It’s just been confirmed that my October fundraising trip to Tanzania, East Africa, is going to happen. I’m very excited!
The project has been organised by Charity Challenge and I shall be raising money for Canine Partners – a charity that provides highly trained assistance dogs for people with disabilities.
When I visited the centre, I saw how their young puppies play with tug toys – one of the trainers explained how this can lead to pulling their future partner up in bed and opening doors.
Another group were being taught how to pick items up off the floor and bring them back to the trainer – everything’s done in a spirit of play with lots of rewards for the eager dogs.
So, my target is £3,000 – a huge amount! If you can help I shall be eternally grateful! My secure page is at
JustGiving.com
Oh and I forgot to say that while in Tanzania I shall be putting on my steel-capped boots (yes, I do have a pair!) and working on a building site for 10 days. Choba Primary School is being built by the local community and Charity Challenge send out regular teams of between 10 and 20 people to lend a helping hand. So I could be digging foundations, plastering, painting – all depends on the stage the building works is at. Many of the children that will be attending the school are orphans from the Aids crisis in Africa.
So if you can help, that would be great. Canine Partners provide dogs that ‘do things’ for their owners – but it’s also about the dogs helping the owners to build self-esteem, self-confidence and motivation. And if you have a dog, you’ll understand that perfectly.
Here’s Cheryl Smith with her dog Orca. She says, “Orca is fantastic. He goes everywhere with me and I feel lost without him. He’s my peace of mind.”
This is my fundraising page: JustGiving.com
