Volunteer Zambia

Volunteer Zambia is a programme run by the Wallace Group, which operates through a collaboration between eight UK universities (including St Andrews). It uses sport as a tool to engage, educate and empower young people both in Zambia, around Lusaka, and the UK and enables them to learn key skills such as teamwork and communication while focusing on the enjoyment which sport can bring to the lives of young people.

To learn more about the programme, please click here!

Who are you?

Hi! I'm Kirsty Taylor, a 2nd year Maths student at the University of St Andrews. I have been playing football since I was very very young and have been involved in coaching for several years. I love sport, it has had such a positive impact on my life and I have seen first hand the amazing benefits it provides. I'm very excited to travel to Zambia to share these with others and to develop myself as not only a coach but as a person. 

Your story

I am raising money to travel, alongside other students from St Andrews and the other Wallace group universities, to Zambia to help upskill and develop coaches and work with them to deliver a football programme to children of all ages. This programme has been running for several years and strong connections have been established between in-country coaches, communities, and sports teams. Every year, the students that travel out are aiming to develop and build on these connections even further, and learn as much as we can from the programmes and people, whilst simultaneously doing what we can to promote and develop all aspects of sport to children and communities.

Raising the money

To raise the money for this trip I will be running the distance of the width of Zambia  (815km) stating from 6th November finishing the last 42.2km doing the Edinburgh marathon in May. That's an average of just over 28km per week! This will be a big challenge for me as the longest I have ran in one go is 15km. I will be doing updates on my progress every few weeks on my Instagram (kirsty_107) or Facebook. You can also see runs by following me on Strava.

Where will the money go?

The money I fundraise will go towards the cost of flights, vaccinations, accommodation, kit and equipment. If I surpass my target any additional funds will go towards in-country costs. 

Please note: all payments will be processed at the time of donating. This means that you will be charged immediately upon making your donation. In the event that a project does not reach its specified target, rest assured that your donation will be directed towards the area of greatest need related to the overall programme. This approach allows us to maximise the impact of your support and ensures that your contribution continues to make a meaningful difference. If you have any questions or concerns about this update, please do not hesitate to contact us at saintsfunder@st-andrews.ac.uk 

Rewards

• I'll also be giving out some rewards to thank people who are donating so please check them out!

Help me succeed!

• You don't need to give money to help me succeed! Please share this project with anyone you think would support me - on Twitter (X), Facebook, Linkedin, by email, over the phone in a chat over the fence or on your blog. In fact, if you can share it with as many people as possible. The more people I know about it the more likely I am to succeed in reaching my target.
• And I know I said you don't need to give money to help me, but I'd love it if you did! Please if you can sponsor me and help make this happen.
• Here is a link to a short video to show you how amazing this programme truly is.