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Following an arrangement organised by Stephanie Moore, Two Liverymen, Keith Lambert and our Master's Son Ben Laing took on an immense challenge in joining 40 other willing volunteers and the Bobby Moore Team in "Project Brazil". (There is still a strong relationship with Brazil through Bobby Moore's friendship with Pele).
The challenge, in five days, to renovate a school, located in a village called Sertao in the heart of the beautiful Chapada dos Veadeiros, a plateau 1000 feet above sea level. The nearest town is Alto Paraiso in the heart of Goias, the central region of Brazil, housing the Capital Brazilia.
Camping in the jungle, we encountered snakes and tarantulas but we renovated the school and in so doing, the volunteers raised £160,000 (through sponsorship and contribution) for the Bobby Moore Fund to allow further investment in Bowel Cancer Research.
I can not begin to describe the huge effort, commitment and enthusiasm of the 40 volunteers. The team from all walks of life and ages met for the first time at Terminal 4 and gelled immediately, given the focus to complete the renovation of the school. Some of the children travel from 3am or 4 am to reach the school and leave at 3pm ,returning home 3 or 4 hours later each day. They often have to cross flood waters carrying their school books on their heads, holding on dearly to their younger brothers and sisters.
This is their commitment and you can probably imagine their elation and expression of emotion on seeing the school and the landscaped gardens on completion. This however could not match the feeling of the Headmistress of the school, Del, who had campaigned and fought for it's survival for 15 years.
My lasting impressions were not only of the intense emotion, effort and lasting friendships that were forged during the trip but also the commitment by so many individuals to their charitable work. Many had raised thousand of pounds, but their greatest commitment was their own personal time.
Our challenge, as a charitable organisation, must be to bear witness to our giving both in time and money.
A truly memorable experience.
Keith Lambert
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