Please help to get Zach on Expedition to Kenya in July 2025!

My name is Zach and I'm a Year 10 student at Great Sankey High School. I live in Warrington, UK. I am raising money to help to get me to Kenya for 4 weeks during July 2025, upon completing my GCSE's.

This expedition is really important to me because I will be learning all about Kenya and in particular, how to support community developments, environmental projects and wildlife conservation. I also feel that I will acquire and develop many important life skills such as independence, leadership, communication as well as team building skills, with different cultures and whilst learning different traditions.

My Grandad passed away in February and within a couple of weeks, I was being offered an amazing opportunity to visit the homeland of where he was born. This felt as though I was meant to go. I am 15 years old and passionate about football (Goal-keeper with Crosfields JFC since I was 6 and a staunch LFC fan). My hobbies include F1 (Mercedes is my team) and my phone (socialising with friends is important to me) as well as keeping active learning tricks on my mountain bike.

I was inspired by the Camps International talk given at my school, not just because it was within a couple of weeks of my Grandad passing and an opportunity not only to see the land where my Grandad was born but also to get to be part of a team of people working toward a common goal of helping and creating something good in this often sad and worrying world.

I'm looking forward to working with the local children and the Tumaini Women's group, and contributing towards environmental projects especially the coastal clean up along the white beaches of the Indian ocean and promoting the importance of marine life and our planet. I will be challenged when climbing the Marungu hills given the climate difference and rugged terrain, as I have never done anything like this before but the challenge excites and motivates me. I will have to work hard to raise my already 'good' fitness levels.

My family are fully supportive of my fund-raising efforts as best as they can be but to get to go to Kenya I need to raise 4500K myself in time to go in July 2025, after my GCSE's next year. I've never done fund-raising before but have a few ideas already; climbing Mount Snowdon with friends and family in September (dressed as a giraffe - I am very tall!), car boot sales, car washes, a bike ride lasting 134 hours - 6,607 miles (distance from Warrington to Kenya), a stall at local fayre where I will create games with prizes and a charity night at our local Indian restaurant.

Kenya will challenge me personally due to not using my phone for the duration, apart for a very limited period to occasionally send a text home/take pictures but mostly for being away from my family for the 4 weeks will be very hard too but considering the life long memories from the experience being offered to me motivates me to to be a part of what promises to be an amazing once in a life time adventure ( I will get to watch the glorious sun rise after climbing the Marungo hills, play football with locals where apparently they always win even without shoes but with the largest smiles! - I cannot wait for that given my football passion, also dipping into the Indian ocean to wash away the dust from long days working building safe havens and classrooms for the local children and as well to go on a safari while enjoying the local delicacy, chipattis!)

Most importantly I'm sure I will learn gratitude like never before, compassion and independence while being taught all about Kenya, the issues and the initiatives in place that I will be part of with the greater goal of helping a community thrive and not just survive.

Some of the initiatives are:

As I've mentioned the reasons I wish to go to Kenya due to the incredible opportunities, the help I will be providing and life-long memories this expedition will give me, please can I ask that you donate just whatever you can, it doesn't matter how little as all adds up! If you can give anything to help me get on my dream trip upon completing my GCSE's then I will be eternally grateful and you'll be able to follow my journey via regular updates too! I will update this page with my dedicated social media page very soon. Watch this space!! and even if you cannot donate, thank you for reading the reasons why I want to go on expedition to Kenya in 2025!! THANK YOU :-)