Harborough woman working to rebuild schools in Mexico after area hit by earthquakes

A Harborough woman is building schools in a remote part of Mexico after earthquakes devastated the area.

Kayleigh Buswell first learnt about charity All Hands and Hearts when she bumped into the chief operating officer while backpacking around South East Asia.

As the 34-year-old learnt more about charity’s work supporting communities impacted by disasters she decided to volunteer.

The former Welland Park and Robert Smyth student chose to volunteer for nearly three months in Mexico where the charity was working to build schools following earthquakes in 2017.

She said: “I chose Mexico as it is somewhere I had always wanted to visit and building schools for a community in a remote area of Oaxaca sounded like an adventure.

“I had no construction background before coming here, the staff will teach you everything you need to know.

“I have learnt to brick-lay, how to install moulds and pour concrete to create beams and columns on the buildings. It has been extremely interesting and I’m already thinking about which project I’d like to do next.

“As a volunteer, the project has been more than anything I could have imagined. Not only do we get to work alongside the local community and see the impact that is being made, we are invited to join the various fiestas and local traditions that take place here in the mountains. For anyone looking for a unique trip, I recommend joining the All Hands and Hearts family.”

Kayleigh will be remaining working with the project until the end of May, when she says she will then be looking to see where else she could help.

She added: “The charity arrives early for first response and stays late to rebuild schools and homes in a disaster-resilient way.

“All Hands And Hearts are very different to other NGOs, we work with natives when helping out after natural disasters and usually stay in the country for years after.

“The atmosphere on site is fun and sociable but everyone works hard to complete their tasks.”

Visit give.allhandsandhearts.org/donatemexico to donate to the project or find out more.