In September I am heading out to Costa Rica and Nicaragua to volunteer with Raleigh as a Medic and Project Manager. 

What does Raleigh do? Raleigh is a Registered Charity that focuses on sustainable development, working in poor communities to provide safe access to water and sanitation, protect vulnerable environments and build resilient communities. It aims to create generations of volunteers, by promoting young volunteers from all around the world to work with communities living in poverty - thus making a real, life long impact.

What will I do? As the title implies, I will be volunteering as a Medic - responsible for the health and wellbeing of all volunteers on project site, as well as using my knowledge to teach communities about important health issues, and I will be responsible for running 3 projects, using both a team of 10-12 volunteers as well as locals, including a WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) project, conservation focussed project and finally a 3 week long trek! 

What else will I do?! Well, living in a hammock in the middle of a jungle eating nothing but rice and beans for 3 months with no running water wasn't enough for you. In the project sites I will be living and working in, people walk on average 4 miles just to reach water. One jerry can of water weighs approximately 40lbs (18kg). Therefore, everyday for one week (8th Aug - 15th Aug) I will walk 4 miles carrying an 18kg backpack. 

All money raised goes directly to the charity to fund future projects and to enable them to continue their brilliant work.