education, community infrastructure and wildlife conservation project!

Hello! I'm raising £1500 to help me take part in a volunteering project to South Africa with the non profit organisation Volunteer Eco Students Abroad. This will provide valuable support to the local communities of Saint Lucia and Khula village. We will be working closely with children, providing education to them. We will also be helping paint facilities within the villages, as well as building new play equipment and constructing bathrooms and kitchens.

about me

 My name is Abbi-Jane Curran and I am a second year Dietetics student at Ulster University Coleraine. I am from Fermanagh so any offline fundraising I hope to complete will be split between both locations. I am taking part in this programme because the money given to VESA for this opportunity directly benefits the people of the village, for example, it will fund equipment for completing the valuable infrastructure part of the project.

importance of this programme

This experience is unique and extremely important for the local communities we will be working with.

Refurbishment is a major aspect of the project. Previously VESA have built:

• 1 new four-room crèche constructed for 60 children
• 15-room boarding house constructed for 48 children
• 32 x 3 or 4 room houses built in Khula village for local families
• 2 new classrooms, toilet blocks, a library and jungle gym for the local primary school.

Volunteering at the local creche will allow us the time and space to educate the young children on things we often take for granted such as basic hygiene, sanitation and nutrition.

We will also have the opportunity to help with Wildlife Conservation. We will complete hands-on volunteering with Cheetah, Serval, Caracals and African Wildcats, in a rehabilitation, breeding and release program. As well as constructing new enclosures for the breeding pairs. We will help endangered Nile Crocodiles which involves observation, population monitoring, capture and release of crocodiles, as well as behind the scenes maintenance at the Saint Lucia Crocodile Centre.

Where will the money go?

The majority of the money will go directly to VESA in order to purchase equipment and materials for the infrastructure projects, and to help supply year round support to these communities.

Part of the money will go towards flights, travel insurance and vaccinations which a requirement for me to take part in this wonderful project.

Find me on Facebook

Feel free to message me on facebook with any queries or for any additional information on the project!

Help us succeed!

Please support this programme in any way you can!

Donating a small amount of money will help us in a big way.

However, you don't need to give money to help us succeed. Please feel free to share this on social media so we can reach as many people as possible !