Plans for the trip so far...

Things have really been moving forward in terms of planning and bookings for the summer trip!

Visas have been sorted, money is being changed into dollars (the most common currency out in the DRC, they also use the Congolese Francs), immunisations have been endured (I'm not a big fan of needles) and I have my flight itinerary.

Tomorrow the team and I travel to the Menelik Partnership offices in Cambridge to talk about activities when we get to the DRC and other information such as safety.

From now on, I will still be advertising for sponsorship and donations but a lot of my efforts will be going towards the group fundraising. The money raised from these efforts will be going towards materials such as schooling equipment to use when we are in the country as well as paint and other DIY materials to try and improve the environment the children have to learn in.

In these activities we will be pushing ideas such as a calendar that includes photographs by Laura Rainsford, a volunteer who travelled to the DRC last summer. Also we are looking at organising a raffle with prizes donated by any local or non-local companies that wish to be involved in helping to raise the money. Any money raised from these activities will be used solely for the purpose of buying materials that are needed out in the country (as I have mentioned paint and schooling aids and may even go towards computing equipment and other such items if we raise enough).

If you or your company would be interested in donating prizes to the raffle or any equipment we could take to the DRC to improve the lives of the children, please email me at j_prinelle@hotmail.co.uk, we welcome any aid that anyone is willing to give. If you would like to purchase a raffle ticket when we have fully organised it, please email the above address. I will post a further post with the list of possible prizes and cost of tickets at a later date.

To find out more about the organisation - Menelik Partnership - please click here. Further, if you are interested in being a volunteer, the work that volunteers do and the costs that are incurred by such a project, you can email Theodore (the organisations founder) and he will be happy to answer any questions, his email address is on the 'Contact Us' tab on the Menelik website. Or you can email myself at the above address.

This blog remains a place to make a donation to my personal costs of the trip (including costs of immunisation, flights, visas, travel and food). If you would like to donate please click here.

Thankyou.