Introduction

Come the end of January 2007 I’ll be heading off to Belize, a small country in Central America, to undertake 5 months of conservation and local development work. The project is being run by Trekforce Worldwide, the sucessor to Trekforce Expeditions who ran similar programs in South East Asia, East Africa and Central America for 15 years. My time away will be divided into two main activities:

1. A scientific, local community or environmental conservation project (2 months)

2. A teaching placement in a remote rural village (3 months)

Project Phase

After touching down in the country, I and dozens of other volunteers will make our way to Trekforce’s base camp where we will spend a week or two acclimatising to the new conditions and learning jungle survival skills. We’ll then be split into several groups and assigned our projects for the next couple of months. I won’t know exactly what I’ll be working on until I arrive, however previous projects have included:

• Building Ranger Stations and Visitor Centres, providing a base for monitoring the wildlife in Belize’s National Parks and improving sustainable eco-tourism to the area.
• Supporting Academic Research into the movement and behaviour of many of the country’s amazing yet endangered animals.
• Trail and Park Infrastructure Development, improving sustainable tourist access to newly discovered locations, such as ancient Mayan sites and stunning waterfalls, as well as enabling park rangers to guard protected resources and wildlife better against illegal logging and poaching.

After leaving Trekforce’s base camp, my group and I will journey through the jungle for several days to reach our project site, where we will then set up a temporary camp for the life of the project.

Teaching Phase

The second part of my work in Belize will be a teaching placement in a remote rural village school. Although English is the country’s official national language, most children are taught different languages, usually Spanish, as they grow up. The presence of a pair of English-speaking teachers is a real benefit for their development.

Spanish Course

Before joining a school I must be able to communicate effectively, so I’ll be spending a month learning Spanish in Northern Guatemala. During this period I’ll be living with a local family so there’ll be plenty of opportunity to practice what I learn each day!

Teaching Placement

On my return from Guatemala I will be paired up with one of the other volunteers and we’ll make our way to the village which will be our home for the next two months, where we will be living with a local family again. Teaching work will vary from time to time, but will include assisting teachers, taking our own lessons, and providing one-to-one tuition to slower learners.

For more information about my expedition, or to find out the other programs run by Treckforce Worldwide, check out their website at www.trekforce.org.uk!