Hi Everyone, thank you for taking the time to visit my Just Giving page for the Volunteer Zambia Project 2023/24

In June 2024, myself and three Northumbria students will be travelling to Zambia to help support and deliver Sport In Actions 'Volunteer Zambia' Project.

As part of this I will be doing a number of things to raise money for the Volunteer Zambia programme including running the Leeds Marathon! Which I am not looking forward too at all!

Being chosen to travel as the Northumbria Staff member for this years project is an extremely exciting opportunity and I can't wait to get stuck in delivering vital support to young Zambians through the power of sport. We will be travelling to various support hubs across Zambia, visiting some of the most deprived areas. Engaging with these people will, I'm sure, be a life changing experience for me.

Being able to help through the delivery of sport, something that I have participated in my whole life, will be emotional and highly rewarding. I'm excited to track the journey of amazing volunteers that I head out with, showcasing what the support of these projects really means to the children, and the coaches who will be delivering the sessions out there when we have gone.

So, What is the Volunteer Zambia Project?

Volunteer Zambia is an international sport programme run by the Wallace Group – a collaboration between leading UK ‘sport’ universities who support and work with the leading Zambian sports NGO, Sport in Action. Together, they use sport to engage, educate and empower young people in Zambia and the UK. Each summer the 7 universities of the Wallace Group collaborate to send students and staff members out to live in Zambia for 6 weeks from the period of May – October with the main aim of building capacity within sport development. This includes supporting the development of more effective talent pathways in the key sports of netball, basketball, women’s football and in developing the skills of young Zambians especially in coaching and coach education, officiating, leadership, and wider sports volunteering.

Zambia is one of the poorest countries in the world, with high rates of HIV/AIDS playing an exacerbating role. An overwhelming 1.2 million children are orphaned in Zambia due to AIDS in a population of just 17 million. However, these statistics are improving with the continuous, global support of projects like these.

Myself and all the students from Northumbria on the 2023/24 volunteer team are extremely excited, committed and driven for this opportunity, and are working equally hard behind the scenes to raise the funds to go out to Zambia and change young peoples lives through sport.

Every single donation is greatly appreciated.