Four students from the School of Engineering will set out 1 July on the 10,000 mile journey to the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar.
Organised through Go Help, the Southampton 2 Mongolia project intends to highlight the shortfall of emergency vehicles in the Central Asian country, vehicles which are often poorly maintained and ill-equipped.
The group– Callum Livingstone, George Tuckey, Will Sexton and Oli Hampden-Martin – is making the voyage in the ambulance that they will donate at the end of the trip.
Go Help is a UK registered charity that supports local communities in Central Asia in improving their access to education and healthcare services. Go Help operates Charity Rallies, an event platform which fundraises for charitable projects in Mongolia and Tajikistan by challenging people to undertake incredible adventures.
The funds needed were raised through Hubbub, the University’s crowdfunding initiative that helps students achieve ambitious cultural and educational projects through the donations of its students, staff and alumni. Past projects have included BranchUp, Environmental Panama and SUFST Silverstone.
Putting their engineering skills to work, the team will operate as their own mechanics, taking few tools in order to also carry items in need in Mongolia. These include shoes, coats and caps amongst other things that the group are still collecting and are available to see on their wishlist.
While the team have raised the majority of the funds they require to purchase the ambulance, make improvements and repairs, and to supply medical equipment for the vehicle there is still an opportunity to support them.
Follow their adventures on Facebook.