Dec 2013
Closing The Year:
Welcome to the final issue of PTW Magazine
for 2013. With your support and involvement in reading the magazine, we have been able to grow bigger and dive deeper into health, education and the world. As we come into the final month for 2013, it gives me great pleasure in announcing that over $3000 was raised for Project Third World’s sponsor schools and orphanages. We thank everyone who has come to any of our events over the year and we hope that you too received something out of the events and had fun in the process.
Project Third World’s Trivia Night was met with great success in both Melbourne and Bendigo. The winning teams were ‘The Corner Table’ and ‘The Winners ’ in Melbourne and Bendigo respectively. Thank you to Chandani Lodhia, Jay Himat, Nikhita Himat and Karan Kapadia for helping run the regarding upcoming events and information. You event in Melbourne and thank you to Karan Kapa- can also read more about where the money goes, see dia, Navpreet Randhwana, Tahmid Rezza, Mina our various sectors and much more. Elmalek and Ekram Boktor for helping run the event in Bendigo. It has been a very big year for Project Third World we plan to have an even bigger year in 2014. The trivia nights would not have been possible with- and Once again, we thank each and every one of you for out the help, support and donations of Columbo’s your support and assistance in Project Third World. Pizza (Balwyn), Your Chemist Pharmacy (St Al- We will take things slowly and one step at a time, bans), Evolution Gymnasium (Flora Hill), Runes but with your help we will always continue to proRetail Store (Flora Hill), BSA Bendigo, Coles gress. Have a Happy New Year and we look forward (Kangaroo Flats) and Pinky’s Pizza (Flora Hill). to seeing you in 2014! In Project Third World’s own domain, we have been working hard to make it easier for you to connect with us and stay informed by setting up our official Website thanks to our sponsor BendiWeb. Please visit: www.projectthirdworld.org and subscribe to our News and Updates blog to receive information
Dec 2013
-Project Third World
VOL. 1, NO. 3 |2013
4| Cover Story: Raha Moharrak’s Journey to the top of Mt Everest
16| James Saward-Anderson shares his story of running from London to Rome for Water-Aid around the world.
9| Too much fun in the sun? Make sure you keep these simple facts in mind whilst making the most of the summer
21| The Philippines: Hope for a county in despair
10| Volunteering in Fiji with Project’s Abroad: See what it is like from a volunteers perspective.
22| Stay refreshed and full in the sun with these healthy-eating recipes you can take onthe-go
14| High Intensity Interval Training: What it really is and why it should be in everyone’s workout
Page 16: Travelling from London to Rome by foot
Dec 2013
Mt Everest- one of the great natural wonders of the world, the highest peak on earth (8,848m above sea level), and one of the toughest physical challenges to climb. For the youngest Arab and first Saudi Arabian woman ever Raha Moharrak, climbing to the top of Everest not only broke historical records, world records, physical barriers, but cultural barriers and mental barriers too. She spoke with Project Third World and gave us a full insight into her story of triumphing one of the world’s greatest obstacles. Dec 2013
From an early age, Raha was never a
couch potato. She was always very sporty and very active in normal life. She used to play volleyball, scuba-dive, dance and horseback ride. She had always been a handy-‘man’ around the house too. She was born in Saudi Arabia and lives in the UAE. She studied at the University of Sharjah which she graduated with a Bachelor of Visual Communication. She then worked in advertising for several years before deciding in 2011 that a desk-job was not her calling in life and became a mountaineer. Whilst Raha’s upbringing was fortunate to be able to partake in many activities as a younger girl, she was still battling cultural expectations and perceptions. Whilst many companies in western cultures would jump up at the opportunity to get their name on the back of an inspiration like Raha, it is not the same in Saudi Arabia. “They generally don’t encourage girls to be active or sporty because they view it as a ‘boys past time’. I looked but didn’t find a cause that wanted to support me or sponsor me because the notion of sponsoring a Saudi Woman wasn’t appealing. No one wanted to get involved or help at any step of the way, but I was still happy to do it myself. I get more attention now that I have climbed Everest, but it’s still a battle finding any sponsors. Raha’s first dose of serious mountaineering was Kilimanjaro which was the first mental barrier that Raha had to cross. “I was told that I couldn’t. The said “you’re a Saudi and you want to climb Mt Kilimanjaro?”. It really bothered me that the colour of my passport was supposed
to dictate my capabilities. It really started of as “I’m just going to climb Kilimanjaro and even if I’m crawling to the top, I’m going to make it! After Kilimanjaro I loved the experience. I loved the rush of you-vs-you and the outdoor feel. It married two of my favourite aspects: being outdoor and being healthy. It was also a very sociable experience as you travel to different places and meet with new people through the climbing process. At the top of the Kilimanjaro summit I felt climbing was something I wanted to do. The Kilimanjaro summit push was the hardest summit push I have ever done because I hadn’t done climbing before and I didn’t know what I was doing exactly. I was pushed to my limit as my body wasn’t functioning anymore and my mind was doing all the work, but I loved it because I was training my mind and my body to work together. At first I said “just one summit”, but then that one lead to Everest”. Pushing to do Everest: Whilst Raha had no trouble in convincing herself of doing Everest, it was another story when it came to convincing her home, and country. “My parents didn’t want me to climb Everest, which I ended up doing the year after Kilimanjaro actually. I had just come back from climbing St Vincent in Antarctica and it was my birthday. My parents asked me “what do you want for your birthday” and I just replied “mmmm…Everest?”. It took a while to convince them but they eventually supported the climb. Not only that but at first, everyone had an opinion of me climbing Everest. I received quite a large amount of grief from various parts of society. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but it would be nice for
Dec 2013
searched what people do and what people have difficulty with when climbing. I looked at how I needed to work my back, my core, and my legs, and tweaked it and increased it. I also did various sports including volleyball, horseback riding and squash, and even skiing which helped. Mixed a lot of different things and worked through trialand-error. Each time I climbed a mountain, I noted what parts of my body felt sore and I just worked on those parts for the next climb. Many people on my team in Everest were going through training involving low-pressure chambers, special gyms, low-pressure running machines and running parachutes. All I did was go to the gym, do some weights and also fill my backpack with weights like rocks and just set certain distances to do each day. More than the physical training, is the mental perperation; you need disciple. To people to broaden their mind for nine to ten hours on end and open their mind. Ultimately walk takes a lot of mental strength.” sexism can be found anywhere in the world, but in Saudi Arabia it’s a little more open and blunt unfor- Training is one thing, but if you’re tunately, which is where the bad don’t eat properly then there’s a stigma comes from. good chance it will all go to waste. Having said that, Raha tells us that not as boring and difficult as Training is an essential part of be- it’s you might think: “Eating is the ing ready for Everest, but that most aspect of mountaineering. doesn’t mean you have to fork out I don’tfunbelieve in diets. If you a lot of money and do anything want to stay in shape, properly extraordinary to be ready: “I come and train like hell. Youeatcan’t from a country that has a lack of eat like a rabbit and expect tojust lose emphasis on real fitness. There’s weight. I avoid snacking between this idea that being fit means going meals. If I have to snack, then ceto the gym and getting six-packs, real or salads would be the only which is not necessarily being I’d snack on. Sometimes I healthy. It’s not just about look- things feel like sugary but ining good on the outside but actu- stead I’llsomething have a high-fibre I ally being healthy on the inside. like eating chicken but I’m cereal. not a Sports are viewed as a ‘past-time’ heavy meat-eater and I try to avoid or a ‘hobby’, which is completely over-eating and over-indulging on wrong as it is a lifestyle which is fries, rice, bread and pasta. I don’t only for boys, and even then boys believe in starving yourself of have a wrong idea about what be- something you love either. If you ing healthy is. Fitness is about love chocolate, have a chocolate being physically healthy. Having today, and then that’s it for the said that, doing health and fitness day. Give your body what it craves outdoors is much harder in our but limit it. The last two weeks country. before the climb, I eat a lot of carYou don’t need to pay so much bohydrates to bulk up a little, but money for a trainer or a special in the end, every kilo which I had put on, had come off. I might have gym to get yourself in shape. I gained 3kg in 2 weeks, but I lost 8never had a trainer so I reDec 2013
9kg by the end of the trip.”
Training and preparation out of the way, it was time for Raha to climb the great mountain, which isn’t as straight forward as simply starting at the bottom and walking up until you reach the top: “When I show up to any mountain briefing, no-one takes me seriously because I look like a ‘girly-girl’ and I like proving them wrong by showing them what I can do. There is a lot of camaraderie when you mountain climb that I enjoy. You meet a lot of new people and because you’re going to hell-andback with them, if you’re friends at the end of the climb, you’re going to be friends for life. There are a lot of logistics with climbing Everest too. You climb up and down the mountain 6 times initially to get acclimatized and during the climb there are different days throughout the climb: there is a move day, a rest day, training day, acclimatization days, and other kinds of days, and so you are not necessarily just walking and climbing all-day-every-day. During the climb itself, Raha was faced with many different challenges apart from logistics, ranging from physical, mental and emotional: I felt guilty about the fact that my parents lived in agony for two months worried about my safety while I was climbing Everest. They pretend that they’re fine but I don’t think they had a good
night’s sleep, and it was hard to call them on certain days so I tried to call them every 4 days. I promised my dad though that I wasn’t going to take one step forward unless I could guarantee that I could take 2 steps back. Apart from Kilimanjaro, I don’t push myself to a point beyond going back. I get close to breaking point but I never get to breaking point; and there’s a very big difference between the two. Being a ‘desert-born’ girl, the cold change was my biggest challenge. Most people who did the climb didn’t really know why the cold was a big deal to me, as they were from the United States and various other places which had exposure to the cold, but the cold was my Achilles Heel. I had expo-
back from Aconcagowa, I didn’t have a single toe-nail, as they all fell off. Wearing boots and walking down hill for 20 miles causes the top of the nail to keep hitting the tip of your shoes continuously, and eventually they fall off. They did grow back really well though (but it’s not a recommended way of rejuvenating your nails)!” It was also really hard to get used to the whole bathroom issue. I don’t want to go into the details but it wasn’t a pleasant experience and I did take a while to get used to. Then there’s also the occasional G.I bug that you can get and your ‘girly days’ don’t help at all either. Everest was a very different mountain to any other mountain. As a general rule of thumb: the higher you go, the worse it gets; food, water, bathroom, living conditions etc. The Everest climb however was assisted, in that we had a lot of Sherpa and many people carrying the cooking equipment and things. This made it easier in comparison to say, Vincent in Antarctica where I was carrying 25kg to 50kg of weight up a mountain yourself. It does take a long time to climb Everest. It took me 2 months from the time I left house to the time I returned back to my house. 55 of those days are hard mountain climbing with the days travel and trekking and sure to the cold from my climb in other things. Antarctica’s Vinson. The summit night however was so cold (around –45 to -50oC) that it started to burn It seems like a ‘Hollywood’ story my skin. It was like being burnt in with a classic Hollwood-drama extreme heat. Drinking water that ending, but in reality, Raha was night and eating was horrible be- trying to stay as close to groundcause you would take your mask level as possible when reaching off to drink water and your lips the summit: “When I got to the top and water would almost immedi- of the summit, or when I get to the ately freeze. I mostly ate electro- top of any summit, what’s going lyte gels which I attached to near through my head is simply the my chest or near my body to keep question, “what’s next?”. Also on it warm, and had to eat really I had heard about so quickly to avoid them turning into Everest, many people dying on the way solid cubes before getting them down so I quickly took my picinto my mouth. Water starts of as tures, put the flag in, and got out boiling water in a thermos and of there. It’s sobering because at eventually turns into ice-cubes. the summit, so many people When it was hot though, I was lov- it to where you are, and weremade feeling it. Everyone else was boiling ing all the emotions that you are, whilst I was in front of the group! but they didn’t make it down, so Not only that, but your body real- you have to get your act together ly suffers as a woman. Coming and celebrate back down the botDec 2013
tom.
Climbing Everest is certainly an achievement which most people would end at and boast about for the rest of their lives, but for Raha, it was more of a personal moralebooster to lead her into the future: “Climbing the summits gives me a sense of accomplishment, pride and confidence to look forward and say “If I could get my parents on board and do what I did then I can do whatever I set my heart and mind on”. Raha certainly went through a lot of training in the lead-up to the climb, but her success and achievement was more-so a display of the way she has lived her life: “Those who I grew up with know how determined I am in life, in any project, or job or school scenario. I am severely dyslexic so I had a lot of problems in school but I fought every step of the way to graduate from school and college. Once I put something in my mind, I give it my all, and all of that just translated into the Everest climb”.
adult life”. At the time of the interview, Raha If by living my dream and showhad climbed to the top of 5 sum- ing people by example, that if I mits around the world and had two am capable of doing it, then you more to go: Ideally, I’d like to are capable of doing whatever it climb all 7 summits within a two is you want to. Whatever your year period. The last one will be in Everest is, nothing is impossible. Alaska which is a very tough one. I personally know almost 10 people who tried to climb that one in -Raha Moharrak & Alaska and failed so it’s going to Chirag Lodhia be tough. So what next for Raha?: “I don’t know what I’d like to do after I’ve done the summits. I’d look into walking the poles (north and south). I’ve always been interested in flying so I’d think about giving that a try, but they are all maybe at the moment”. Raha believes that her very active and sports-embedded childhood was crucial to her current mental framework. “It’s important to get kids out from an early age, and give them a chance to choose a sport that they enjoy in order for health to be brought into their
“Whatever your Everest is, nothing is impossible”-Raha Moharrak.
Dec 2013
Too Much Fun In The Sun? We have all been there before, and typically it happens during the early summer days when we can’t get enough of the sun that’s been hiding away all winter long… sunburn! Sunburn is our body’s response to excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation or UV. It is an inflammatory reaction of the skin, and medically it is actually classified as a first-degree burn. So what is UV radiation? It is a form of light energy which humans cannot see with the naked eye. The sun emits it and reaches our earth and our skin. This light energy is able to penetrate the skin and cause genetic mutations which leads to cancer. There are two common categories of UV light which have a very high association with causing cancer: UV-A and UV-B. UVA is known to have a role in skin ageing and wrinkling and is able to penetrate the skin more than UVB. UVB radiation is the primary cause of reddening and sunburn of the skin. When you go into the outdoors, the skin becomes red soon after sun exposure, peaking in intensity at about 12-24 hours. The best thing to do at this time is escape the sun and drink plenty of water, as you are likely to be dehydrated too! Then comes the pain, heat and tenderness the next day. A cool compress or damp cloth over affected areas can sooth the skin. Aloe Vera is also commonly used, and although it does not speed up the recovery time, it helps ease the pain. After 4-7 days, the damaged skin begins to break away and peel, leaving new and healthy skin underneath. It’s important to be extra vigilant in protecting this new skin for the first few days, as it is especially vulnerable to further sunburn. The best treatment for sunburn is preventing it in the first place! Slip slop slap! That means wearing sun-protective clothing, donning a hat and sunglasses, applying sunscreen and seeking shade where possible. Sunscreen is most effective if put on 20 minutes before going outdoors, and being reapplied every two hours afterwards. It’s important to be particularly vigilant in the middle of the day when the UV levels are most intense. UV levels are often reported in the media daily, and can be used as a guide to determine the appropriate amount of sun protection required. The higher the UV index, the greater risk of UV radiation damage to our skin, which can even happen on apparently overcast days. So why does protecting ourselves against sunburn really matter? Ultimately the aim is to prevent skin cancer. Skin cancer is divided into 2 broad groups, melanoma and “non-melanoma” types. Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, with 2 in 3 Australian’s being diagnosed with skin cancer by the time they are 70. The majority of
diagnosed skin cancers are of the non-melanoma type, and are generally considered less “dangerous” as they are unlikely to spread around the body and become fatal. Melanoma on the other hand is extremely dangerous, often affecting young people and was the cause of over 1500 deaths in Australia in 2011. In terms of choosing a sunscreen, remember that it is important to protect yourself from both UV-A and UV-B. As a general rule of thumb, always look for a sunscreen that is SPF 15 or higher and is ’broad spectrum’. The “SPF” rating system is not a measure of the ‘amount of protection’ but rather, it tells you how long it will take for UVB to redden the skin with the product compared to without the product. “SPF 15” will take the sun 15 times longer to redden the skin compared to not having sun protection. Many sunscreens have ‘multi spectrum’ and ‘broad spectrum’ written on their products which means that it has some form of UVA protection and UVB protection, but ‘broad spectrum’ does not indicate how much protection it gives, so don’t take the companies word on it! To find out which ingredients within sunscreens will help with UVA or UVB, email into Project Third World or visit: “skincancer.org”. Early diagnosis is essential to the treatment of skin cancer, particularly in the case of melanoma. It’s important for each and every one of us to become familiar with our own skin. That means your entire body from head to toe, as skin cancers can occur on skin not normally exposed to sun (including the soles of your feet!). What often causes confusion is that people are unsure if moles and freckles (which we all tend to have) are harmless or potentially dangerous. What’s most important is to look out for change in these moles and freckles. If you notice new spots, or moles that are changing in colour, thickness or shape, or begin to crust and bleed consult your doctor. Even if you haven’t noticed any of these, next time you are visiting your local doctor consider asking them to take a look at any moles or freckles you may have, particularly ones on your back which are difficult to see and often unnoticed. Although UV damage to our skin can be harmful, it’s important to remember that moderate sun exposure is actually good for the body. It stimulates the production of vitamin D, which is important for bone health. But don’t use that as an excuse to lie in the sun for hours on end! During summer, most people require less than 30 minutes of sun exposure per day to maintain adequate vitamin D levels. Achieving these levels can be more challenging in winter however, with most people requiring 2-3 hours of sunlight per day. So remember to take care of your skin this summer and slip, slop, slap! -Lauren Simionato
Dec 2013
Looking to volunteer but can’t find a place that seems inviting? Look no further than Fiji I decided that after finishing school in the summer
of 2011 I wanted to have a year out to travel before going to university. I then began looking into all the different things I could do whilst travelling and was suggested to look into volunteer work abroad. When I went back to school in September I began talking to staff and picked up various leaflets which were on offer in the sixth form study room. After reading up on various options I chose to work with Projects Abroad and to travel to Fiji. I soon signed up on the website and got myself organised with planning various fund raisers so I would be able to go for two months beginning February 2012. Arrival in Fiji I arrived at Nadi airport on the morning of Friday 3rdFebruary. As a result of arriving on a Friday and
because Monday was a national holiday, my first day of school wasn’t until Tuesday 7th February. This gave me a full weekend to get to know my room mate and my host family. I also got to meet lots of the other Projects Abroad volunteers and a few of us organised a scuba diving trip which was great. On Tuesday I left for my first day of eight full weeks at Nadi Airport School. I walked to school on my first day and was introduced to Mrs Bula the head teacher. I spent my first three full days working with a lovely first grade class. They began each lesson with reading and a couple of activities before moving onto work. Whilst they worked I was responsible for helping a couple of tables and would walk around and help them when they were having trouble with the work and encourage them if they were working slower than the others. On my first Friday, after spending the first part of the day with the first grade I was asked to help out in a second grade class. I spent the rest of the day with them and was then asked to do this every day. During my first lesson with the second grade I was introduced to a few of the girls who drew me pictures and Dec 2013
gave them to me to keep. They also asked me lots of questions about England and about my family; they were all very interested in knowing a lot about me. My Teaching Placement at Nadi Airport School I spent about 10 days working with both the classes before asking to move permanently into the second grade class. I was finding it difficult to bond with the children properly when I was only spending half a day with each class and felt like my help was needed more with the second grade. I felt much more comfortable when I had moved permanently to the second grade and began to learn the children’s names quickly and got to know them better. I spoke to my teacher about the fact that I’d brought my ukulele with me from home and was interested in taking some music lessons. She agreed and I soon began taking my ukulele into school regularly. I began by teaching them Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl”. This turned out to be their favourite song and they would always be singing it to me during the day. I taught them lots of other songs, the more popular ones being Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours” and Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah”. After a couple of weeks the word got round the school and I had teachers from other grades approaching
me and asking me to spend half an hour or so with their class and teach them the same songs. As well as the music lessons, I also helped out with various other subjects in the classroom. I would always be around to help the children during lessons and from time to time my teacher would show me her lesson plan and ask me to teach for 10 minutes before the children would then begin working. It was a great opportunity for me and I felt improvement every time I was given the opportunity. I would learn a huge amount from watching my teacher and the way she taught and controlled the class. Projects Abroad Workshops Projects Abroad organised a few workshops during my time in Fiji which were incredibly useful. One particular workshop gave me the idea to teach an arts and crafts lesson. I showed my teacher my lesson plan and she loved the idea so made time for me to teach the class the next day. The whole class made their own paper snakes from paper plates and red paper I had bought from the shop. We cut a spiral starting from the edge and working inwards, which left a circle in the middle for the head of the snake. We then cut out a tongue from the red paper and drew on the eyes. String was hung across the classroom so we could loop the snakes over the string and then they uncoiled towards the ground to make long snakes. The classroom looked brilliant when it was decorated with all the snakes and the children loved the lesson and the new decorations in the classroom.
During my eight weeks at the school, there were a number of occasions when I was approached by the head teacher and asked to cover classes when their teacher was absent. A couple of times I was only asked to supervise the classes for an afternoon because the teacher was leaving. About five weeks into my project the other second grade teacher was very ill and I was asked to look after her class for two full days. With all the other teachers occupied with their classes, very little work had been prepared for them. This was a huge challenge for me but I found it very rewarding and felt like it gave me a chance to show what I had learnt from my previous weeks working with my teacher. My Host Family During my two months stay in Fiji I stayed with a lovely family. I also had a room mate who was also working at the same school as me. I had a wonderful time with my host family and got on with them all very well. They were an Indian family and so the majority of our food was curry with roti. I had never eaten roti before travelling and loved it. It is similar to a tortilla wrap. It is made from only flour and water and is then fried and eaten with curry. The majority of the curries were vegetarian because my host mum was a vegetarian. At home I eat a lot of red meat and so this was a big change. I really enjoyed the food and the fact that I got the chance to try lots of new food. My host mum was a very good cook. Time spent with other volunteers There were also lots of other volunteers in Fiji. Most people were there for two months or more and so there was a very similar group throughout my two months there. They were all very lovely people. We went on trips every weekend to resorts and also to a few islands. We got the chance to visit the Yasawas Islands which were absolutely beautiful. We also got the chance to skydive! Six of us went on the same day and jumped from Dec 2013
14000 ft. It was an incredible experience. Leaving Fiji I left Fiji on April 1st. It was a Sunday morning and since Friday there had been flooding in Fiji. This meant I missed my last day of school and didn’t get the chance to say goodbye to my class and teacher. The airport was very chaotic because so many people were trying to get out of Fiji but so many flights were being cancelled or delayed. However, I managed to leave on time to continue my travels in Australia for the next month to visit family. I am now back home in England. I had a great time in Fiji and enjoyed working with the school; I have kept in contact with my teacher, my host family and all of the volunteers that I met during my time in Fiji. -Lucy Hoskin Projects Abroad Volunteer
Background Projects Abroad is a UK based company which was established in 1992 by the founding director, Peter Slowe and se May 2009 to Primary Schools and Kindergartens in Nadi. In January 2011, with an over-whelming increase in volun have between 25-55 volunteers arriving each month to volunteer with Projects Abroad Fiji. Fiji is a stunning place to tourist resorts that form many people’s perceptions of the Islands. Our projects are available for anyone interested in breaks. In January 2014, we will launch our Shark Conservation Project, where volunteers are able to take part in Sha bers. Volunteers Our Volunteers work on average 6 hours per day, 20 days a month, totaling approximately 96,300 volunteer hours at These volunteers come from various countries, including Germany, France, Sweden, Denmark, USA, Japan, Norway between these foreign visitors and their host placements and families, but also helps local students develop an unders Facts and Figures about Projects Abroad Fiji Number of Care placements (including Kindergartens and Special Need’s Schools): 26 Number of Teaching Placements (mainly Primary Schools): 20 Veterinary Placements: 2 Sports Placement: 1 Shark Conservation: 1 Community Village Projects: 4 (Nadi& Suva) Care Placements: Our Care placements in Fiji range from Kindergartens, Special Education Centres and Schools and orphanages, wher ther studies or future employment. Although qualifications and experience in Child Care are extremely welcome, this the placement, with Kindergartens averaging 50 students and Special Needs School with approximately 200 students from class to class. Teaching Placements: We complete our Teaching Projects in Primary Schools in and around Nadi and Suva as we have found this is where system in Fiji and to bring and share their knowledge from their home countries. The volunteer can either work alone extra-curriculum activities and Sports. Community Projects: Both in Nadi and Suva, volunteers have the chance to live in a traditional local village and submerge themselves in th ten. Afternoons often consist of the volunteer assisting with cooking, gardening, farming, fishing and basket making, within half hour-hour driving distance from the offices in Nadi and Suva. Host Families All Projects Abroad volunteers in Fiji stay with local families for the duration of their stay, to who we pay a host ren develops with living with a Fijian family is incredibly beneficial to both parties. Most of our volunteers remain in reg back that it was the local family experience that made a huge impact on the volunteer’s experience during their stay i Benefits for Fiji As much as possible, Projects Abroad uses: Local services and businesses used for the support and logistics of the volunteers e.g. transport, restaurant and en
Dec 2013
ends over 9,000 volunteers to developing countries across the globe. We first started sending volunteers to Fiji in nteer numbers in Fiji, we began sending volunteers to Schools, Kindergartens in Suva (Fiji’s Capital), and currently o spend some time volunteering abroad. Our volunteer Projects in Fiji are based a world away from the luxurious volunteering abroad – whether on a gap year, career break, internship or as summer experience during School ark tagging, marine conservation and educating the local people, all in the name of saving dwindling Shark num-
t local placements in Fiji. y, Italy, Switzerland, Netherland, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Their time in Fiji fosters a cultural connection standing of other cultures and lifestyles from which our volunteers come from.
reby the volunteer can work closely with children of various ages and abilities and gain valuable experience for eis is not necessarily needed and therefore is open to all sorts of volunteers. Student numbers often vary depending on s, and it is left up to the volunteer to choose if they would like to work with a specific group of children or move
e the most assistance is needed. The placements allow our volunteers to gain a valuable insight into the education e or alongside a local Teacher depending on their preference and experience and also have the chance to run/assist
he vast culture. They do as the villagers do and often teach and help out in the local Primary School or Kindergar, allowing them to see Fiji at its most traditional level. All the community villages used by Projects Abroad Fiji are
nt to house and provide 3 meals per day to the volunteers. We believe the cultural exchange and understanding that gular contact with their host family once they have returned to their home countries and we regularly receive feedin Fiji.
ntertainment.
Dec 2013
‘HIIT’ Up The Summer Workout! I woke up in a daze,
They are doing what the average isn’t in order to obtain the walked straight to the toilet with person body the average person won’t. my phone and completed my usual social media check. I think to myself, “It’s quite hot in here… of these may be High Intensiunusual”. I open the ‘weather’ app One ty Interval Training (HIIT). Before on my iPhone to read: “Melbourne I explain exactly what it VIC – Australia Wednesday 27th is, I can tell you right November 12:00 pm. 28 degrees now what its not. It’s not with clear skies”. going for a 3-hour walk. It’s not taking two hours do ten sets of bicep My first reaction is to look at my to curls. not peddling a arms and see if my bicep curls and bike forIt’sone hour and I chest presses has increased my size can assure you it is not since yesterday. “Damn! Little to sitting on the couch no change”. I walk to the bathwatching TV. So what is room, take of my top and start flexing. Once again, same as yes- it and how can it help? terday. I stay for a few more minutes in hope that if I get the HIIT is a training idea in which angle right I’ll see my shoulders low to moderate intensity intervals and biceps larger than what they are alternated with high intensity are. I turn on the heat-lights and all intervals. HIIT is considered to other lights and move back from be much more effective than the mirror. Bang! I’m satisfied. normal cardio because the higher I’m going to the beach. intensity enables you to increase both your aerobic and anaerobic and so it may be more At the beach I see shredded males, endurance effective for fat burning than ever bikini babes & far too many males before. that look like overgrown gorillas. I sit there wondering, “How the hell do they do it?” We all know diet is You may be askthe most important aspect of ob- ing, “What is taining a fit body and that place aerobic and anthey call ‘the gym’ can really help aerobic?” Aero(and plenty of sleep can go a long bic exercise is way in achieving a ‘healthy mind’ simply exercise too) which in turn means a that uses oxygen. ‘healthy body.’ This energy system is utilized prolonged These people are different. They during exercises (such workout in unique ways and they as exercises eat tailored diets to their lifestyles. which last over Dec 2013
three minutes). Examples include: walking, swimming & bike riding. Anaerobic however, is the opposite; meaning without oxygen. The anaerobic energy system is what provides energy in all-out efforts of up to one minute. Examples in-
clude: hill sprints, boxing rounds, butt kicks and high knees. Many athletes look to improve both aerobic and anaerobic systems, including: basketball players, soccer players and AFL footballers. Why? Over the period of the game they are sprinting, jumping, dodging and at times jogging. The two systems are getting used during these sports; therefore a strong aerobic AND anaerobic system is needed. These athletes, much like the HIIT program, incorporates hard and fast movements, followed by slow relaxation
periods where movement is still occurring.
Okay, enough of the boring stuff. How can it help you? HIIT can help with two goals: it can help accelerate your body’s ability to burn fat, and improve aerobic and anaerobic endurance. HIIT has shown to produce very fast results in a short period of time! Nobody can promise any specific results, but it is possible that after an eight-week cycle of HIIT, combined with healthy living, you (and
those around you) will be able to escape the boredom of long, tedinotice a significant change to your ous cardio sessions. Many of us body. do not have the time for such nonsense, while those that do, often find themselves weary of the Another question you may be won- mindless task. HIIT provides a dering is, “Why is it better than greater challenge requiring greater low intensity activities? What is resolve and concentration to comwrong for going for a stroll with plete. my dog?” Nothing is wrong with them, and they have great health benefits too. It’s just that it might So if you just do a 2-hour walk not give you the results you are around the block five times a looking for, or help achieve your week, it might be worth adding goals as quickly. When you do a something different. Make your cardio session at the same pace the workouts harder and faster, and whole time, your body goes into make sure it stimulates both your what is called a “steady state”. mind and body. It is hard to make This means that your body has ad- promises in the world of health, justed itself to the conditions you but I can assure you that commitare working in, and starts to con- ment and dedication to a proven serve energy. HIIT is designed to plan, along with the will to sucavoid this from happening. ceed is the only recipe known to man that will not fail you! High intensity interval training has Get to it! The beach is calling! not only been shown to be extremely effective for athletic development compared to other types -Jay Himat of exercise, but it is also a way to
Dec 2013
How long would it take you to run from London to Rome? 6
months? 1 Year? Never? James SawardAnderson and his friend Max Hannah from the UK covered the 2000km distance on foot, without a support team, within 2 months and all in the name of Water Aid. We decided to ask James about his epic challenge and what young people today need to do to achieve just as much.
Dec 2013
The 23 year old had a very active upbringing,
being involved in Martial Arts up until the age of 18. In his later teens he went off the healthy route for a while before return back on course. “I was going down a road that many teenagers go down that involves a lifestyle of drinks and clubs, but I got sick of that and I wanted to get back to how I was when I was training really hard in martial arts. My mentality from my martial arts came back and I wanted to rebel against this culture that we have sold today of having to rock up to a party, and drink and never care about anything that’s actually important.” He became involved in ultrarunning in order to do something physically active that also helped other people too. Whilst get involved in ultra-running, he started his engineering degree at the university of Portsmouth where he became aware of a global need for clean water and sanitation. “It’s 2013 and there’s people with ‘iPhones’ and ‘iPads’, but no toilets. I felt there was a very big discrepancy in the human chain, and I thought I could raise awareness and help this problem. Fundamentally I raised money for ‘WaterAid’ which is a non-profit NGO that is in Sub-Sahara Africa, South -East and South Asia that is trying
to remove water poverty. One of the biggest killers of children under 5 in these countries is diarrhoea which is contracted through unclean water. Going to the bathroom and how we do so is critical to our health, and how we remove waste and deal with it affects our health too. It’s also a personal issue, especially for women. In SubSahara Africa women and men share toilets which isn’t adequate for their safety or security either. I also raise money for cystic fibrosis children in Portsmouth and for my sister’s drama teacher’s daughter who had very severe complication at birth.” For James, running long-distances was a brand new experience but he drew from aspects of his upbringing to help him prepare. “I hadn’t done much running at all before deciding to do London-to-Rome. I was a novice runner and it took 6 month of training before I could really start clocking the miles. When you train, you start improving every day. For the first week you start with 3 miles, then the next week you do 4 miles, then 5 miles, until you reach your aim. The training for London-to-Rome was very basic but very difficult. Again, coming from a martial arts background, I learnt that you have to suffer if you want to get fit and get strong. You can run around playing games but if you really Dec 2013
want to get fitter and fitter you have to suffer and break a barrier each time. Eventually we were doing 70 mile marches where we would carry weight on our back through the night. It was extremely difficult and hard. As I got more involved I became more dynamic and trained in many more different ways. In terms of training, James is an advocate of consistent, short, sharp goals that develops the whole body. “I have done very different challenges involving running, slow runs, faster runs, rowing and many others so I change my workout routines and training methods depending on the challenge I’m going for. In general, I keep my training sessions to an hour because doing more can be detrimental. It’s better to train for a shorter time periods at a time and do it at a very high intensity. Even for long distance training, spend most of the week smashing out short distance training routines and then dedicate two days to the long distance and build up. Even for work and study, it’s difficult to maintain focus for more than an hour. I like to go hard for an hour, take a break and relax properly and then come back to it. I train 6 days a week with 1 day off. For special events, I’ll make my own training camp starting 12 weeks before an event where I start training really
hard and I really refine my diet. Coming from a mixed martial arts background, I learnt to develop my whole body and take that to the training side of things. I’m not the fastest runner, fastest rower or best at anything, but I like to be a jackof-all trades so I can be in any disciple rather than a one-trick-pony. For health and fitness too, running too long, especially on concrete, can be bad for your body if you’re not sensible. Doing 10 miles every day on concrete with heavy impact can do damage to your knees. The best way to get around that is to change your workout daily by doing a run one day, and then circuit training the next, and so on. There
healthy and enjoyable lifestyle. Food isn’t something people should be scared of either. You should cook nice fun and tasty foods with fresh ingredients and keeping it wholemeal. You should also avoid alcohol, smoking and the things you know you aren’t good for you. The less processed the better too. Whilst I believe that humans are naturally made to eat meat, I will only eat meat in moderation and only from sources that look after the animals respectively. I’m also going off red-meat such as beef and pork mainly for environmental reasons because of the amount of water it takes to cook and the loss of water gone into
done. There was no two-ways about it. We did 2 runs beforehand that were really tough to help us analyse how much we really wanted to do London-to-Rome. That’s the same with any challenge-you’ll hit a wall and then you decide: do you go through the wall or do you give up? For me, if I couldn’t finish, it would have ruined my mentality and put doubt in my abilities for the rest of my life and would have been a huge disappointment for everyone. People were very sceptical of us. We were 20 years old at the time and we even sacrificed a year of our university course. For me, to come back not succeeding would have hurt inside.
are so many things you can do. Mix it up. Get your sessions more intense and more focused. Train for an hour, stretch, stop, eat, treat your body properly, and then come back to it.” Eating was also important for James but he always stayed away from fads. “I am very weary of diets. 6 years ago we had the ‘Atkin’s Diet’, now the ‘Paleo Diet’. People need to understand that these people ‘inventing’ diets aren’t doing it out of love of humanity, they’re doing it to make money. Take elements from every diet and make sense of it into a
raising cattle and the deforestation of raising cattle along with other issues, but health-wise I wanted to wash out a lot of the ‘rubbish’ that comes in meat today due to processing. Even for these ‘super health foods’ popping up now, you have to remember that people selling and making them are out to make a profit so don’t take everything that is said as truth.” For James, starting the trip meant that he wasn’t returning home until he reached Italy, or worse. “My London-to-Rome trip started in Canterbury. I said from day one that we were going to get this job
It sounds very dramatic but I was willing to die doing this run than give up.” Throughout the run the pair faced many obstacles and struggles but never gave in. “It was hard to plan the run in terms of where to stay and rest. There are so many variables that can affect a plan. 10 days in we were completely off from our plan. The first 10 days we stayed in budget hotels and ate out. A lot of obstacles came up such as running out of money and being completely independent. We just had to simplify things and camp out and go to just eating rice with
Dec 2013
meat. We had no support team at all and we had to push a buggy with all of our things the whole way. When you run without a support team it makes it that much harder. We kept the meat in our buggy and if it smelt ok, we ate it. If it smelt terrible, we cooked it and see if it smelt ok, and then eat it. If it still smelt bad, we probably still ate it. I got sick quite badly on the way but people have been through a lot worse in life so; it was tough running and being sick, but I just thought about how durable humans can be and worked with that. I didn’t sustain many injuries apart from a few knee problems throughout the run but I did lose a lot of weight. At the start I was 70kg. After a month I didn’t lose much weight at all but I ended up finishing the run weighing 60kg. If I kept losing weight it may have been an issue for my health. The terrain changed quite a bit over the run. France was generally flat, but when we got to the Swiss border, things started to get out of control and mountainous. We used road maps the whole journey so the whole ‘picturesque European landscape’ image was a myth as we were hugging onto the roadside the whole time. The roads were rough and the Alps were obviously very hilly and very cold, even though we were in the summer. Italy was also very hilly and when you have to push the buggy everywhere, it made it that much harder. Having another person was one of the critical dynamics of getting through all of it. Even though it was just the two of us, it made all the difference. The weather was very kind to us on the whole but there were a few times when we were running and living through thunderstorms. The Alpines were very temperamental too. Then Italy was also very hot meaning we had to carry an extra 12kg of water every day, adding to the weight. Every day I was thinking “I’m not sure if I can go much longer”. I didn’t think about Rome at all. All I did was take it one step at a time and think about reaching the end of the day and setting up the tent
to relax. If I had to think about the fact that I had another 800 miles or so, that would have finished me off. You should apply that to training too. If you have a grand plan to weigh 7 stones by Christmas and you’re 15 stones, then you’re going to be deflated by the task, but if you say to yourself, this week I am going to cut out white rice, you do that, pat yourself on the back for it, and then add in another component like walking every day, and so on, you will be better off for it. It’s not the grand plan that you need to focus on it’s the daily steps.” Whilst it was a heroic effort, reaching Rome was not the heroic aspect. “The moment of getting to Rome didn’t feel how I thought it would. I felt a little bit let down that I didn’t get the feeling I thought I would. It wasn’t like I was on the floor crying and people cheering or anything like that. In reality, the thing that was important was the journey of getting to Rome.” What now for the young man who has already achieved so much by the age of 23? “The next thing in the pipeline is looking to break a record by cycling from the north to the south of Africa and helping out on the way and helping them develop through autonomy.” James learnt a lot about life throughout his challenges and found that life is very much a long Dec 2013
distance run in itself. “There’s also this issue with the ‘American Dream’ where people believe you can have everything you want and you can have it now and you deserve anything and everything you want. We’ve become scared of the actual suffering, discipline and action that comes with it and people have complete lost reality of what all of that those words mean too, and this shows in society. Like with Kony 2012, which was a ‘getrich-quick’ and get famous method by using the name of charity, fell over as quickly as it jumped up. We live in a very short-term society that values short-term aims and expects immediate gains, and it doesn’t work. Even if we look at politics where we have 4 year terms, new Presidents and Prime-Ministers try to change everything and make everything better in such a small amount of time and unfortunately fail. You have to look at role models like Beyoncé, who put years and year of training and 15 hours a day dedicated to seriously working hard for her love of music, not for herself and not messing about; all this for the 2 hour shows and 4 minute records.” James is a great role model for the youth of today and tomorrow but feels there are many other role models out there who need to be heard too for the betterment of the next generation. “There’s a part of society that shows and sells the
stereotype to the youth that the youth should party, try and make as much money as they can and spend it in as many ways as they can and that they should try and get as many men or women as you can. The word isn’t being spread enough about the youth in the world that are doing great things. It’s just that we seem to focus on the 1% of people who are corrupted or super rich or super powerful and that’s why humanity has gone down the road that is has. People are being led by political and cultural dinosaurs at the moment but I hope the next generation is intelligent enough to open their mind and not take the word of just one person in life. People think that when you have a big house, you are going to be so happy forever and ever and if you get this nice car you’re going to be so happy; but in reality, people who are rich and have all these things have to keep working harder and harder because they’re not satisfied. There’s a difference between perusing an objective that develops you as a person and is a positive objective that makes everyone happy, and an objective that is directed by negativity or unfulfilling gains.
Young people have to find where do anything and help others they fit. I like to use the analogy of even in your old age.” squares and triangles. If you’re a square, you don’t have to try and fit into a place for triangles. You -James Saward-Anderson & can look elsewhere and fit in to Chirag Lodhia where it suits the person you are. Find something you are passionate about and you will fit in. If you try to do something that you’re not passionate about and something that doesn’t fit the person you are, then you’re going to be substandard. Make sure what your passionate about also helps far more people than it hurts. At the end of the day, make sure whatever road you take is positive to you and othersthat’s important. Don’t just sit there on the internet. Get out in the world and try something new. Meet new people and new cultures and do new things. There are plenty of great and interesting people out in the world.” James loves the human body’s capabilities and feels that it doesn’t have to end with age. “The human body is a wonderful thing. I don’t like this agnostic idea that the body decays. Of course it will decay, but the mind and body have a circular relationship. If you have a healthy body and have a healthy mind and if you keep working at both of them, you will be able to
James’s Daily Kale Juice Recipe: Ingredients: 5 Kale Leaves Pinch of Ginger Handful of Spinach 1 mini Cucumber Method: Simply blend all the ingredients together with some water or apple juice until you get a nice smooth juice. This juice is great to take with breakfast as it has vitamins A, B,C and E, calcium, iron, and 16 grams of protein.
Dec 2013
The Philippines may have been hit by the winds of despair, but it has shown how the people can be a flame of hope. William Congreve notably
claimed “Nor Hell a Fury, like a woman scorn’d”. In the case of Mother Nature, it is often hard to determine what has scorned her, but her fury is always very clear and very devastating. On November 8 2013, Typhoon Haiyan raged over the Republic Of The Philippines with wind speeds of over 300kph, raising the island to ground-level. Haiyan’s wrath was one of the strongest storms ever recorded and produced devastating effects including a death toll over 4,000 and over 1,000 people missing. Not only that, but over fourmillion people have been displaced and over thirteen million have been affected. Where Haiyan went, nothing was left standing. Houses, hospitals, shops, transport ways, utilities and anything else you can think off, and anything else you can’t think off was swept away. It has been nearly a month since the Typhoon hit, but the aftermath is far from over; in fact the aftermath has only just begun. Immediately after Haiyan came to an end, the world answered back through organizations such as The United Nations, Save The Children, UNICEF, The Salvation Army and several government aid groups from around the world, as well as local aid within the Philippines. Unfortunately, all this aid worth over $600million is only touching the surface of the problem. The situation is unprecedented with provincial governments frozen, the airports only just becoming opened again to receive aid adding onto an issue of poor sanitation, lack of
medical aid, and stagnant water increasing whilst clean water is decreasing; it has fuelled this multidimensional disaster. "I'm thirsty and hungry. I'm worried — no food, no house, no water, no money," said Estember, a 50-year-old ambulance driver from the area.
to receive survival kits and hampers.
Whilst things have been grim for the Philippines, hope is starting to emerge in a country stricken with despair. It is a slow process, but already colleges are being opened, health stations are being opened, Providing safe and clean drinking schools are being sourced to prowater will be one of the first neces- vide tonnes of food and necessisities which the country needs in ties, and groups and individuals order to prevent the death toll from outside the disaster area have manescalating. The survivors need to aged incredible fundraising efforts. stay health and hydrated and to avoid various The World Health Organization and UNICEF are working hard to minimize the health risk to the people of the Philippines by providing cold-chains including vaccinations, syringes and other medical supplies. They are also working tirelessly to immunize around 33,000 children against measles and polio. Having said this, the country still needs much needed help and support from the world to recover from this heavy blow. waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid. Aljazeera reports that methods of washing regularly, using latrines and boiling water are being used to avoid disease. Receiving aid isn’t straightforward either given that the country is a series of islands with no neighbours to assist via land. Even on Philippine soil, roads and infrastructure have been destroyed. People from are being forced to walk several kilometres a day just Dec 2013
The effects of Haiyan have been catastrophic, but that hasn’t left the people in defeat. Instead, the Pilipino people are inspiringly optimistic and hopeful. There have been a vast number of survival stories and shows how a little light is all that is needed in such dark times. They are a true symbol of how resilient humans can be and how much can be achieved if we never give up, and never lose hope. -Chirag Lodhia
Summer is here for the Southern Hemisphere so we thought we’d give you a few tips on how to spend less time in the kitchen and more time out in the sun with these simple and easy recipes which you can take onthe-go!
Dec 2013
Berry And Banana Splash! This recipe makes a great post-workout snack too! Ingredients: 1 – 2 scoops of vanilla flavoured Sculpt protein (optional for postworkout) 1.25 cup of lactose free milk (Zymil, unsweetened almond milk, rice milk or soy milk) or coconut water. 15g honey 1 banana ½ cup of frozen berries of your choice (or if you use fresh berries, add half cup of ice)
2 tablespoons (heaped) of yogurt (optional) Sprinkle of cinnamon Vanilla essence, vanilla bean
Directions: Simply add all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Poor into a glass and enjoy! -Neena Narsey
Zucchini And Ricotta & Side Salad
Ingredients: For Frittata 1 zucchini finely chopped/ grated Red capsicums (1/4 cup coarsely sliced) 2 tablespoons of Ricotta 2 eggs 1 egg white Salt and pepper to taste Herbs of your choice For salad ½ apple (your choice) Lettuce (about a handful) coarsely torn Red and Green capsicums (1/2 cup coarsely sliced) 1 Lebanese cucumber (sliced) Dressing Balsamic Vinegar (1 tbsp.) Olive Oil (1 tbsp.)
Directions: 1. Pre-heat oven at 200 deg. 2. Squeeze grated zucchini to get rid of access water. 3. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Spray muffin tray or even line with Pattie pans. 4. Pour into muffin trays ( 2/3 full as it will rise). 5. Place in the oven and bake at 180 deg for 10-15 min. 6. Check with Skewer to see if cooked through, if not, place under the grill for 2-4 mins Mix all salad ingredients together. Put to the side and mix up dressing and poor over. Serve with Frittatas and enjoy! -Neena Narsey
Dec 2013
Project Third W
Project Third World’s Trivia Night was a great success in Melbourne, hosted by Colombo's Pizza, and Bendigo, hosted by BSA Bendigo. It was great to see so many people coming to learn a little and give to the cause. Visit us at www.projectthirdworld.org for more info.
Our Fundraising Events Would Not Be Possible Without The Help Of:
Dec 2013
World In Pictures
Project Third World’s Fitness Fundraiser has been going great with many people giving it a go, looking after their health and having fun too! It has been great to see many regulars supporting the cause and making the weekly effort. Visit us at www.projectthirdworld.org for more info.
Dec 2013
Project Third World Team:
Manager:
Chirag Lodhia
Melbourne Team:
Events Coordinators: Nikhita Himat, Navera Ahmed, Chandani Lodhia, Karan Kapadia Social Media Manager: Jay Himat
PTW Magazine:
Chief Editor: Chirag Lodhia Medical Editor: Lauren Simionato Sports & Fitness Editor: Jay Himat Wellbeing Editor: Anjali Sengupta Diet and Nutrition Editor: Sonia Kaurah Food and Cooking Editor: Neena Narsey Global Issues And Development Editor: Navera Ahmed
@Projectthirdworld
contact@projectthirdworld.org Facebook.com/projectthirdworld www.projectthirdworld.org Dec 2013
Special Thanks To: Prashneel Goundar Sophie Birtwistle Lucy Hoskin Raha Moharrak James Saward-Anderson