The 23 Trekforce volunteers have set up their camp at Turtle Mountain.

After completing their 10-day training, they will be constructing a rangers station at the southern boundary of Iwokrama forest.

The lodge will serve as a base for rangers monitoring the traffic on the newly improved road to Brazil through the nature reserve, officials said.

During this period the 18-24 year-olds will camp in the rainforest close to the construction site.

"Here they will learn all the basic jungle survival skills. The volunteers will have to dig their own well for drinking water, and there will be no tents.

KIT check: volunteers checking kits at camp.
"The volunteers will sleep in hammocks under banshas," explained Ian Craddock of Trekforce.

"Apart from the equipment they carry on them, the volunteers will have to use whatever they find in the forest to build the base camp", he said.

To ensure that every participant was equipped with the right material, four Trekforce leaders carried out a thorough kit check after the group arrived at Iwokrama last week.

The participants are only allowed to include certain items in their kit, such as no more than two t-shirts and trousers, three pairs of socks, a cutlass, penknife, torch, hammock and water bottle.

"While a kit check is important to ensure everyone is carrying what they should, this is only half the story," said Mr. Craddock.

"It is also paramount that the volunteers can handle themselves in the wild."

The jungle training will prepare the volunteers for some of the challenges ahead, and will include lessons in cutlass-use, camp-building, river crossings, fire-making and knowledge of local flora and fauna.

"Coming from the cold British winter into the hot rainforests can be quite a shock to the system. In addition, the environment is very unfamiliar to the volunteers.

"For many of them, going into the jungle is fulfilling a life's dream", said Craddock.

Emma Gilbert, 18, from London said: "Coming here is a completely new and amazing experience to me. Usually I am not much of a nature person, but I am overawed to be in Iwokrama."

The volunteers had to raise money for the trip on their own.

"In order to fund this trip, I had to work three jobs at the same time. But all the sweat was worth it," said Emma.

Some volunteers collected the money by carrying out imaginative fundraising initiatives.

Sara Williams, 18, showed extra determination to join the expedition.

She raised about US$3,000 of the total US$3,700 by doing a 1.8 mile sponsored swim in her local swimming pool.

"This distance is equivalent to the height of Mount Roraima", Sara explained.

But she does not regret the effort.

"It is even better here than I thought it would be, everything is very well organised and the surroundings are beautiful".

The expedition is UK charity Trekforce's first project in Guyana, though the organisation has been working on conservation projects in Central America and South East Asia for more than 12 years.

Planning for another expedition in May is already under way.

"Guyana was chosen because of its fantastic nature, large parts of which are still unspoiled, and the type of work which can be done here.

"In addition, a lot of young Europeans are interested in travelling to South America", Craddock said at a news briefing at the Iwokrama office in Georgetown last month.

"When we saw information about Iwokrama, everything seemed to fall into place. Guyana seems more than perfect for our organisation", he added.

Dr. Kathryn Monk, Director General of the Iwokrama Centre said: "We are very pleased to be co-operating with Trekforce on this project. They do not only come with the expertise, but also with a lot of hands to offer practical help.

"The new rangers station on the southern boundary will help our rangers to monitor the traffic on the newly improved road through the Iwokrama preserve."

The Iwokrama Programme is a collaborative initiative of Guyana and the international community, led by the Commonwealth, and is governed by an International Board of Trustees that includes Guyanese and international representatives.

Dr. Monk has said that Iwokrama is one of the few organisations actually practically demonstrating how tropical rain forest ecosystems can be sustainably utilised and conserved, making a substantial contribution to the development of people.