An international aid agency is offering young volunteers the chance to start their gap year in Salford.
Lizzie Haydon, 21, and Sophie Hull, 18, have relocated from their hometown of Blackpool to spend a year volunteering at Just Youth in Salford as part of CAFOD’s (Catholic Agency For Overseas Development) ‘Step into the Gap’.
The two budding helpers will be raising awareness of CAFOD’s work in Salford and showing what they have learned from their time helping disadvantaged communities in Cambodia or Ethiopia.
In their time at Just Youth, based in Higher Broughton, the two girls will be volunteering in local schools and exploring the history and values of CAFOD, Lizzie said: “Studying International Development helped me to deepen my passion for social justice and I’m really excited to start planting those seeds in the minds of the next generation of parents, teachers and leaders.
“I’m currently a Cub leader at home and I love helping to form and shape the ideas of young people.
“I can’t wait to focus my enthusiasm for this into teaching children in Salford about CAFOD.”
Sophie said: “By participating in Step into the Gap, I hope to be able to educate the people I come across about the work of CAFOD.
“The big thing I am very much looking forward to is meeting new people and learning about their journeys and the challenges they have faced along the way.
“If I can just inspire one person and change their perspective on life, then it will all have been worthwhile.”
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The pair are now planning to begin to raise awareness of the charity’s work by talking to the local community about CAFOD’s Harvest Appeal.
The annual fundraising campaign is this year focused on families in the South American country of Bolivia whose crops and livelihoods have been impacted by an increase of extreme weather.
The charity’s partners are working to provide greenhouses to protect crops and train communities with new farming techniques to help them to grow more food.
Stephen Burrowes, CAFOD representative in Salford said: “We’re delighted that Lizzie and Sophie have chosen show their faith in a demonstrable way.
“The Harvest appeal is a great way of bringing people together and raising awareness of CAFOD’s partner’s work, so we’d like to say a huge thanks to the pair for their support.”
