We get an abundance of kit requests on a weekly basis here at Craghoppers from people of all walks of life – many want to be equipped well for their DofE expedition whilst others may be traveling abroad for their gap year and want to feel safe and secure in their clothing. Amongst these requests are a number of inspirational people who take time out of their busy lives and embark on a volunteering trip to support others in need. We feel honoured that they turn to us for help and where we can, we try and support them.
Helen Winchurch got in touch with us late last year ahead of her 8 week volunteering visit to South Africa. Working alongside charity ‘African Impact’, Helen wrote to us and explained the challenge that she faced:
“I am stopping work early in order to travel to South Africa with African Impact to do some voluntary work with Zulu families in the Thanda region of South Africa. I hope to use my life experiences, knowledge and skills to work with the project to help inspire Zulu children and adults to be involved in development initiatives to support sustainable change. The program involves a variety of activities including educating and playing with small children, some of whom have lost their parents as a result of AIDS and refurbishment of classrooms to provide a better environment for learning. It will also involve working with the local people to create a chicken and vegetable farm bringing much needed income to families living in rural communities. I anticipate that the work will be challenging but also very worthwhile but am looking forward to sharing my existing skills and learning more about the Zulu culture.”
We were more than happy to support Helen in the way of kit, knowing that our NosiLife range would help keep mosquitoes and other insects at bay and also provide much needed UV protection. Having returned from her trip, Helen sent us some amazing shots from her time in and out of the classroom as well as a testimonial of the kit she wore:
“The experience was tiring but very worthwhile and your help with my clothing was really helpful. The trousers and shirts behaved very well and were so easy to wash and dried quickly. The jacket was compact and kept me warm when out working at night! Luckily there wasnt a lot of rain while I was there! I added to my holiday wardrobe the long skirt and a back pack which were also built for purpose and were extremely useful. Thank you again to Craghoppers for your support with this project.”