their work that I might be involved with could include self-help groups, empowering and supporting social groups at risk of exploitation such as women and child-headed-households, working with those affected by HIV/AIDS, mobile health clinics, catch-up schools, work with street children in Kigali... So the project seems pretty diverse and incredibly beneficial to those being supported. I'm excited for what I might get to do through this work! :D

I'll be keeping a blog so you can keep track of the work I'm doing and the experiences I have, as it's not all set in stone yet. GO TO: www.awaywithanna.weebly.com to check it out! You'll be able to read in more detail about why I'm doing this, what I'll be doing, and get updates as I post them while I'm out there!

The trip will be an amazing learning experience for me as a person, spiritually, personally and also academically, as I go on to study International Development at University.

I'm raising money as part of my commitment to the programme.The £800 I raise goes straight to fundingTearfund's work on the project that I will be participating in, not the cost of flights/visas/vaccs/insurance for the trip. 

Your support would mean a lot to me and will help me reach my fundraising target, so any amount donated by you will be significant and greatly appreciated!

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.