EIGHTEEN-year-old Louis Allison from Farnham is fundraising to support a project that tackles poverty in Nepal, where he will be volunteering for 10 weeks.

Louis (right)will travel to Kathmandu in October with international development organisation Raleigh as part of the UK Government-funded International Citizen Service (ICS) programme.

He will work in partnership with local volunteers to help lift some of the world’s poorest communities out of poverty.

Before he leaves for Nepal, Louis must raise £1,500 for Raleigh and has set up an online fundraising page to help him achieve this target at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/louisanepalraleigh.

Additionally, Louis offers baby-sitting, dog walking and general casual work and can be contacted by emailing [email protected].

He said: “The money raised from my fundraising will help to make sure that the communities in developing countries continue to benefit from the work of future volunteers, so it’s vital I reach my target.

“The project I’m working on aims to assist locals in Makwanpur establish new business initiatives so that locals are self- sufficient. This is an area that was devastated by the earthquake in 2014.

“I’ll be working closely alongside Nepalese volunteers, so it’s a great opportunity to experience another culture and make a difference at the same time. I’m really excited to get out there and start making a real difference to the lives of people in the developing world.”

ICS allows young people aged 18 to 25 to make a valuable contribution to sustainable development projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

On return to the UK, ICS volunteers undertake an ‘Action at Home’ project, ensuring that their new skills also benefit their local communities. More than 10,000 young people from the UK have taken part in the scheme in the last three years.

To find out more about ICS or to apply, visit www.volunteerics.org.