Four teenagers are preparing for the trip of a lifetime, but before they set foot on the plane, they are working hard to raise money for the children they will visit along the way.
Macca Miles-Wearing, Magnus Fraser, Sophie O’Neill and Awatini Dooley, along with Victory Boxing’s Paul Hampton, will head to Kenya this April on an all-expenses trip paid for by the Celestielle Charitable Trust (CCT).
The trip includes visits to local schools, an orphanage, a boxing gym, an elephant orphanage and safaris. Along the way, the young people will give back to the local communities by volunteering.
The group are working with the Pack for a Purpose charity which matches travellers with specific group homes, schools or orphanages in the area of travel, requiring just a small amount of luggage space.
“We’ve committed to raising funds for education and health in those orphanages, group homes and schools,” Paul says.
The aim is to raise $5000 which they have been told will go “a long way” to help children in need.
The team are also fundraising to help cover the costs associated with required vaccinations, specific items of clothing and passports.
“The focus of the whole trip is to broaden the horizons of these four teens, and their families don’t have additional money to cover these types of things, so Victory Boxing is trying to make this as stress-free as possible for these kids and their whānau.”
Paul says, since Christmas, a real sense of excitement has been building with the four who will travel.
“It’s all becoming really real and a lot more detail about the trip is coming through from Celestielle.”
Co-founder of the Celestielle Trust John Ziegler says being able to give kids the opportunity to go overseas, many for the first time, has been a highlight in his life.
“Helping to expand Kiwi minds - you never know how it will come to benefit New Zealand in the long run,” he says. “Anybody who has ever travelled overseas knows that travel changes your life.”
Paul says that a big part of their groups is the “giving back” aspect.
“The kids that are going will be shown that when somebody gives you something, you give back to others as you can.”
To help with fundraising via bank deposit use Victory Boxing Charitable Trust 03 1354 0389353 00 reference ‘Kenya’.
