Hello
everybody! My name is Matty and I have recently joined the Quest Overseas
office in sunny Brighton.

Quest entered my life following my response to an email received
through my university department. Within three months I had fully signed up for
the Summer Kenya Water Aid Project, not
forgetting the accompanying challenge of climbing the worlds highest free
standing mountain, Kilimanjaro. The trip was, to put it simply, incredible.
Everything from the LionKingesque landscapes and the energetic and welcoming
local communities, to the fantastic group of Quest volunteers, was a pleasure
to experience. Everybody in my volunteering group had travelled for the same
reasons and the instant friendships that sprung up said it all.

Following from this first trip away, my unashamed passion for the
work that Quest supports was clear for all to see! Following months of
communication and support from the Quest office, I received THE phone call. I
was to assist on the 2013 Summer Andean Expedition. This trip was amazing
for completely different reasons. I’m sure if you follow the link you’ll realise what I mean when I say
that there are so many activities and places visited that almost every day you
will find yourself doing something completely new. From white water rafting to
sand boarding to visiting the Bolivian Salt Flats and experiencing the
differing local cultures that distinguishes each city from one another, the
trip had it all.

However some of the best moments for me occurred when we visited
the Quest supported projects.  The trip includes a brief visit to the
amazing project site in Villa Maria where, as a group, we constructed a
panel for a local family’s new house. To see the work that Quest has been able
to support in the shanty town is incredible. A short walk around the
community shows the development and success of the work completed by previous
groups- and I haven’t even mentioned the cheeky children at the Quest supported
school. They were only too happy to show off their latest dance routine- which
we were all eagerly encouraged to participate in ourselves!

We also stopped off to the Amazon Wild Animal Sanctuary Project.
Deep within the Bolivian jungle we visited Jacj Cuisi animal park where for a
day we aided in the construction of the new monkey enclosure. Fingers crossed
this massive project will serve the purpose of creating the space for the vital
monkey social groups to form and consequentially increase the potential for
many more safe releases back into the wild.

… And so the transformation to office life begins. I am really
looking forward to working with the many passionate volunteers over the coming
months and hope to be able to offer all the gems of advice I’ve learnt from my
experiences away with Quest.