Raleigh International Celebrates 8th Ghanaian Expedition

Raleigh International celebrated the beginning of their eighth Ghanaian expedition last Thursday, with a reception organized by the British High Commission in Accra. The celebration marked the end of two weeks' preparation by staff looking after 30 Ghanaian volunteers and 90 young people from abroad. It was also an excuse to have a good night out - socializing, eating, drinking and listening to live music. The background melodies were provided by an Accra based jazz band, which usually performs at many of the local large hotel resorts.

Many of the staff that are in direct contact with the young people meeting in Accra have only been in the country since the expedition preparations. This created a slightly static atmosphere at the beginning of the evening. The mood however soon became more relaxed with each round of drinks. The staff are generally volunteers selected by Raleigh through application stages. These employees come from all walks of life, from UK adventure group leaders to engineers and accountants. The conversations were interesting and varied in their content.

A topic that was particularly drawing much attention was the Trust Towers Sponsored Abseil Challenge to be held in September. It is the first event of this kind to be organized in Ghana. There are individual or team participation available. Each participant needs to raise at least $50 to 'go over the top'. Prizes and trophies are to be awarded to the top individual/team fundraisers. The sponsorship money will help fund future Raleigh expeditions.

Roger Widdecombe, Event Organizer said, "The most difficult challenge we face is raising the funds to support our expeditions in Ghana. You may be interested to know that to send the young Ghanaians on just one expedition alone costs in excess of 41.5 million Cedis."

Raleigh International is an international youth development organization. The expeditions in particular concentrate on conservation and community projects. In 1999, the Ghanaian Government's Ministry of Youth and Sports helped and supported Raleigh in starting its first expedition in Ghana. Since then Raleigh have repeatedly returned to Ghana because of the rich diversity of wildlife and culture. The 10-week projects are split into three parts, which are conservation, community and adventure activities. Examples of the previous activities arranged by Raleigh are the construction of a secondary school, working at a refugee camp and helping the Wildlife Division in the Ghanaian national parks.