High hopes for Amnesty trek to Peru
Jan Williams is no stranger to donating to charity, but the Mt Roskill woman has decided to take raising money for Amnesty International to new heights.
The 42-year-old mother of one is off to trek the Inca Trail in Peru with 30 other people in mid-August. They’re all raising money for Amnesty International.
‘‘I wanted to be more active in my support of Amnesty International and their fight for human rights worldwide, and I have always wanted to go to South America – so win-win.’’
The group will meet with local Amnesty International contacts and community leaders in Lima, the Peruvian capital, and will learn about the issues affecting people in Peru.
Then they will travel to Cusco to trek 44 kilometres along the Inca Trail. They finish the five-day trek at the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu.
The trek has been organised by Amnesty Australia to raise money for Amnesty’s human rights projects in Peru and around the world. Each person is required to raise a minimum of AUD$4250 on top of their travel and other expenses.
Williams has organised fundraising events and raffles but still has AUD$1000 to go to reach her target.
As the only Kiwi on the Australian team she also has to fund her flight to Sydney.
She has put herself through a gruelling training regime to prepare for the trek and is hoping she won’t be affected by altitude.
‘‘I’ll step up my training again over the remaining eight weeks and then see how excitement and adrenaline combat any issues from the high altitude,’’ Williams says.
With her July 20 fundraising deadline looming, Williams will have a cake stall and raffle at Blockhouse Bay Village Market tomorrow.