Today, Christina and Mette from our London team embark on their travels to Rwanda with ActionAid.  Before their departure, we had a chat with Christina about the trip and what she hoped to get out of it…

Hi Christina, tell us about the trip and why you’re taking part?

On the 26th of October, Mette and I, are going to Rwanda for 10 days to support the important work of ActionAid. The purpose of the trip is to help build a classroom at Scolaire School in Singiro as there is currently not enough space to accommodate their 1,467 pupils, resulting in some classes being taught outside under the trees.

Why have you chosen to support ActionAid?

We first got involved with ActionAid as a company by sponsoring a child in each region. After seeing what our contributions provided the local people with, Mette and I decided we wanted to sponsor a child of our own.

You’ve already raised a large sum of money for ActionAid, how have you done this?

We’ve done a number of different activities from holding a quiz night in a local pub to volunteering to clean our office (with the help of our kind colleagues!) for a month when we were in between cleaning companies. We’ve also done various sales in the office such as a DVD and book sale, a confectionary and crisps sale and even a clothing sale with all items having been donated by members of staff, friends and family.

Then finally, our JustGiving page has been a great way for donations to be made.

What are your expectations for the trip?

I think it will be an emotionally challenging experience. The fact that in this day and age there are still people out there living and just about surviving with very little is shocking and it is not something easy to relate to without seeing it first hand, so I am sure that will be difficult but very rewarding.

What are you most looking forward to?

I am really looking forward to meeting my sponsored child at his school, we have been writing to each other so to meet him will be really special. I’m also excited to make new friends and make special bonds with the locals, which will stay with us forever – it will be a life-changing experience.

What do you hope to achieve in this experience overall?

I do hope that in the time we are there we finish our project and can really help make a difference. I also hope that by spreading the word; others will support the charity in the future and help change lives.

All of us at Acorn are very proud of Christina and Mette’s efforts and wish them the best of luck.

If you would like to make a donation in support of Christina and Mette’s trip then visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/christina-mette