Hello, my name is Hannah, and in just over a year I'll be embarking on an unforgettable journey to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. The trip is being organized by Outlook Expeditions, an organization which provides tailor-made, educational expeditions to the developing world, aiming to teach life skills and expand minds outside the classroom. This expedition, which is planned to begin towards the end of July 2013, will last 28 days.

The most notable part of our journey is the Project phase, where we will be visiting a Kichwa community in the Amazon, and completing a volunteer project at each one. During our stay we will likely be helping them with some construction for whatever they need building/renovating at the time. I'm so excited about this part; I feel like I'll be doing something really worthwhile; I can’t wait.

Before I continue, I would like to tell you a little about myself. I am a 16 year old from South East England. I like being in control but I sometimes lack the confidence to take on the role of leader, so during this trip I’d really like to improve this by continually working as a team, but also not being afraid to voice my opinion. I like to think that I am very determined & hardworking. I'm almost always trying to do the absolute best I can, & once I get an idea I’m really passionate about (like the idea to sign up for this trip), I spend almost all my time figuring out exactly how I’m going to make it happen. I love art and being creative, and I’m using these skills as an outlet for fundraising; I have some basic business skills which I’ve been able to combine with my love of creating, & this has allowed me to make some great products to sell online.

This brings me to my most important point. This once-in-a-lifetime experience comes with a hefty price tag of £3895, a near-impossible sum of money for a full time student to raise in a year. Like I said before though, I am very determined, & this task does not discourage me one bit. I have been working very hard since January to not only raise money to get me to Ecuador, of which I have already raised £700, but also to raise money for the group funds, which will be shared out equally & used to pay for activities during the four weeks. It’s a lot, yes, but there is still £3195 to go, and I need all the help I can get this year. This is why I’m asking for the support of my friends, family, and anyone that would like to help me. If you would hate to see all this hard work go to waste as much as I would, then please donate anything you can, as every little bit helps.

My other fundraising outlets include eBay and Big Cartel, on which you can find a lot of handmade products, it'd mean a lot if you could check it out. Also if you'd like to follow my progress I have a Tumblr!

http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/pocobellaa
pocobella.bigcartel.com
pocobella.tumblr.com

To see the t-shirt my friends & I are making, please check out:
somaahdesigns.bigcartel.com

Thanks so much for your support!