Two new projects announced by gap year company

Africa and Asia Venture (AV) has set up two new gap year adventures for school and university leavers.

A partnership between Rainforest Concern and the Endangered Wildlife Trust is inviting gappers to travel to the cloud forests of Ecuador to work alongside conservationists.

The other gap year abroad project involves assisting expert biologists in the protection and monitoring of leatherback turtles who come ashore to lay their eggs.

Andrew Mackenzie, AVs managing director, said that only four in 1,000 turtles make it to adulthood.

He added: "We want our gap year work in Latin America with Endangered Wildlife Trust to make a real and measurable difference in stopping the theft of turtle eggs, one that our volunteers will talk to their friends about at home."

Mr Mackenzie also said that fun is an essential part of the AV experience and it includes travel and a safari to ensure that volunteers get to see a bit of the world around them.

Gap year experts Year Out Group, of which Africa and Asia Venture is a founder member, commented that employers look keenly at skills that are gained from a well organised and beneficial gap year abroad.