UPDATE: YAY I've reached my target!! However, I would like to raise as much money as possible to help such a worthwhile cause, so please keep donating... and think of how far I'm walking!!

Hi All!

In February 2016 I will volunteer for 3 months as a Team Leader on a Balloon Ventures project in Kenya. This is part of International Citizen Service (ICS), which brings young people together to fight poverty and make a difference where it is needed most. 

I am aiming to raise £800 for Balloon Ventures by doing lots of fundraising activities including WALKING 153 MILES ACROSS THE NORTH DOWNS WAY between 14th January to 19th January 2016! 

You got that - 153 miles over 6 days. That's a lot of miles!!!!! If you want to find out more about the route, look here: http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/north-downs-way

So please dig deep everyone and donate, donate, donate! The money DOES NOT pay for my personal expenses but goes towards the continuation of the programme and any contribution will make a real difference to the lives of people in developing countries.

Also, if anyone fancies joining me and my lovely friend Martin who has kindly (or crazily) agreed to accompany me, then please do so! If you plan on coming to join us for a couple of miles, or even a day, let me know and I will tell you where we will be - your support would be greatly appreciated :D 

So at this point you're probably thinking who are Balloon Ventures?

Balloon Ventures brings young people from around the world to Kenya, to volunteer with budding local Kenyan entrepreneurs and lead sustainable economic development. 

Together, these international teams imagine, test and refine exciting new business ideas. Balloon Ventures then fund the best of these ideas and help the businesses to grow. They believe that supporting youth entrepreneurship is the best way to tackle poverty and create change. 

Balloon Ventures fellows in 2012, 2013 and 2014 achieved great things, including working with 1100 local Kenyan Entrepreneurs, securing£40k's worth of investment, and funded 170 businesses. 

The success of the programme can be illustrated through its impact on the people it has helped. 

One example is Mama Glo. Mama Glo lost her job in 2010 and begun cooking to provide for her 3 children. When Balloon met her she had a small business delivering packed lunches to 10-15 people in Nakuru Town.

Balloon's volunteers worked with her to identify new customers, market her product better and win new orders. By the end of the programme she had more than tripled her customers, now delivering over 50 lunches each day! Balloon funded her to open a second kitchen in town to grow her business further.

You can find out more about their amazing work here: http://www.balloonics.org