HOME - World Environment Day Movie

It's finally out, click here to watch it.

Lucy King single-handedly saves the Elephants!

Okay, maybe that title is a little bold... but she has more than done her bit though. Ex Quest Overseas Africa director Lucy King has been working on a method of protecting both elephants and local farms in Kenya, as part of her PhD study. After discovering that elephants are scared of bees, they have started to construct fences around local plantations with bee hives incorporated in them. This stops the elephants from breaking into the plantations and devouring all their crops, and also means that local farmers don't resort to shooting trespassing elephants - everyone's a winner.

Her work has had international acclaim, with National Geographic Magazine, BBC wildlife and most impressively Have I Got News for You (!) all having featured her work recently.

You can read an article on the BBC website with more detail on her work here

Well done King, we're proud of you!

Send your Darwins this World Environmental Day

In the run up to World Environment Day this Friday 5th June, Fauna and Flora International (FFI) want you to send them your “Darwins”.

Click here to see how

This could help FFI to:

• Equip a ranger in the Democratic Republic of Congo with basic kit, so he is prepared to protect the world’s remaining mountain gorillas in the face of adversity.

• Tag and ensure a safe passage to the ocean for one nesting female leatherback turtle on the threatened Nicaraguan coastline.

Quest Overseas Staff selection for 2010

Do you have a passion for travel, excellent leadership and organisational skills and the commitment to make our projects and expeditions a 'trip of a lifetime'?

Are you looking to work in Africa or South America in 2010 leading groups of young people on challenging projects and expeditions?

If this sounds like you then why not find out more about becoming a Quest Overseas leader. Just e-mail info@questoverseas for a leader pack and application form. If we think you have what it takes we will invite you along to our 2 day staff selection on the 4th and 5th September.

Looking for experience in the Gap Year market, then why not volunteer with Quest Overseas?

Crossing the South Downs for Malawian Orphans

Here at Quest we are extremely proud of the partnerships we have with our various projects in South America and Africa. One which we are particularly delighted to be associated with is the Joshua Orphan Care Trust, which supports community-driven sustainable development projects to assist HIV/AIDS orphans, vulnerable children, and their families in Malawi.

A good friend of Quest Overseas and the Joshua charity is currently preparing herself to support their cause some more. After visiting the orphanages in Malawi, Baz Troubridge decided that a fitting way to demonstrate the distances some of these kids have to walk every day, was to walk from Eastbourne to Winchester to help raise funds for the children they work with.

So if you are on the South Downs Way in mid-June, do pack a little more water in case you come across Baz taking on the 100 mile trek (especially if it stays this warm!)

In the meantime though, you can help further by sponsoring her here

Memories of learning to ride a bike

The Quest Overseas pre school in Villa Maria, Lima, Peru is going from strength to strength. Thanks to an increased donation from the charity La Vida, we have this year been able to double the number of free places at the school, with scholarships being handed out to those in most need of support.

Peru doesn't need much excuse to have a party, this week's festival was "Pre school Week"! The school marked the occasion by holding a bikeathon, with some of the kids learning to cycle for the first time. Apart from a couple of grazed knees, it was a great day, keep up the good work guys.