Ross headed for voluntary work in Tanzania

HAVING interviewed others about doing voluntary work, an Edinburgh journalist is about to follow in their footsteps, by doing voluntary work in Africa for six months.

Ross Clark is bound for Arusha, in the north of Tanzania, where he will be helping local businesses with their growth development, for career break organisation, MondoChallenge.

Says Ross, who today leaves Edinburgh communications agency, Engage: “For years, I’ve interviewed people who have gone off to undertake these kind of assignments overseas; now it’s my turn.

“I started thinking seriously about doing something like this at the end of last year and as September marks ten years since my start in journalism, the timing was too good to resist.”

Ross began as a trainee under the editorship of David Bytheway at the Wee Country News in Alloa, where he spent three years before undertaking stints at the Aberdeen Evening Express and Centre Press news agency in Glasgow.

Three years ago, he moved into the world of corporate publications including for First ScotRail and LifeScan Scotland.

He leaves for Tanzania on Thursday, the morning after attending Scotland versus Netherlands in a crucial qualifying match for football’s World Cup.