Hello! I would be joining several other fellow volunteers for a week-long programme in July at Ma’Daerah Turtle Sanctuary, Terengganu, Malaysia. Each volunteer has a base target of RM500 (or £100), please help to contribute what you can :) Read on to find out more on...

• Why Turtles: Turtles are adorable, gentle creatures, but there is much more to the cause than simply our love for cute turtles. Malaysia is blessed with rare species of wildlife and is ranked 12th in the world on the National Biodiversity Index, but far too little is being done to preserve it and we are at risk of losing our endangered animals to habitat loss, pollution, climate change, and illegal trade. Four of seven sea turtle species are found in Malaysian waters, but numbers are declining rapidly. Help us in our efforts to sustain our turtle population, through donations, volunteer work, and by spreading awareness.

• Project Penyu: Organised by Charisma Movement (https://charismamovement.com/) for a second year in a row. Nurul Jannah Binti Mohd Jailani, a former Charisma committee member, founded this project after working with WWF and discovered that these precious creatures are under serious threat of extinction. While there are many other student platforms tackling a variety of other issues in Malaysia, rarely is the spotlight set on the conserving the environment in our country. We, as ambassadors, carry the responsibility of raising awareness on the state of Malaysia’s flora and fauna, as well as educating friends and family about the basic concerns we should have in our daily lives to help sustain animal and plant species from extinction.

• How your money will be used: Your funds will go towards covering food, accommodation and travel expenses PP volunteers, the ecoCare Environmental Education Centre (Mangrove Planting), to clean and beautify Ma’Daerah Turtle Sanctuary, a workshop for primary school children, and towards the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF).

Thank you for reading and many thanks for your contributions! <3