Hey guys!

In January, I am proud to tell you I have been selected to volunteer with the Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) charity in the Jharkhan region of India, for three months.

VSO are a charity, which help tackle poverty in less economically developed countries by sending out volunteers to help work on projects in countries that need it the most.

The first part of my placement is a challenge to raise £1500 towards the work of VSO and their partners. The funds raised will go towards enabling the overall cost of VSO and their ICS partners, ensuring they can continue sending youth volunteers to the developing world, to make a lasting difference in disadvantaged communities.

Since 1958, VSO has been active in India, helping to address the power imbalance and inequality in the distribution of wealth, as well as discrimination on the basis of income, gender and marginalisation.

VSO have also been working with women tribal farmers in the Deoghar district of Jharkhan, towards increasing their annual income levels. Many women in these tribes are subjected to human trafficking and sexual assault and last year VSO ran a project which supported 1,000 slum-dwelling women, who have survived or been at risk of trafficking, through training courses in employment skills.

Through VSO I will be offering training and innovations that support women, youth and people with disabilities to improve their access to a stable source of food and income.

VSO also run  a 'Literacy for all' scheme, using technological approaches and the innovative thinking to find solutions to educating everyone. These include literacy training for in-service teachers through community and national volunteers, remedial teaching projects and the development of teaching and learning resources.

------

In my fundraising journey I will be and have already undertaking small challenges and putting on events:

At the end of September I completed the national three peaks challenge with other volunteers in just over 24 hours. I will also be putting on a sponsored silence, I have completed ' Stop-tober'(no drinking for the month, a challenge for me!) and I am running a quiz at the Cronx bar I work at in Croydon!

I also will be putting on a gig night in Croydon to help raise funds for VSO!

For more info, please visit:

https://www.volunteerics.org/vso-ics

Thanks for all your support!

Killian