Louise Duncan Bursary

Commemorating the life and work of former minister, Louise Duncan, our eponymous bursary provides £500 to a young adult aged 17 to 25 (inclusive), living in or near Balerno, to help meet the cost of travelling out of Scotland to take part in voluntary work which has an aim of benefiting disadvantaged communities.

When they have returned home, recipients of the bursary are invited to the talk to the congregation, telling us about the experience the money has helped provide. In previous years we have heard from successful applicants who travelled to teach young children in Cambodia for two months and who went to Bolivia for a year-long placement with a human rights NGO.

Whilst the recipient of the 2025 bursary, Georgina Graham, is still in Honduras in her year long commitment to Project Trust activities there, we were delighted to be able to award the 2026 Bursary to Leela Kallat to help her with the cost of getting to Raleigh International Expedition in South Africa for seven weeks in (our) summer. More from Leela in her own words:

Raleigh International Expedition in South Africa

My name is Leela Kallat, I am 20 years old, and I have been successful with the Louise Duncan Memorial Travel Bursary. This summer I am travelling to Hoedspruit, South Africa to volunteer with Raleigh International for seven weeks. Hoedspruit is where I will be based for the duration of my expedition, it is in the remote northeast region of Limpopo and on the border of Kruger National Park. I will be living and working with a team of young people from different backgrounds and countries. 

My Raleigh expedition will include 2 phases, a community project or environmental work, and an adventure challenge. The community project is focused around finding sustainable solutions to issues such as poverty, low education and unemployment. We will be working closely with the local community by building vegetable gardens, playgrounds and essential infrastructure. We may have opportunities to help teach local children English. On the environmental project we will be assisting with invasive species removal, soil erosion control and data collection. We will also educate local communities about environmental issues with the aim to enhance and increase vocational skills for everyone. Finally, we will be trekking for 19 days through the Mpumalanga Drakensburg Mountains whilst gaining leadership skills.

These experiences are designed to push us out of our comfort zones including having a digital detox! During this time, we have no access to our mobile phones. We will only get them briefly between phases to connect with family and friends. Taking part in this expedition is important to me because it is a chance to challenge myself both physically and mentally and experience something completely new. Spending seven weeks away from home, living in a different country, and working with people I have never met before I hope will help me develop confidence and independence. On a personal note, I am hoping that taking part in this expedition will be life changing and be an exciting start to a new positive chapter in my life. I am looking forward to learning about a new culture, and I hope to have a better understanding of our world. Most importantly, I hope that the work we do will have a positive and lasting impact on the local communities and environments we are supporting in South Africa!

My Journey with Project Trust to Honduras

2025’s recipient, Georgina Graham, travelled to Honduras with Project Trust in September 2025 and will be sharing updates whilst away on Instagram at @georgina.in.honduras (Instagram account registration required).

6-Month Update from Honduras, February 2026:

A lot has changed over the past six months.

At the beginning, I was teaching Reading to 5th grade. That was my first proper roles at the school, and honestly it helped me get used to standing in front of a class and actually leading lessons. After that, things shifted quite a bit. I started teaching history to students from 7th all the way up to 12th grade. That was a big jump, especially because I was covering topics I hadn’t really studied before, like US history. It definitely pushed me to prepare more and explain things clearly, especially to different age groups.

I’m not teaching history anymore because I was only covering it temporarily. Now my role has changed again. Most of the time, I’m in the 1st grade classroom supporting the teachers throughout the school day. It’s completely different from working with older students. The younger kids have endless energy, and yes, they definitely tire me out. But they’re so sweet. Every day is kind of unpredictable, but there are always funny little moments that make it worth it.

I’m also helping the 11th graders prepare for their TOEFL exam. A lot of them want to study in places like the US or the UK, so this exam really matters for their future. Their English is really strong. It’s impressive how confidently they can express their ideas. I mostly try to help them practice as much as they can to feel calm and not panic on exam day.

My Spanish has improved a lot since I got here. I’m definitely more comfortable having conversations now, even if I’m not completely fluent yet. I understand way more than I did at the beginning, especially in conversations with just one person. Groups can still be a bit tricky when everyone talks fast, but overall I’m really proud of my progress. I’ve realised that confidence is just as important as knowing the words.

I also got the chance to travel to Guatemala in October, which was amazing and gave me time to reflect on how much I’ve grown since arriving.

Overall, there has been lots of variety, but each change has helped me grow in flexibility and confidence. I have enjoyed the first half, and looking forward for what is still to come!