Charities

Trek Peru

What do I do with my life? Ever found yourself asking yourself that question? Well it's a big one and if it's never crossed your mind then it certainly will now.

Story Highlights

- UNICEF UK
- Working With Children
- Discovering The World
- A Personal Challenge
- Are You Up For It?

UNICEF UK

Seeing the world, helping people, challenging the mind and body; these are all aspirations that many of us share and UNICEF UK are currently providing an ideal opportunity to fulfil them all. Offering a chance to encapsulate travel, charity work and new personal challenges within a twelve day sponsored trek, the infamous children's charity continue to provide new ways to raise awareness and to provide funding for their international projects.

Working with Children

UNICEF stands for the United Nations Children's Fund - the I and E in the acronym, standing for International and Emergency, were omitted in 1953 when the organisation was established as a part of the in the UN. In a nutshell it is a worldwide organisation which supports the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Vast amounts of aid work and research, focused on improving the lives of children all around the globe, are funded entirely by private donations. Conforming to the Institute of Fundraising's Codes of Fundraising Practice, UNICEF make a promise regarding the honesty and dedication of their work. Being involved in their fundraising projects can consequently come at a cost, but any participants are guaranteed that the results of their efforts will be focused completely on the designated cause.

Recent projects in the Cuzco region of Peru have led to a fundraising event, scheduled to take place in spring 2008. Living conditions in many rural areas of Peru are often extremely basic, with no nearby access to clean water or medical expertise. Such a basic quality of life results in high levels of disease and malnutrition, especially among children. So far UNICEF has supported the development of communities to provide a more diverse, hygienic environment in which children can grow to their full potential and now they want to do more.

Discovering the World

Peru today may be home to some of the world's most impoverished communities, but the history of the country tells a very different story. The ancient Inca Empire, whose four provinces met at the capital city Cuzco, was the largest empire of pre-Columbian America. To this day, on a mountain ridge overlooking Peru's Urubamba Valley, you can find the remains of Machu Picchu - The Lost City of the Incas. Unsurpassed by any Indiana Jones film set, this architectural phenomenon of the ancient world remained hidden from the rest of the globe for centuries until its discovery in 1911, by American explorer - Hiram Bingham.

Leading up to this city is a 43 kilometre road, built by the Incas themselves. It begins in the village of Qorihuayrachina and traverses the extreme Peruvian landscape. From the forest-lined snow peaks of the Andes to valleys bursting with some of the world's rarest and most stunning wildlife, the trek offers an abundance of new experiences. Of course the area is also home to many small farming communities. They may have this breathtaking scenery as a backdrop to their existence but at the same time they lack some of the most basic provisions.

A Personal Challenge

UNICEF UK is now offering the chance to take part in a fundraising Andean trek, whose grand finale involves a descent through the Lost City itself. Along the journey there will be opportunities to meet and interact with the local people and see first hand how aid work is drastically improving their quality of life. Experiencing the living conditions in such poor areas, surrounded by this stunning scenery will most certainly give you a new perspective on the world.

A sum of £275 will secure your place on this 12 day expedition and you would also be expected to raise a further £3,225 for the charity. This may seem like a daunting prospect but each applicant is assigned a mentor in the organisation who will provide as much assistance as possible, to help you reach your fundraising goal.

The physical demands of the trek itself can be extreme but any individual with the motivation to increase the activity in their lifestyle should embrace such an opportunity. From my foray into healthy living last month, you can see that the UNICEF UK hike demonstrates the relevance of a healthy lifestyle when it comes to travelling and personal fitness. If city life is becoming stagnant or if the gym isn't your scene then this may be exactly what your mind and body are waiting for. Furthermore, if you thought that looking after children was synonymous with babysitting for Auntie Gertrude then this trip will offer yet another personal challenge. Here are the details of the expedition on the official UNICEF UK website.

Are you up for it?

I openly confess to having tried to promote this project to potential applicants and the benefits are indeed immediate for both the participant and the communities receiving aid. But this is by no means an all-inclusive, make-me-a-better-person holiday. Two weeks in Peru won't make you into the next Mother Teresa and one fundraising trek for man is another man's daily trip for water.

If the average UK citizen can go away for a couple of weeks, do-their-bit for charity and then resume a guilt-free existence in a corporate world of capitalist economies then the irony is worth its weight in Andean medical centres. Certainly if we all do it then the difference would be noticeable, but should we really need to set a challenge in order to get sponsorship or donations?

Ticking boxes on the infamous list of things-to-do-before-I-die is not comparable to the lasting impression and the experience that the UNICEF trek should provide. Broken down this is for travellers with a thirst to see what the world had to offer and an undying drive to discover what we can offer the rest of the world.

- David

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