From Lesotho with hope participants will carry as much water as they can across a mile on Exmouth beach, and Exeter to Senegal, a fundraiser which involves live African music, four exercise bikes, a church and a Christian Aid shop! We will be attempting to ‘cycle’ the distance from Exeter to Senegal and raise £8,000. Being a gapper has changed me. My perspective on life has widened; I will not stand for injustice and I just can’t stop talking about Christian Aid.
‘It’s time to s
Charlotte Edy, 22, from Witney in Oxfordshire, graduated from the University of York where she studied history, and is now based in our Bristol office. I’d always been interested in Christian Aid’s work, inspired by years of exhibitions at Greenbelt. I remember badgering my parents into buying Fairtrade bananas after finding out about trade justice, and getting my youth group to make a paper chain around my church to highlight the Drop the Debt campaign. The prospect of spending a year encouraging young people to consider how they can make a difference in global development issues seemed too good to miss! It’s fantastic to lead sessions and see people’s understanding develop, especially as they start to think beyond their own lives. I’m looking forward to finding ways of communicating Christian Aid’s development angle on the climate change issue to young people. The more I find out, the more I realise what an important question this is for my generation and how vital it is to motivate them into action. Probably the most exciting aspect of the year is having the opportunity to increase my knowledge of global problems but in a context where I feel that I can be part of the answer, and help others to be part of that, too.
After 15 years, Christian Aid’s flagship project in Lesotho is finally ready to go it alone. Siân Curry celebrates a unique takeover bid
MORE INFORMATION To find out more about the Christian Aid gap–year scheme go to www.pressureworks.org/ dosomething/gap/
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