A WOMAN who wants to raise awareness about homelessness will sleep rough to raise money for a trip to South Africa.

Analese Thomas-Strachan, of Gladesmore Road, Tottenham, will camp on the streets of Trafalgar Square during Thursday daytime, before moving to Piccadilly Circus to stay overnight.  

The 25-year-old is hoping to increase awareness of homelessness in the UK, along with raising money for her six month trip to South Africa in June, where she will teach children about HIV and AIDS.

She said: “I feel absolutely unprepared for my trip but I am sure it will all work out.

“I have done some cycling as part of my fundraising but was inspired to sleep on the streets to see life from the perspective of someone homeless and really understand how tough it is for someone living in poor conditions.

“Poverty is a worldwide problem and that is why I want to travel and help but at the same time, it’s also a big issue on our doorstep- particularly in London.”

She needs to raise £800 for the trip, which is partly funded by the International Citizen Service volunteering programme.

Analese is preparing for her new adventure, despite only returning from a two month trip to Brazil last month, where she visited a number of favelas.   

She said: “I had been working in Bristol as a mentor in a school but decided I wanted to go travelling by myself.

“I saved up and was able to visit New York, Canada and Arizona but it was Brazil that really stuck out and felt unreal for me as I had never been exposed to that level of poverty before

“I got to meet a lot of people who live in the slums, which felt like a film but it was real life and hard for me to get my head around.”

She admits she felt “really sad” by the life people were living over there but was surprised about their “positive” outlook on life.

Analese added: “The people were so warm and really lovely but there was such a massive split between the poor and the rich and no-one should live like that.

“People are just trying to make a living with what they have and they really need to be listened to and given a voice.”

During a night out in Brazil, she noticed a whole family, including the grandparents, were sitting on the streets but nobody acknowledged them or stopped to help.

Analese recalls this is what “triggered” her desire to help homeless people once she returned to London last month.

She said: “I feel like we have all become so desensitised to the whole issue.

“There is so much we can do but it goes beyond just throwing money at people, it is about actually talking to people and caring.

“In the western world, we like to go into other countries and pour in money but people do not know what to do with it. We do more than that and help people who want to learn more through giving them the skills to help in the long term.”

To donate, visit: www.justgiving.com/analesethomas-strachan