The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Spalding High School’s deputy head girl Rosie Stevenson is on a fundraising mission to ensure her place on a trip of a lifetime.
The 17-year-old has been selected to spend a year as a volunteer in Honduras for Project Trust where she will spend 12 months working as a teacher in either a primary or secondary school.
Rosie, who is studying French, maths and Spanish at the Stonegate school, had to complete a rigourous four-day selection process to earn her place.
The cost of the trip is £6,200 which covers flight tickets, living expenses, accommodation, insurance and support from the charity itself while a volunteer is overseas.
In order to raise funds, she has already held a Honduran coffee morning and will be holding a charity ball, as well as numerous cake stalls, selling rubber wristbands and car boot sales to raise the money.
Rosie Stevenson
However, Rosie is also appealing to the South Holland community for any donations to help fulfil her ambition.
She said: “I’m personally really passionate about education and language learning in particular and hope to have a career in this field one day.
“The culturally immersive experience is something that I hope will provide me with a deeper appreciation for a culture so different to that which I’m used to.
“I hope to return with a more mature outlook on life.
“To have such a unique experience at such a young age is certainly not something that I am taking for granted and I hope that the enthusiasm with which I complete my fundraising will foreshadow the dedication and commitment that I will demonstrate in my project during the year abroad.”
Rosie decided to sign up for the gap year mission with the Project Trust after spending a month volunteering last summer with Outlook Expeditions in Malawi.
Project Trust is an educational charity that specialises in sending 17 to 19-year-old school leavers to live and work in Africa, Asia and the Americas.
Rosie added: “After the short month I spent in Africa I am sure that a gap year is the right thing for me.
“I’m truly excited for all of the challenges, successes and failures that it will bring, as well as the personal development that I will experience during my structured placement overseas.
“Honduras is the second poorest country in Central America and is among the very poorest in all the western hemisphere.
“More than 50 per cent of children registered complete primary school, but only 30 per cent of all Honduran children go to High School.
“A lack of resources and schools, teacher strikes and poor teacher training are only a few of the problems with the education system.
“This is just a few of the reasons why volunteers are so badly needed in Honduras.”
Anyone wishing to help Rosie should e-mail rosiejstevenson@gmail.com or visit her Facebook page Rosie’s Year in Honduras.
