In January 2009 I'm heading off to Sri Lanka with VESL to volunteer in a school teaching English.
My Books and My Other Stuff
In order to help raise some money for my trip, and to reduce the amount of stuff I have for either taking with me or leaving here, I've decided to sell most of my books and my other stuff. Please have a look at the relevant pages for a list of what I'm looking to get rid of and feel free to contact me with an offer if there's anything you'd like. Anything that doesn't get sold to kind family, friends and general website readers (i.e. you) will go on eBay, anything left after that will go to Freecycle, and anything else will go to a local charity shop.
Many of the things on these lists were presents. If you see a gift that you had given me on this list, please do not think that it has been shoved in a drawer somewhere and unwanted. It has been very much appreciated and I'm hoping that it shall continue to bring joy to whoever is its next owner. Thank you.
VESL
VESL is a charity that sends volunteers to Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. The volunteers work with schools, teachers and communities to help improve English language skills in rural areas.
VESL work with the Education Department of the Sri Lankan government to ensure volunteers are placed in schools where they are wanted and needed.
In a country ravaged by war and natural disaster, there are children whose futures can be dramatically improved if they have access to education and employment. A good working knowledge of English can help with both of these. This is where I come in. I'm off to share my passion for learning (and for the English language) with some people who will really benefit from my help.
My Project
At the moment, all I know about my project is that I'll be in southern or central Sri Lanka. My project starts in January 2009 and I'll be there for three months. I'll be going out with a partner so I'll have someone to talk to and to bounce ideas off while I'm away.
Fund Raising
I'm currently raising funds for my trip. I need to pay VESL £1,250 for my training, insurance, accommodation, food and some admin costs here and in Sri Lanka. I also need to pay for my flights.
I have started on some fundraising activities (you can see more information about these on my blog) if you are interested in donating then please read on.
I've set up a Just Giving page for any UK taxpayers who would like to donate. Any money donated through Just Giving goes direct to VESL to cover my contribution. It also attracts Gift Aid which means that the UK government gets some money out of its tax-payer-lined pockets and sends it to VESL as well.
If you'd like to donate to me personally then please use the Donate button below (this is through PayPal). I'll be using that money help pay for my flights and to get any other bits of stuff organised for going away.
For non-UK people who might be interested in helping you can donate with a credit card, debit card via the Donate button below (this is through PayPal). You can also donate via the Just Giving page but that has slightly higher administration fees than PayPal.