‘We also visited a squatter camp where the conditions were a lot worse. Sixty people lived in the camp with only one toilet and shower between them. We handed out the clothes, food and toys we had brought with us which were kindly donated by friends, family and colleagues as well as local businesses such as Manx Inspirations and Duke. Another project we worked on was a nursery where we were able to provide twelve children with a set of brand new clothes and shoes. In addition we repainted the playground equipment and brought laughter by spending time playing with the children. ‘There were a number of people we met who were living with AIDS that we were also able to help through donations of clothes and food. The group met a 26 year old woman who is suffering from AIDS and looking after a young son. We decided that we would sponsor her to ensure that she is able to afford the food and medication she needs to look after herself and her son. We felt that this would be a fitting ongoing contribution to the amazing people we met on our journey. ‘Although the trip was hard work, we often started working at 6am and didn’t finish till 5pm, when it became dark, it was so rewarding and Johan made sure that we also had some fun activities to take part in to keep our spirits up. We visited a lion park and also had a fun competition cooking Potjiekos (South African stew) in teams with me as the self appointed judge! I would love to go back again and am already looking forward to planning my next trip. This really was an opportunity to make a difference and was very rewarding.’ Chairman of the Barclays Wealth Charity Committee, Stuart Nelson said: ‘Staff members in the Isle of Man work hard to raise a lot of money for their chosen charity of the year so it is great that Sarah was able to travel to South Africa to see first hand how the money is being put to good use. So far this year we have been raising money for BallaAfrica through a number of events such as sponsored walks, the big swim from Cumbria to the Isle of Man and an ice cream day at our Douglas offices. With many more events planned throughout the year we are hoping to raise a lot more money for BallaAfrica!’ ENDS