My name is Tim Cotton, I am 23 years of age and beginning on the 30th September 2015 I have been granted 7 months of unpaid leave in order to do volunteer work in South Africa. My girlfriend Alexandra Mills will be working alongside me on a project to help children with mental health and developmental disabilities. We will be working in sports/day centres in the townships of Mbekweni and Franschhoek creating a group which uses sports to re-integrate them back into society as well as develop coping strategies enabling them to manage their experiences/issues.

Currently these children do not have any psychiatric input and are often ostracised from their local communites as there is not the required education or understanding in the townships. Part of my role will be to engage with other services in the surrounding areas to gain knowledge of how they work and encourage them to invest in these children as well. Alexandra will be helping with the formal documentation producing a manual for the project. This will ensure the legacy of the group helping local staff continue the work and help similar centres develop groups for children with mental health problems.

The sports/community centre is connected with the local schools, Alexandra has a passion for art and crafts, and will be setting up a group for the children, allowing them to take part in various groups to explore  creativity, this group will be for the younger children as well as the more mature, to give them equal opportunities. Establishing an Alpha Course is also one of the aims of Hope Through Action. On behalf of the charity Alexandra will be meeting with local churches in order to develop this.

The funding raised will be used for transport purposes so that we can meet with other professionals, living costs as well as to buy the tools needed for the trip! We believe that all children deserve a chance and hope that you can support our cause.

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