I’m going to be taking part in a volunteer programme called Global Xchange, which brings help to deprived communities across the world as well as giving young people from all types of backgrounds the opportunity to immerse themselves in another culture and volunteer in the host communities, while learning about community development in general.
The particular programme I am taking part in involves my spending 3 months, along with 8 other Brits and 9 Zambians, undertaking a varitiety of volunteer projects to encourage youth participation in Swansea, Wales. We will then all head to Chipata, Zambia, where we will work on another set of projects.
Why these places need our help:
Zambia is no doubt a fantastic place with a rich cultural heritage and apparently the people are wonderfully friendly and welcoming. However, it is also a country of great poverty, with 70% of inhabitants living on less than 1$ US a day. It is estimated that 17% of Zambians aged 15-49 are living with HIV/Aids. In the UK this figure is xxx. The life expectancy at birth is 41 years compared to 79 in UK.
It’s sometimes easier to think of the starving children and soaring HIV/Aids rates in Africa, and to forget that there are plenty of places in Europe that are also desperately in need of help. Swansea is a city that has had it’s fair share of problems.
If you’d like to know more just drop me a line, and if you’d be willing to support me please visit www.justgiving.com/charlottemitchell3
Global Xchange is organised by the reputable British charities Volunteering Services Abroad and the British Council. The community development syllabus that participants learn from is devised by Oxfam. To find out more please visit www.vso.org.uk/globalxchange.
