Lucie Cavoizy

Lucie Cavoizy from France joined the Costa Rica and Nicaragua 2006 expedition.

After completing my Masters degree, I wanted to travel and participate in worthwhile projects,  before starting work as an engineer.

Raleigh International attracted me the most because it was a charity and venturers could participate in three very different worthwhile projects. It involves young people from different nationalities and backgrounds and it seemed the most serious organization. It also gave a lot of support from the beginning.

I raised the funds by participating in many boot sales, with the help of friends and family who donated belongings they did not want anymore. However, the majority of the funds came from my personal savings and from working.

In Achuapa, a small village in Nicaragua, we built a system of pipes and filtering tanks to bring drinkable water directly to the families´ home. Seeing the excitement of the family´s face when they finally had a tap in their kitchen, listening to the locals playing guitar and singing songs of the revolution under the bright moonlight were some of my expedition highlights.

We completed the Kamuk trek, climbing the second highest mountain in Costa Rica, then walked across the hills and small villages to get to Corcovado National Park. We finished on a beautiful beach, Piedras Blancas. One of my expedition highlights was arriving on top of Kamuk after 4 days of climbing, and watching the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen. We worked on developing the trails in the National Park and built extra cabins in the ranger station for tourists or scientists.

The host country venturers helped us to know more about the Costa Rican and Nicaraguan cultures and to interact better with the locals on the projects. The more diverse the group is, the more you open your mind on the world.

I learnt about my capacity to lead a group, to work in a team, and to help communication between Spanish speakers and English ones. It seems like the poorer people are in money, the richer they are in their hearts. It gives you another perspective of the world.

 

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• Case Studies
• Aged 17-24 Venturer
  • Jaqueline Hemery
  • Alex Jaggard
  • Ayesha Khan
  • Felicia Royaards
  • Beth Rushby
  • Philip Weston
  • William Gidman
  • Charles Loudon
  • Lucie Cavoizy
  • Serena Brown
  • Laihann Mitchell
  • Barry
• Host Country Participants