Caring Sally's volunteer trip to Kenya

Sally Coupe (20) will travel to the African country in June with international development organisation VSO, as part of the UK government funded International Citizen Service programme.The former Shuttleworth College student must first raise £800 for the organisation which aims to have a real and lasting impact through sustainable development projects, to help the volunteers learn key life-skills and tackle the causes of poverty.

So far, Sally has raised £310 and has planned a number of fund-raising events.

She said: "I have always wanted to travel, but I also want to help people. You don't get as much out of experiences if you are aren't helping others. I'm excited but nervous."

"I am planning on a fund-raising day at my old school St Leonard's CE Primary in Padiham. I have also got three football cards in and around the area. I have got a fancy dress pub crawl around Clitheroe at the end of April and I am also looking into doing a sponsored skydive to support a project that tackles poverty in a little place called Taita Taveta in Kenya, where I will be volunteering for nine weeks.

"I want to go over there and do my bit for the world. I cannot wait to learn more about myself and other cultures and how they work. I am so excited it is beyond words."

Sally will work in partnership with Kenyan volunteers to help lift some of the world’s poorest communities out of poverty. She is going over to help families build a better livelihood for themselves and their children.

She will be living with a local host family, to fully immerse herself in the local community and gain a better understanding of the challenges they face.

On return to the UK, ICS volunteers undertake an ‘Action at Home’ project, ensuring that their new skills also benefit their local communities. More than 13000 young people from the UK have taken part in the scheme since 2011.

Felicity Morgan, Director of ICS at VSO, said: “Sally will be joining thousands of other ICS volunteers who are doing amazing work around the world, every day. We’re incredibly proud that UK aid is supporting young Brits bring about positive change in some of the world’s poorest communities.

"As an organisation working on the frontline against poverty VSO see how people across Britain play an important role in delivering UK aid; from the NHS and Army helping end the Ebola crisis, to the millions who donate, and the contribution we all make through taxes, together we are all making the world a fairer, safer place.”

To sponsor Sally visit her online fundraising page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sally-coupe