Over the last few weeks I’ve been striving to reach my target of £800 by any and every means necessary! I’m so pleased and grateful to everyone who has donated to my VSO fundraising, both supporting me and a great cause. Although none of the funds go to the project that I’ll be working on directly, I think that raising money and awareness for the whole range of potential VSO projects that could benefit from the donations is equally important.
I’m amazed that so far (as of October 1st) I’ve managed to raise over £650 – 81% of my target! I was really worried about fundraising before I started do so for this project, as I’ve never raised a significant amount of money as an individual before. However, so many people have been so generous and I really appreciate it.
Here’s a few of the things I’ve done, or will be doing to continue to raise funds and knowledge as much as I can before I leave in November:
- Writing this blog – I’ve been trying to let as many people as possible know about what I’m doing, where I’m going and why. Although I considered just using social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to explain about VSO-ICS, I think more detail is needed than what I could say in 140 characters! I really wanted to be able to highlight and write on interesting topics and ideas as they came up, and provide a way for people to engage with my whole experience: whether they read only this article, or more during a visit!
- Using my sewing skills – I know that in the past, I’ve been intrigued by, and inspired to donate to fundraising projects on kickstarter and indiegogo-style platforms, often when the funder receives some kind of product or benefit for making the donation. I’ve tried to bring this to my own fundraising by offering to do clothing alterations in a semi-thank-you-semi-skills-for-hire way as much as I can (and for those of you who have donated without taking me up on this offer: it doesn’t have a sell-by date!). This has spilled into bag making (5 orders for make-up bags and clutches made from recycled material to date), dress making and cushion-cover making. It’s keeping me busy, but I’m doing something creative, that I love, that’s relevant to the Cambodian economy and that people want!
- Committing to the £1/day Challenge – This is a fundraising idea I’ve borrowed from others: people I know who have previously volunteered for ICS, for Oxfam and even within the Cambodian contingent (Freddie!). From October 6th-10th I’ll be only consuming food and drink from a budget of £5. I can’t accept tea or chocolate biscuits or an apple if I haven’t paid for it myself, and I’ll most likely be eating a lot of porridge, pasta and frozen veg to keep my energy levels up! I’m hoping this will highlight what VSO ultimately aims to address: global poverty and its implications. I’m also hoping that I manage to maintain normal function!
- Hosting a £1/day Dinner – To round off my £1/day week, I’m going to host a dinner whereby all guests contribute £5 to the cost of the meal, and I’m challenged to cook on a budget of £1 per person. I’ve been price checking everything in the local shops and supermarkets! To make this slightly more creative, it’ll be 1970s-themed (not completely inappropriate due to some economic downturn at the time), with costume, music and appropriate food! I’ll update after the fact with the most cringe-worthy pictures possible.
- Holding a ‘Fizz, Fancies and Fundraising’ Event – Mid-October I’ll be having an afternoon of drinking cava cocktails and eating homemade cakes, meringues and tarts in aid of VSO. My sister will be helping me to host it with friends and family abounds, and again, it gives something back to those so kind as to help with my efforts!
As ever, if you want to chat about my fundraising, or VSO or Cambodia or anything – or if you have a pair of trousers that could do with being taken in at the waist – just let me know!
Catriona in Cambodia 