Dharamsala Community Development Project 2013

So far I have only written about previous projects so I wanted to take the time to tell you about a future charity project in the not-to-distant future.

I am going to teach English to children as part of the Dharamsala Community Development Project on the 1st of December 2013.

India is home to the world’s largest population of street children: estimated at around 11 million, according to conservative estimates by UNICEF where I would be working at various shelter homes and contact points providing care, affection, meals, basic literacy, and a safe environment for the children to learn and develop, away from the reality of life on the streets. I would also work alongside the ICDS (Integrated Child Development Service) scheme, which is a government initiative addressing early childhood development, health and malnutrition in India. Also the National Policy for the Empowerment of Women in 2001 the Indian Government has said ‘Our vision in the new century of a nation where women are equal partners with men’ but in reality Indian women struggle to gain empowerment through society. Education is the most influential tool to raise the status of women and this project aims to run a variety of educational and confidence building activities to benefit women and adolescent girls in the local community. And of course raising awareness about the need for regular schooling, and offer much needed support to local teachers.

The charity I will be working for is called Integrated Social Programs in Indian Child Education (ISPIICE).

ISPIICE is a voluntary social organization that builds partnerships between International volunteers and Indian communities; iSPiiCE introduce volunteers to teach English and computers, care give, improve access to health services, improve awareness of health issues and develop educational activities as part of sustainable community projects.

About Dharamsala:

Dharamsala (Hindi: धर्मशाला dharmaśālā) is a city and a municipal council in Kangra district in the Indian State of Himachal Pradesh. It is the district headquarters. It was formerly known as Bhagsu. The Dalai Lama's residence and the headquarters of Central Tibetan Administration and the exiled Tibetan government are in McLeodGanj, a village within the Dharamshala municipality. Dharamshala has an average elevation of 1457 metres (4780 feet), this is in the foothills of the Himalaya, in the shadow of the Dhauladhar mountains.

ISPIICE Website: http://www.volunteeringinindia.com/

Spartan Race 2013

On the 1^st of September 2013 a small team was formed to compete in the Spartan Race held at Carver Barracks in Saffron Walden, UK.

The organisers of the race promised - Spartan Sprint - 3+ MILES / 15+ OBSTACLES. The challenging sprint obstacle trail races are a great way to get off your couch and start living. From beginner trail racers and mud run participants to hardcore warriors, tough guys and marathon runners, they all come out to test themselves on the insane obstacle races!

I wouldn’t describe our group of 14 strong as hardcore warriors, more like Customer Service Technicians, Product Support Engineers and Team Mangers – who sit at desks all day!

Out of the 14 who signed up only 9 of us saw it through to the finish line!

We had all spent months gathering sponsorships for DementiaUK (Charity Registration No. 1039404) in preparations for this moment! With our lovely sparkling white DementiaUK running tops (probably not the best colour for a muddy challenge like this) we warmed up at the starting line with hundreds of other people, many also running for charity.

The first section was a sprint with hay bale hurdles, crawls under bridges, steep climbs and mud, mud and more mud! On several sections we had to carry heavy sandbags, buckets of water, huge rocks and drag tractor tyres over very rough/difficult terrain. Then we hit the big obstacles – the walls! Oh god the walls we had to somehow get over! The Hercules Hoist involved heaving concrete blocks on a rope up high, the Javelin throw, the barbed wire crawl, the cargo net, the slippery wall climb, rope climbs, the fire pits! Pretty sure there were a lot more than 15 obstacles! It took our team just over an hour to complete the course and ALL members ached and moaned the following day.

Video of the Spartan Race:

We all received our hard won medals at the finish line! Other souvenirs included scraps, bruises, aches and pains and good stories to tell.

This is the second year I have supported DementiaUK and it was wonderful to have so many of my work colleagues join me on this adventure! Couldn’t have done it without everyone, I am so proud of everyone who got off their butts (desk jobs – say no more) to train and take part in this huge challenge!

This year we have so far managed to raise £1219.99 and the figure is still climbing!

Just Giving website -  http://www.justgiving.com/SwapOut

We were running in memory of Doris Walter, Dorothy Camp, Jean Marvel, Margret Morgan, Lola Moring, Jesse Flowers

We are running for those still with us - Joan Reynolds,

Hadrian’s Wall Challenge for DementiaUK

In 2012 over the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee I began a challenge for which I consider to be one of my greatest achievements. I hiked from coast to coast across England following the ancient route of Hadrian’s Wall. My only companion was a very brave friend who was mad enough to join me! We both carried our own heavy packs and we walked from dawn to dusk over a very challenging landscape in oft times difficult weather. We completed the challenge in only 5 days!

We began in South Shields in Newcastle at the beach and made our way to the Segedunum Roman fort at modern-day Wallsend, Tyne and Wear. The fort lay at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall near the banks of the River Tyne. We finished in Bowness-on-Solway, the village is situated on the site of the Roman fort called Maia, the second largest on Hadrian's Wall. En route we saw incredible scenery which felt devoid of mankind! There were many sections of the wall still standing, including forts and way castles, we climbed great hills and walked along clifftops. 

Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain, begun in AD 122 during the rule of Emperor Hadrian. It was designed to keep the Celts out of Britannia, Hadrian was concerned to consolidate his boundaries. He visited Britain in 122 AD, and ordered the wall to be built between the Solway Firth in the West and the River Tyne in the east "to separate Romans from Barbarians". In addition to its military role, gates through the wall served as customs posts. It is probably one of the most well-known landmarks in the country, and locations along what remains of the wall have been seen in many films - such as Robin Hood Prince of Thieves which was shot at Sycamore Gap.

One of the greatest monuments to the power - and limitations - of the Roman Empire.

All this was in aid of a charity I feel very strongly about, DementiaUK (Charity Registration No. 1039404)

It was an emotional journey as a few days before I set off I lost my Grandma who had been suffering with Dementia for many years. It was her and my other Grandma who is still suffering from Dementia that I decided to embark on this journey to raise money for this cause. When it first became clear they had this illness, it was about 10 years ago now, there was not much in place to help and it didn't seem to be a well-recognised issue. So I aimed to raise awareness as well as help others who will inevitably go through what my family has – dementia doesn't just affect the one suffering it but causing pain for all around them.

Video of the Hadrian’s Wall Hike:

Dementia UK is a national charity committed to improving quality of life for all people affected by dementia. The charity has three core areas: - Admiral Nurses - Admiral Nursing DIRECT - Uniting Carers.

I will explain these three core areas:

Admiral Nurses are mental health nurses specialising in dementia. They work with family carers and people with dementia, in the community and other settings. Working collaboratively with other professionals, Admiral Nurses seek to improve the quality of life for people with dementia and their carers. They use a range of interventions that help people live positively with the condition and develop skills to improve communication and maintain relationships. Admiral Nurses typically have between 80 - 100 families on their caseload! They are available to support families throughout the dementia journey. They provide family carers with the tools and skills to best understand the condition, as well as emotional and psychological support through periods of transition.

Admiral Nursing DIRECT is our national helpline and email service, provided by experienced Admiral Nurses and is for family and professional carers, people with dementia and those worried about their memory. It gives practical advice and emotional support to anyone affected by dementia.

Uniting Carers is an involvement network of family carers of people with dementia. The aim of the network is to give carers the opportunity to raise awareness and increase people's understanding of dementia.

Their Website: http://www.dementiauk.org/

In total I managed to raise £1730.03 (Total includes Gift Aid)

My Just Giving Page: http://www.justgiving.com/Ruth-Walter

Children In Need 2011 and 2012

Never under estimate looking silly …..

                              …. There is great power in fancy dress!

I am sure many of you have paid a pound or fifty pence to come to school in non-uniform for Children in Need day? In the United Kingdom this is a widely recognised charity and most people have heard of it. BBC Children in Need is the BBC's UK charity so enjoys a luxury many charities do not get – mass media. The charity states that since 1980 it has raised over £600 million to change the lives of disabled children and young people in the UK. In the average home in the UK, Pudsey Bear can be picked out of a line up.

This is a charity that attracts scores of celebrities; in fact BBC news reported that BBC Children in Need 2012 reached its highest total ever of £26,757,446!

But it’s not all about pop stars and television personalities; there are all the little people like you and me out there doing our part as well, alone or with our communities.

Children in Need is not something I really became involved with other than a chance to get out of school uniform for a day, until I started working in an office! I began working in Fujistu and as Product Support Engineer I was responsible for a team of technicians working tirelessly for this global giant, this small handful of people on the EE account who really give it all to keep the IT of this particular customer working seven days a week. But despite this busy and oft times chaotic environment there is always time for fun, banter and a good cause!

As part of the 3663 account previously in 2011 we had managed to raise almost three hundred pounds by going hugely over the top with fancy dress! Several people painted their whole bodies BLUE! To become smurfs! I’m pretty sure that gaining the brief but pleasant opportunity to throw wet sponges at our managers helped.

In 2012 Fujitsu provided the telephony for Children in Need, and many people from the Stevenage site were bundled onto a bus and driven to Manchester, where they worked alongside the CEO to answer the phones. I was not one of those people – there were limited spaces on the bus obviously.

It was November 2012 - whilst most the attention was on the Manchester site that the EE Service Desk staff went all out. We made dares and bets and these formed the foundation of the targets set! As a small team we didn’t expect to raise much, the enormous building felt empty that day with many people in Manchester or working from home. But we had agreements! Firstly if as a team we managed to raise £200 I would allow my team to choose my costume for the day, secondly if we hit £300 then Waqaas Ahmed would wear a dress for the whole day! And lastly EVERYONE on the desk would be in fancy dress.

This is what I get for letting my staff choose my costume! Thanks guys!

The results were both side splitting hilarity and reflected a huge effort by the team. I ended up dressed a Boris Johnson the mayor of London for the entire day, a very ‘in joke’ among the team. However I have discovered that having a man in a dress walk around with a big orange bucket to collect donations - is a sure fire way of raising money for charity.

…Who knows what November 2013 will bring for our team!

Children In Need 2012 Video:

Enjoy.

A good article on the 2012 Children in Need is on the BBC media centre:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2012/cin-on-the-night-total.html