TCE help fundraising student
Charlotte King is a Weaverham schoolgirl on a mission. She’s fundraising for an expedition to Kenya in July of next year. During the four weeks she’ll be spending in Africa, she’ll be volunteering for projects that help local people. She has been doing all sorts to raise funds for the projects including making bath bombs using sodium bicarbonate donated by Tata Chemicals Europe (TCE).
We caught up with Charlotte to get the lowdown on her trip to Kenya.
Hi Charlotte! Tell us about your trip and what you’ll be doing while you’re out there.
Next year I’ll be heading out to Kenya with Camps International for four weeks. During that time, I’ll be helping to build schools, installing water tanks and fitting ethical elephant deterrents to protect local crops and reduce poaching.
Why did you want to do this trip?
I want to help local communities out in Kenya who don’t have access to basic amenities and immerse myself in a totally different culture and way of life. From my point of view, I see this trip as an opportunity to gain some confidence in my own abilities, develop my communication skills and gain some experience in leadership and problem-solving. I hope throwing myself into this once in a lifetime experience will help me to grow both personally and professionally.
What are you most excited to experience?
As well as my volunteering projects I’ll be visiting the Maasai tribe and the biggest game sanctuary in the world, Tsavo National Park, which is well known for large herds of elephants. I’m really excited to see all the different animals, landscapes and communities!
Tell us how you’ve been fundraising.
After learning that young girls in Kenya walk on average 6km a day just to get water as part of my fundraising for the trip I decided to run 6km every day in September. It was really tough to get up and do it every day but the thought that girls younger than me are doing this every day really inspired me and got me through such a tough mental challenge!
And you’re making bath bombs right?
I am! TCE have donated everything I need, including some bicarbonate of soda (sodium bicarbonate) and I have some lavender leftover from making lavender bags. Everyone loves a bath bomb, and they make the perfect Christmas presents! I’m really grateful to TCE for donating all the products I need to make bath bombs.
How much are you looking to raise in total?
I’ve got £4000 to raise and all the money raised goes towards the projects I’ll be helping on. The funds will support local communities, wildlife and the environment in Kenya.
We spotted you in the local paper – what was that like?
It was a bit strange seeing myself in the Northwich Guardian! But I’m grateful for the support and I think lots of people saw it which will hopefully mean more donations and more support for the projects in Kenya.
We asked John Foster, Sodium Bicarbonate Production Manager for TCE, why he felt it was important to support Charlotte’s expedition:
“When Charlotte contacted us to ask whether we could help with her fundraising we were more than happy to help. We have a personal connection with Kenya, as Tata acquired the former Magadi Soda Company in 2005, so it felt a natural fit. She explained that to raise funds for Kenya she had the idea of producing bath bombs and so we donated our product bicarbonate of soda. Charlotte has made an incredible start to her fundraising, and we look forward to following her amazing journey.”
If you’d like to make a donation to Charlotte’s expedition head to her Go Fund Me page here:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/charlotte-king-kenya-expedition-2024