School Expeditions

Not sure how to fundraise or even where to begin? Have a read through the following tips to see how to get started and what to include. Fundraising events are a popular form of fundraising. The success of events depends on careful planning.  (Yes, you should have a written event plan for every event you hold!) To help you ensure that your fundraising event is a winner, here are some components that you must include into your event plan: Purpose...

As a taster, my week in Sabah, Borneo, was a marvellous introduction to Camps International’s student expedition programmes. With ten other teachers, following a schedule put together especially for us by Camps International, I had the opportunity to experience a myriad of activities and challenges, providing a thorough insight into the range of benefits students would receive on the three or four-week programmes. The pace was high, but it allowed us to cover lots of ground in Sabah, including two...

Here is a gentle ease into what you might be feeling in the lead up to your expedition, what you may feel on the way or every now and then throughout your overseas journey. You may be able to relate, you may not, but have a read - and remember to every now and again take a deep breath. 'We don't call it homesick, we call it missing home. Venture outside your comfort zone, the rewards are worth it.' What is homesickness? At...

Last week we posted Part 1 of Jordyn’s time in Cambodia – here is Part 2 of her expedition… The following day we were heading to Siem Reap city, but first – more project work! We went back to the local school and we were plastering the flower beds. The rain meant that we did our next project in the mud. At one point, some of the other girls ended up having a mud fight! I spent the night getting...

Recently, a group of students from regional Victoria travelled out to our camps in Cambodia. It had such a lasting effect on one student, Jordyn, that she wrote to us to tell us all about it – along with some awesome photos! She had so much to say, that we didn’t want to leave anything out – so here is part 1! “I can’t wait for the hot weather” I remember saying as I left Melbourne on my way to...

At the start of May, we sent one lucky school group off to experience the wonder that is Cambodia. Filled with spectacular natural beauty and some of the most amazing historical sites, the group got to not only work on some extremely worthwhile projects but soak up the culture and local traditions. After arriving at Siem Reap International Airport, and welcomed by Camp Cambodia staff everyone was whisked off for dinner.  The group's first taste of a local delicacy was,...

At the start of April, twelve lucky teachers got the opportunity to visit Borneo for a jam-packed seven-day Familiarisation Trip, giving them an insight into what their students will experience on a full expedition. Over the course of the seven days, our group of teachers were kept extremely busy with trips to visit current project sites, overnight stays in our camps and day trips to the Sepilok Orangutan and Bornean Sun Bears Conservation Centres. Two of our travelling teachers from...

“How was Cambodia?” Is the question I’ve been asked probably one hundred times over the last week. “Fantastic,” “Awesome,” or “We had a great time,” was usually the only answer I had time for. Maybe followed with a “It was very hot,” and that was about it.  None of those answers does it justice, although it was really hot and humid. The only time we weren’t sticky and sweating was if we were in an air conditioned hotel, or in a...

Recently I had the great pleasure of hosting a recce/familiarisation trip to Cambodia for a group of Australian teachers.  We generally run these kinds of trips for a couple of reasons.  Firstly it enables schools to come and see what we do and how we do it before even committing to a trip with us and secondly it’s a chance for those schools that have already booked to come and conduct their due diligence and site inspection prior to travelling....

  The communities we live and work alongside are at the heart of everything we do, and at the heart of each community lies the next generation; children bursting with potential. At Camps we believe every child deserves an education, one that forms the foundation of a bright future. Schooling not only provides literacy and numeracy skills for children in developing countries, but a chance to understand nutrition, address gender equality and learn vital business skills. Attending school allows children...

Oh my goodness! Check out Olly! He knows how useful it is to have a regular fundraising event and bring a steady flow of money in...He's climbing a mountain! How awesome?! A sponsored event is ALWAYS a winner! That reminds me, check out our Facebook page, I have a sponsored event planned for next week myself!! Anyway, back to Olly, he is super organised and has figured out his way of attacking his fundraising targets and making it fit in with...

“When we were told in assembly about going to Cambodia I couldn’t say no. I had already heard amazing reviews of other camps around the world from other students that have been before. Telling mum, I thought she would say no but I was wrong, she told me we better start saving and fundraising. Knowing how hard it is to get money these days, I knew how much effort and time it would take, so I got started straight away!” THE DEPOSIT: The deposit...

Here's 10 fun and easy ways to fundraise for your deposit: 1. Carboot Sale 2. Become a helper – Car washing, cleaning, ironing, shopping, dog walking, window cleaning, gardening, decorating, babysitting, gift wrapping, cooking… 3. Host a Quiz Night 4. Ebay Sale 5. Host a Fundraising Party – Birthdays, Valentines, Burns Night, Chinese New Year, Easter Sunday, Australia Day, Pancake Day, St.Patricks, International Womens Day, April Fools, Halloween, Guy Fawkes, Christmas, New Year… 6. Mobile Phone/Laptop Recycling 7. 24 Hour Challenge (Sports, silence, stay...

Riley has got off to a fantastic start! She put a plan in place and worked out how much she needed to raise and how she would do it! This may work for lots of you, planning big events every few months has worked out extremely well for Riley and she is already chipping away speedily at her final balance for NEXT may! You are a superstar Riley! Have a read folks.... I just wanted to let everyone know about...

Yahoo! Go India! India is off to Tanzania next year and her fundraising journey has got off to a GREAT start! India has managed to get herself a job and fundraise at the same time, what a fantastic effort! Lots of cake and lots of fun with the help of her family and friends, India is well on her way to raising all that she needs and more! I loved reading India's journey so far and I am sure you will too. .......

This year students from the British International School of Shanghai (Puxi) had their work cut out with the preparation for installation of cesspit toilets for one of our community families near Camp Beng Pae. Each toilet takes 6 of these concrete rings so there was a lot of soil to shift to make room for them, not to mention foundations to lay, water to fetch and cement to mix and pour. Other groups were kept busy on a garden project...

What happens when you bring 60 hard working and enthusiastic students from Manila to Camp Being Mealea... they get the job done, with bags of smiles too! June saw the yearly trip from Year 6 students at BSM to Camp Beng Mealea, and what a trip it was. The students soon got stuck in with laying concrete foundations for a new wall at the local school, repainting classrooms,  and helping out in Han's nursery and garden. We saw some great...

Mmmmmmm everyone loves waffles right?! This weeks fundraising Friday star is the wonderful Ollie! He is just about to embark on his expedition and has worked so hard! Ollie found something simple and turned it into a huge fundraising success. Congratulations! Ollie leaves for Peru today, have a fantastic time! All that hard work has really paid off.... Have a read folks! When Camps International came into our school and introduced us to the idea of going to Peru I...

Jessica's turn this week! It just goes to show a few ideas can go a long way! With help from others and using her own creative arts and crafts skills, Jessica is already on her final balance payment for 2017! Gathering donations from friends and family and finding new homes for them is another little money spinner! You don't always have to hold a HUGE fundraiser, lots of small ideas and events can add up quickly too! Spare a few minutes...

One of the most important questions a person can ask about pretty much anything is ‘why’…it also happens to be almost ALWAYS the first question people ask in connection to fundraising  “Why should I sponsor you?” Knowing how to answer this question well is your golden ticket to successful fundraising- You might know the reason you’re planning to get up at the crack of dawn to serve tea and biscuits but unless they know, you’re never going to get the...

Lottie is well into her fundraising journey and full of wonderful ideas! Well done Lottie for getting off to such a great start, its always a little bit daunting at first but finding the best and most useful resources around you will get you going easy! With all of her plans for the future she will be a fundraising pro by the time she gets on that plane to Ecuador! Great job Lottie!! My name is Lottie and I am...

  We have had lots of bag packing related questions, this prompted me to write a (hopefully) helpful guide! Using everyone here at Camps’ knowledge, here are a few hints and tips which will enable you to pack both wonderfully and practically! How will it possibly all fit in your bag? It definitely will! This is something you need not worry about, the Kit Lists are written with this aim in mind, we wouldn’t set you an impossible task! Lay...

WOW! Check out Alice - she had the idea of a big fundraiser and she did it! £2,000 raised in just one night! If this doesn't spur you on I don't know what will! Fab work from Alice and such a great inspiration! It just goes to show if you incorporate lots of little ideas into a big event its a huge success! Well done! :) Have a read folks!  I decided to do a camel racing night as my...

I was so pleased to hear from Drew after she had completed her expedition to Peru in the summer of 2015.  Through my conversations with Drew I was pleased to learn that her experience in Peru with us had impacted her in such a positive way.  Not only did she fundraise to get herself on her expedition, but when she returned she was determined to raise some extras for The Camps Foundation - our charity that provides continuous and ongoing support...

Each group of volunteers is always different: ages, countries, perspective of life and others, but always Camp’s crew learn something from them. A great group of guys from twelve to thirteen years old with curiosity and imagination who had a big impact in Camp Kuri Kucho. Their first impression was that San Pablo Urco, a community that has a very basic lifestyle in the mountain is very close to the movement, pollution and chaos of their city, Quito. From the beginning...

Here is another fantastic Fundraising Friday Star! Louise! What a great example of hard work pays off! If you are feeling de-motived and not sure you can make it, have a read through this and you'll soon realise you totally can! All you need is positivity and determination, you'll be on that plane in no time! Enjoy! Hi I’m Louise and I’m going to Cambodia with Camps International in summer 2017.  For me, when I first heard about this amazing experience...

If you are struggling for ideas or motivation, check out Charlottes fundraising journey so far. What a great example of using your initiative and when a fantastic plan comes together! All it takes is a little bit of thinking outside the box sometimes, you might surprise yourself...Well done Charlotte!  When I first heard about the expedition I thought what a wonderful opportunity this would be to help people who are less fortunate than the people here in Britain but also...

'A Change is as good as a rest ' Said Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930); One of the biggest commitment of Camps International is to institute positive change in Africa, particularly to the less fortunate communities by providing the suitable environment for pupil's learning; through improving of Educational infrastructures and facilities of schools that are settled in the remote areas  and that receive limited or none financial support from the respective government institution. The Sasenyi Primary School is Situated in...

This weeks fundraising friday star is the wonderful Harry! He's held a big event which has proved so successful everyone wants him to plan another! Homemade pudding and all sorts! What a great start to a fundraising journey, have a read folks! Go Harry!  I'm Harry, I am going on expedition in 2017 to Ecuador with Camps International. I have just completed an event for my fundraising which managed to raise £405 which I have put towards my expedition. The event was...

The earthquake that struck Ecuador on the 16th April 2016 was a massive 7.8 on the Richter scale, resulting in over 600 deaths and nearly 28,000 injured individuals. It was felt strongly across the whole country but devastated the coastal regions of Manta, Perdernales and Portoviejo, which accounted for some 75% of the total casualties. In the end it turned out to be the worst disaster to hit the country in over 70 years. Most of the Camp Ecuador team...

Wow- check out Euan! He has done so much, all in the space of six months! For those of you who may be slightly losing faith, feeling demotivated or just love reading these brilliant stories from fellow students...have a read through and be inspired!  When I first heard about the expedition to Ecuador, I felt extremely excited and really wanted to go! We went to the parents presentation at my school and my parents agreed that I should go.I spoke to some...

Ladies and Gentlemen! Feast your eyes on the wonderful star of the week, Charlie! If you ever feel like you are trying your hardest and not getting anywhere, this is exactly what you need to read! Charlie is already super far ahead and waaaaaaaay over target, she has already started paying off her final balance for NEXT year. What an inspiration! And the prime example of being able to do it, if you set your mind to it! Enjoy peeps.....

We love this weeks entry! (as always) Matthew has worked SO hard to raise all this money, and so soon! Perfect example of 'smashing it'!! Well done Matthew, great effort! Read on for a a fantastic end to the week.... When I first heard about the expedition I felt/thought that this experience would be a once in a lifetime opportunity. It would give me many opportunities that would allow me to progress in the future. After being told about some...

WOW! - this young lady, what a superstar! Imogen used her fantastic artistic skills to not only fundraise, but put a lot of smiles on a lot of faces too! SO thoughtful and so productive, go Imogen! Such an inspiration! When I first heard about the expedition I felt like it was a great opportunity to experience a different way of life, help those less fortunate than us, learn unique life experiences and create unforgettable memories along the way. But...

Working the weekend shouldn't be this much fun but it really is! Our 2016 UK School Expeditions are approaching quickly! Before we know it teams will be packing their rucksacks and heading off across the world to various destinations to enjoy a summer of hard work, personal challenges, amazing memories and life-long friends. Accompanying the students and teachers from the UK will be some of our most valuable assets - our Expedition Leaders. In preparation for meeting their teams and supporting them through...

We had a great team from Dubai American Academy who visited our Camp in Tsavo early last month (March)  and had this to share...... A trip to Kenya they said… it will be super fun they said… no bugs they said. They were right apart from the bugs. Do you know how to lay a concrete floor? Rocks, sand, water and cement. A lot of hard work went in to that first day at the school. First we broke up...

Woah for a second there I thought I was reading a film script. Its got it all, bribery (the good kind, in the form of tea), classic Robin Hood archery and of course, the main character, Chandler. Initiative, organisation (love a good spread sheet) and alliteration (Souper Sunday, amazing) We have been inundated with entries recently, I’m sure by now Chandler has raised a huge amount more but we couldn’t forget him! Nice one Chandler! Inspired by a school assembly...

Happy Friday!  Here is todays Fundraising Friday Star, Beki! We have been inundated with entries recently, I'm sure by now Beki has raised a huge amount more but we couldn't forget her! Have a read through and let Beki's fantastic achievements inspire you!  Hello! My name’s Beki and I’m traveling to Peru this summer! When Camps International first came to my school I was really interested! My parents were not so convinced due to how much it cost. However, my...

If you are stuck for ideas, this is well worth a read! One of our students has worked extremely hard and pushed himself to the limits to raise money for his expedition! He has almost hit target too - Go Henry!! Hi my name is Henry and I'm going on the Peru trip this summer 2016- I'm really excited as I've never done anything like it before and can’t wait to experience being in such a different but equally wonderful...

Kampung (meaning village) Timbang Batu is located  approximately 2 KM radius or 4.5km by road from Camp Tinangol. There are about 500 estimated population in this Rungus community. 2013, was the year when we first visited this village through our local relations from Tinangol after an informal invitation. Like all of our permanent camps we took time to get to know our neighbours in building a long lasting relationship. On our initial visits to Timbang Batu, we were introduced to...

Talk about initiative this week!  One of our students has managed to get her fundraising of to a cracking start – raising £100 in her first week!! This story was sent to me by our staff member in Ireland who was so impressed he wanted her featured immediately…we then managed to get the story from the student directly – check it out! My name is Alix, and I am a 16 year old student at School in Northern Ireland. In November...

It’s the sort of trip that friends hate you to go on.  Mine are already pretty tired of my Facebook posts as I work my way round our camps on my annual pilgrimage to spend time with our crews in various corners of the world, but this was my second climb with Jonny and every bit as good as the last, so here goes with another round of dodgy selfies. Every year we look for brilliant causes to which we...

So, as some of you know I work for Camps on the independent travel team, part of my role consists of helping people find their perfect trip and ensuring they are ready before jetting off. I look after the South America region and liaise quite heavily with our teams in Peru and Ecuador. This February I was lucky enough to journey overseas to Ecuador to meet our teams, our camps, projects and the regions we work in. I have done...

Hola! On 26th February 2016 I was lucky enough to have had the opportunity to jet off to Peru for 10 days – here is a brief overview of what I got up to! 3 flights later and I finally arrived in to the sprawling city of Arequipa – Peru’s second most populous city with just under 900,000 inhabitants. I was very lucky with the weather whilst I was there with the stunning Misti volcano which towers over the city,...

Alex's turn this week, and although he doesn't have many photos of him doing his fundraising, he is working hard and doing those activites which everyone thinks of as "normal" - it just goes to show that it works!  Well done Alex - what else have you got planned?..... Hey everyone!! Firstly, when I found out that I would have a chance to go to Africa, I was absolutely ecstatic: I almost screamed in my assembly. My sister went on...

Beth is heading on her expedition this summer - and she is literally within touching distance of her goal, with more fundraising events planned to help her get there.  She has been doing whatever she can to fundraise, with her goal to get to Peru steadfastly in her mind! Over to Beth... My name is Beth and I am so excited to go to Peru in the summer! As soon as I heard about the trip I really wanted to...

Some serious skills happening this week, combined with an entrepreneur's outlook and we have some super fundraising....I'm just going to pass you straight over to Annise! I wanted to tell you about my fundraising story so that hopefully others will see it and either be inspired to do some of the things I've done or just be extra motivated to do more to help close the gap between what they already have and need to get! In summer this year,...

Something you would like to learn from these brilliant gappers......... Week 2 has gone so quick and unfortunately we have come to the end of our stay at Camp Muhaka. Our anticipation is that Camp Tsavo will be much greater with wildlife project element and more forms of project work of which everyone is counting forward to; obviously all of us will Miss Muhaka and its hospitality and the friends that we‰'ve made in the village and at the project, during...

Blog written by Camp Peru's very own Project Leader Lily SÌÁnchez Morales.. Christmas is a special time in South America and Peruvians love the holiday. While there is a strong indigenous population, most Peruvians are Roman Catholics and it is understandable that Christmas is a very big holiday in the country. While some celebrations are similar to those in Europe and North America, there are some unique traditions that reflect the nation's history and make Peru a special place to be during the...

This ones got it all- advice, ideas, and best of all passion! Emma is clearly a forward thinker which is vital when it comes to fundraising and her attitude is amazing "if it's not so successful it doesn't matter i'll just move onto something else" LOVE this mindset! Hi fellow fundraisers! I am Emma and I am going to Cambodia in Summer 2017 with my school. I only signed up to the expedition in October and I have managed to raise £279.66 so...

I am always proud to work for Camps International, but nothing can heighten that more than being able to get the opportunity to travel abroad to one of our locations to see it for myself! This October half term, I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to travel to one of our Asian locations Borneo and what a place it is! I travelled alongside a bunch of excited teachers who are due to be travelling with their students...

  I want to do a skydive more than anything! It looks so fun! Slightly jealous of Natasha but what a great way to fundraise‰! This week‰'s entry is to remind everyone to play to your strengths and to demonstrate that fundraising does not have to be boring!! Hi, my name is Natasha Jordan and I can‰'t wait to go to Borneo with Camps International next summer.  From the first moment I was told about the trip I wanted to...

      In November, 30 truly inspiring healthcare professionals took 2-weeks out of their busy schedules to come and join us in Kenya and do something amazing. Established 5 years ago, the Healthcare Outreach programme has already impacted greatly on the lives of rural Kenyans and this year was no exception. Throughout the 14 days we ran 6 ‰pop up‰ health clinics in villages situated within the Tsavo region of Kenya. This year we also had some valuable additions...

Naomi makes it sound so easy and has raised the total cost of the expedition- which isn‰'t due until next year! A winning combination of working and fundraising seems to be the way forward, and sounds like Noami‰'s mum may have super powers. Great team effort guys! £4000 raised in 362 days, yolo! When my mum transferred the deposit for my Borneo 2016 trip on October 16th 2014 we knew that the entire trip would have to be fully funded...

Meet Phil, who although is well travelled himself is relatively new to Camps International.  October half term was the first time he had visited our Camps in Tanzania and Kenya  over to him‰!   Wow!! What a trip! As a newcomer to Camps, I was in the same position as the accompanying teachers, wondering what the Recce had in store for us in Africa! Everything was packed, itineraries completed and what an action packed adventure it would be! Landing in...

Hi all, my name is Emma and I work on the Expeditions team for Camps International. This October I got the opportunity to go to Kenya and Tanzania on the Teacher‰'s recce. Throughout the course of the week, we visited several camps, local projects and communities. We landed in Tanzania at 9am, after flying through the night (and having several plane breakfasts!). Whilst there we visited Camp Mbokomu, Camp Kidia and spent two days at Camp Tanga (our beach camp,...

This week‰'s star has got it sussed when it comes to getting the word out. Not only has she created her own website but she has also managed to have a piece written about her fundraising journey in her local newspaper- nice one! She‰'s also apparently a star in the making, gaining sponsorship by singing and selling cd‰'s, can you send us one into Camps please?! When I first found out about the Borneo trip I was so exited- then...

  Myself, Lauren and Dean from the UK office had the incredible opportunity to take a group of teachers on a familiarisation week in Cambodia, ahead of their expedition with the students next year. The week was led Rory Hall, our Director for Asia, in addition to Bunlay (Country Manager for Cambodia) Hanh and Sunny (our Camp Managers) and I would like to firstly thank them all for making us feel so at home during our time in Cambodia! It...

So Lauren is off exploring our Camps in Cambodia this week, and the rest of the Operations Team are exploring our Camps around the world...so keep an eye out for when they return :) Great for me thoush because I really enjoyed this week‰'s entry because her positivity was practically bouncing off the page. If any of you are losing the will with fundraising, this is a great read and I really think that the fact she has been so...

I remember once being at the bottom of a mighty hill on my noble stead of a pushbike, when the Rumble Strips ‰Motorcycle‰ came onto my mp3 by chance on shuffle- if you haven‰'t heard it already I suggest you get onto YouTube immediately after reading this post. I can only hope that Tobias had an epic playlist during his fundraising antics, he only went and cycled to Germany. Lets just say that again for effect, he CYCLED to Germany....

You‰'ve heard the saying about the glass right? You know, is it half full or half empty? Mine, for starters, is not a glass but a mug (containing coffee, obviously) and as for whether it‰'s half full or empty, well‰ my general outlook on life largely reflects the contents of my stomach, if I‰'m hungry the glass is definitely half empty! Caitlin, however, clearly has more important things to worry about and clearly has a lot on her plate other...

Whilst being students at Bournemouth University we have possessed a wonderful experience, full of unforgettable memories. We all feel like our sport knowledge and skills have been well utilized. We feel rewarded for the work that we have done to this little world. There‰'s nothing more self-fulfilling than making a difference and changing someone‰'s life forever. Our sport development mission in Tanzania is complete, however, no one feels like leaving‰!?!? We are here to tell you about the opportunity we...

The best thing about my job is that I get to chat to you lot about how you‰'re getting on- some of you are used to me ringing you up for a good old chinwag and others I haven‰'t spoken to much (give us a call, I‰'d love to chat!) My favourite thing is when you get in contact with me out of the blue with something really positive. This week‰'s fundraising Friday Star wasn‰'t even an entry initially, I...

Me again today - though credit must go to our Fundraising Guru Lauren for talking to Tara and getting this story....over to them! At 5‰"2 tall (and a half, I hasten to add) I can safely say I do not belong on the cat walk. Not to mention the fact I would almost definitely fall over and that the last time I attempted to walk in heels I somehow managed to get my shoe wedged in a drain - don‰'t...