Page 66 - Phonebox Magazine September 2014

Volunteering in South Africa
Afew months ago we featured Laura Tetlow in the Phonebox magazine, who was raising money to volunteer with Tearfund in South Africa. She
has now returned from the trip, and wanted to share what she got up to while she was there... “I have recently returned from my ten-week placement in Durban, KwaZula-Natal, South Africa. I volunteered with Tearfund ICS (International Citizen Service) and worked alongside the children’s programme of Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust (HACT). All the work we did was centred on reducing the vulnerability of the 412 children that HACT work with across five communities, and our aim was to create a lasting impact to the project and the people we worked with.
One thing we did was to put nearly 400 Child Status Index forms into a database. These forms assess the vulnerability of children, meaning that our work will allow the trust to have a better understanding of the problems facing the children on the programme. We created a mobile app for the Home Based Carers, and were able to get five phones donated to the programme so that the carers could input any activities they completed with a child. The information would be immediately accessible by HACT so that any problems could be dealt with instantaneously.
We also held a sports day in each of the five communities, as the children don’t have access to such facilities at school. We felt they were really important in promoting healthy lifestyles, encouraging teamwork and helping teach the importance of setting achievable and manageable goals.
A key moment that stood out for me during my placement was when we spent an evening in Durban visiting the homeless shelters. At one of the shelters, I spoke to a man named Stuart. He had no money and couldn’t get a job because his ID book had been stolen. He didn’t have any family or friends in Durban, so felt nobody cared about him. This really struck a chord with me, because I can’t understand how we can live in a world that allows people to believe nobody cares whether they live or die. Well, I care about Stuart, and I am going to strive to make sure that people know that someone cares for them. That can be achieved by small acts of kindness that everyone can do. Why don’t you just stop and have a chat to the next homeless person you see? Imagine a world where everyone feels loved. That’s the kind of world I want to live in.” If you feel inspired by Laura’s experiences and want to become a global citizen and make poverty personal, you can apply for ICS by visiting volunteering.org.
66 Phonebox Magazine
Monte Carlo or Bust
Adventurers’ round trip to Monte Carlo
M
adventure inspired by the 1969 film of the same name.
Buying a car for £250 or less, drivers hit Europe’s roads and cities for three days in July to reach the south of France, with Top Gear style challenges and thousands of miles to cover.
This year, Kevin Smith and his son Ashley took on the mammoth task, and ended up raising £800 for Just The Way You Are MK. Buying an old SAAB, they transformed it into the classic Bat Mobile and took off on an adventure of epic proportions.
Starting in Olney, they made their way to Dover before driving through Calais, St Quention, Dijon, Turin, Monte Carlo and Nice.
Kevin says: “Challenges taxed our brains and patience every day, and we estimated the round trip is about 2500 miles. But we raised hundreds for a local charity.”
otor enthusiasts went on the trip of a lifetime this summer as many took part in
Monte Carlo or Bust, a rally