A healthcare assistant from the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust is to travel to Tanzania to help support new female-led community enterprises.

Sanah Richards, from Bath, will be taking a three-month break from her work at the RUH to take up a volunteering placement in Iringa, where she will help to set up and support community enterprises that aim to increase female empowerment and improve the livelihoods of women.

Sanah said: “In Iringa, women face a lot of barriers if they want to set up a business. Female enterprises in this region have a lack of resources, a lack of employees and women face many other challenges, such as poverty, childcare commitments and male domestic dominance, with many men believing women shouldn’t be involved with business at all.

“The community asked for help from Voluntary Service Oversees and the International Citizen Service, who have a joint vision to end poverty, and who have arranged for a number of volunteer placements.

“I’ll be working with a team of about five people and will be helping with things like finance, business plans and digital marketing. We’ll also be holding a number of community action days to raise the profile of community enterprises in Iringa and will be visiting schools to engage with young people.”

Sanah said she was looking forward to the volunteer placement, though it would bring one major challenge – the language barrier. “I’m not expecting many people to be able to speak English, especially the host family I’ll be staying with, so I’m trying my best to learn some Swahili – with mixed results!

As part of her placement, Sanah has to raise £800, which goes towards supporting the work of the International Citizen Service.

She is already making good progress, taking part in several successful sponsorship events, including cycling from Bath to Stonehenge and back, busking in the city centre and organising music events at local pubs.

“If anyone could make a donation, however small, I’d be so grateful,” she said. “You will be making a real difference to the lives of people living in some of the world’s most disadvantaged areas.”