Together we are packing over 100 years of skills and experience into our rucksacs and heading in 2005 for India and Sri Lanka. Instead of going as tourists, we'll be taking a year out from our jobs to work with the volunteer organisation i-to-i.
Our aim is to help create opportunities for people to improve their lives and help shape their communities for a better future.We need to raise £5,000 towards the costs of volunteering for the projects outlined below and thank all those who have already helped us, those that have promised to help and those that are continuing to help.
You may have spoken to your bank via someone in Bangalore which is India's growing IT capital. But, there is another side to this big city. The poverty is staggering - shelters and schools for street and slum children and for those with disabilities struggle to cope. Volunteers like us will aim to make a difference. We will teach basic skills, such as conversational English, that we in the UK take for granted but from which local people, like these children, can derive enormous benefit to improve their chances of a better future.
The media portray Sri Lanka as a lush holiday destination, but behind the glossy brochures there is a different story of poverty and deprivation. We are volunteering for a project that will involve us in making a real difference to young people and adults by providing help with crucial skills that can lead to a better future. In a less frantic atmosphere than in India, we hope again to teach basic skills to deprived communities, helping e.g. with homework and English lessons, keyboard skills and perhaps using music to develop creativity.
