Hi, my name is Sofia, I am 13 years old and I have just signed up to do a 4- week volunteering expedition to Ecuador with Camps International in July 2027!!

As you would agree this is going to be a once in a lifetime experience for me and the other students in my school who have also signed up to the challenge. I am going to be working on sustainable community and environmental projects that make a real difference in the lives of local people. These sustainable community and environmental project could be building classrooms to improve access to education, installing clean water supplies for an entire village, constructing marketplaces for communities to generate income, building new homes for vulnerable families and helping tree nurseries grow native plants to reforest the Amazon Rainforest. I am so excited and passionate about helping these rural communities in this beautiful country and being apart of something really meaningful and making a massive impact. I know this expedition is going to change me as a person as I learn about the challenges people face in their daily life, gain new perspectives on the world, and grow in ways I can’t even imagine. This is why I am so excited because I will be completing this journey the summer before my GCSEs, I really believe this is going to give me the drive to push myself to succeed and give me a great start to achieve my dream job of becoming a air hostess.

After 3 amazing weeks supporting these rural communities, I will be facing probably the biggest challenge I am going to face in my life which is a 4 night, 5 day trek up two mountains in Cotopaxi National Park. This trek is going to test me both mentally and physically but I am already preparing myself and I am ready to face the challenge head on!!

You're probably asking why I have set up a GoFundMe for this amazing opportunity? As you can imagine this expedition isn't cheap and instead of asking my parents to fund it for me I have decided to fundraise as much of the trip as I can myself. This means over the next 2 years I am going to be fundraising doing various different things from crafts at local fairs, baking goodies to sell, sponsored walks and sponsored events I will be completing with fellow school friends who are also taking on this life changing challenge!! Please keep an eye on here as I will be putting up regular updates of what I am up to next.

This is where I am asking for your help and support - no matter how small, every donation is one step closer to me fulfilling this dream and making a lasting impact!!

I am also looking for some local businesses who may be willing to sponsor me aswell, in return I will be having a tshirt printed with my sponsorship logos on so when I do my fundraising events and completing this amazing expedition I will be proudly advertising your buisness whilst making an impact on the world!! Any questions or enquiries about this please comment or email me on amy . banes 19 @ outlook . com,

Thankyou for your support on this life changing opportunity!!

Sofia ♡