Last Christmas, the lovely Shona (yes, that’s her name) travelled all the way to Zambia to deliver Shona workshops with a group of amazing girls, who all lined up to sign the Shona Pledge with a specially bought, sparkly pen.

This year, shes off again, this time to Goa in India, where she will work with another group in an Orphanage. We can’t wait to hear all about it, but in the meantime, lets hear from Shona herself…

It’s that exciting time of year again…..yes, I know it’s Christmas but this is Christmas with a difference, Shona style!! I have to admit I haven’t had the chance to really think too much about my volunteering this time as work has been really busy (lucky me) so it was lovely to finally get on my flight and head to the sun for three weeks.

I’ve chosen to spend my time in Southern Goa, a new part of India for me. The plan is to support both a girls orphanage and a women empowerment project, both of which give me the opportunity to share the amazing work of Shona: The Survival Kit for Girls. The handbooks and pledges have arrived safely, ahead of me, and I have got new sparkly pens for them to sign their pledges.

As expected there was a warm welcome from my hosts when I arrived late last night and after a good nights sleep woke up this morning to experience my first cold shower, sure I’ll learn to love them!

While there’s lots of unknowns ahead and I’m sure there will be some highs and lows the main thing is going to be embracing the opportunity to create amazing memories. As some of you reading this may know, my levels of self belief and confidence have grown exponentially over this last year, although I still consider myself to be work in progress!  It’s been through creating meaningful working relationships, my associate work with fantastic consultancies and the support of my amazing friends and parentals that I continually aim to be the best version of myself as I can be while bringing out the best in others.

Being able to volunteer in partnership with ‘The Shona project’ is the icing on the cake for me! Watch this space for more updates and photos of bringing girl empowerment and impact to life in Goa…..

Exciting times!

Shona x