17th August (1343 miles from the mouth of the Amazon) A hot sticky day is fast becoming the norm aboard MV Forth Hope as we head towards the equator and South America. No sticky toffee pudding today but apple strudel and custard to keep us going! Life in the slow lane means 210 miles per day, with a hoped for arrival in Iquitos on the 7th or 8th September!  Then there's a fast turnaround before the ship begins work ahead of some important visitors on the 17th from Lima and the Regional Government. We may be travelling relatively slowly, but blink and another day…

16th August -  21.00hrs Atlantic greetings from the bridge of MV Forth Hope We're currently some 1564 miles off the coast of Brazil. Tomorrow 17th August will see us reach the half way mark in our 6800 mile voyage to Peru, and the half way point in our transatlantic leg from the Canaries to Macapa, Brazil. Thereafter its just under 2000 miles up the Amazon! The weather is good, the temperature building and the sea pleasantly calm. Best for now, Willie McPherson (Photo - Colin Anderson on the bridge of Forth Hope)

Our final day in Tanzania was filled with warm goodbyes. In the morning we visited both home-building sites and were able not only to say our final goodbyes to the families and the fundis, but also to see the incredible progress that had been made in the past few days. The team was astounded by the dedication and hard work of the fundis, and was amazed to see the homes nearing completion. Having visited the sites, the volunteers were able to do some last minute shopping before heading back to Umoja Hostel for a final feedback and reflection session. The team all agreed…

Monday was a productive and emotional last day on our worksites. It has been wonderful to see the houses become homes over the past week or so. The team working on Efata’s site spent the day carrying water and rocks to the site for the fundis, learning new Swahili phrases and even being proposed to! On James’ site, the volunteers supported the fundis as they dug a large hole in the garden to provide soil to complete the floor foundations, enabling the fundis to begin pouring cement for a sturdy finish. Early on Tuesday morning, the T20 team set off on safari! We arrived at Tarangire National Park mid-morning and, within…

Our Robertson Trust #TanzaniaTwenty team has had a very productive couple of days, with plenty of rewarding moments. In light of the challenges faced in building Efata's new house, the full T20 team came together for one day to support the fundis (local builders) in the construction of the family's home. It was wonderful to share time together as a full expedition group on the worksite and, through strong team work in collecting water, passing bricks along the (very long) volunteer chain, and even  attempting to cement bricks, a huge leap in progress was made. Efata lives with her husband, supporting 5 young children - aged 3 to 15, with 12 year old twins, Noela…

We often hear stories of families in Africa walking miles each day to collect water, but sometimes this can feel like a distant problem to those of us living in the UK. Yesterday, for our team of Robertson Trust volunteers working on the site of Efata’s new home, this familiar story became a reality.  When mixing the cement for the building's secure foundations, many litres of water are required to create the appropriate consistency. The closest water source was a 30 minute walk away, through sunflower and maize plantations, over dry river beds, and up a steep hill via a twisty, red dirt track. The team spent most of the…