A Shrewsbury-based graduate has launched a fundraising drive to help her make the trip to Bolivia for a 12 week volunteering trip to support local people and help fight poverty.
Katy Davies, who applied through the new International Citizen Service (ICS) scheme for 18-25 year olds, will be working with the York-based development charity International Service on a project to improve the lives of children with disadvantaged or difficult backgrounds, which will include helping with education and the teaching of other life skills.
Katy hopes to contribute significantly to this development project, including raising sponsorship to fund part of her placement, before returning to the UK to pursue a career in Psychology. For her main fundraising activity, Katy has set herself the challenge of living on £1 a day for a week in August.
“I’m really excited to volunteer in Bolivia from September” Katy explained. “This is an amazing opportunity and is likely to be a life-changing experience but I need to raise £800 towards supporting the work of International Service, who enable young people from the UK and from overseas developing countries to work on these important placements, and I’d be grateful for any support through my Just Giving page www.justgiving.com/katy-davies-bolivia”
“I decided to volunteer with International Citizen Service so I could participate on a real development project that will make a genuine difference to the lives of some of the world’s poorest people. In doing so, I may also develop new skills which will help in building my own future.”
Katy has just graduated from Cardiff University, where she studied Psychology and undertook a number of local volunteering projects. She was a pupil at Meole Brace School before attending Shrewsbury Sixth Form College, and worked for Shropshire-based public relations company Zen Communications during her university breaks.
International Citizen Service (ICS) pairs small groups of UK volunteers aged 18-25 with young people from a developing country. Together, they work on a project, and share experiences and insights. UK volunteers do pre-departure fundraising towards their placement, engaging in community action before they leave the UK. UK volunteers are from across the country and a wide range of backgrounds. The projects they work on are suggested by local people, addressing the needs of the community. Some of the countries volunteers will be working in include: Ethiopia; Burkina Faso; Bangladesh and Bolivia, demonstrating a commitment to fighting poverty across the globe.
Prime Minister, David Cameron, has endorsed the scheme, saying: "The International Citizen Service programme will have a real impact on the lives of both those abroad and our young people from the UK, not just over the next three years but for years to come.”
"The service will create thousands of international development champions, bringing together young people from all walks of life. This life-changing experience is a chance for young volunteers from all over the country to really understand the many challenges faced by people from very poor countries, and to do something positive to help. It will not only broaden their horizons but it will build the confidence necessary to achieve their personal and professional goals in later life.”
"We all know the passion, dedication and skills that young people have to offer.
It is this that will be the real driving force to bring about change, and to really help tackle poverty locally."
To find out how to get involved with ICS please visit www.dfid.gov.uk/ics or www.ics-uk-org.uk. And to find out more about the projects Katy will be involved in and to support her placement, please visit www.justgiving.com/katy-davies-bolivia.
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