I recently travelled to Peru in South America for three months with Platform2. After a 15hr long haul flight with 15 other young people from across the UK, we travelled through the capital city Lima where we were to stay for the three days in order to settle into this new country which was to be our home for the next three months.
 
Here, we ate the local cuisine, learnt a few Spanish words and got told what was expected of us. This was to include building a school, teaching English to kids, teens and adults, and cooking lessons.
 
The trip allowed me to work in one of the poorest areas of Peru and live in one that was similarly as poor, but we also got to travel across Peru into some areas that were so developed that you wouldn’t think you were in the same country. Where we lived and worked there was a constant shortage of water, water wasn’t delivered, there were water cuts, and flushing toilets were quite a luxury, whereas some places we travelled, namely Fountains De Aqua had constant water flowing from them, which was quite eye opening.
 
I witnessed many issues facing the people of Peru; and all of them worked in a cycle so in order to get rid of one there had to be some way of fighting them all. The people there had water and sanitation, lack of education, human rights, gender inequality and climate change issues (we resided where the hole in the ozone layer was). None of these people contributed to the problem yet they all had to deal with it.
 
Coming back from this incredible experience has fuelled me to make a difference, the people I was with for 3 months had nothing yet they were so grateful and humble for what they had. Now I am home I want to campaign and to tell the story of the people I met. I will be doing this through the media; newspapers and radios who have already contacted me and also at International Women’s Day and the Young Citizens Award where I have been asked to speak.
 
If I’m honest I cannot pinpoint one issue that I particularly feel passionate about as it was all a vicious cycle that the people had to face, especially the younger generation, who were brought up in this society and didn’t know anything different. They were so happy to see us helping them; they always had a smile on their faces regardless of their hardships. I hope to continue to be involved with volunteering and in being the change that I want to see and voicing issues concerning those that more often than not cannot be heard!