AN adventurous duo from Pewsey are just seven months into a two-year volunteering project in Myanmar but they say this was one of the best decisions they have ever made.

Since September, Melani Oliver, 53, has worked with Civil Society leaders to encourage communities to get more involved in the democratic process and her partner Chris Stevens, 66, has been helping children with disabilities.

The intrepid pair, who are carrying out their work for international development charity Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), are loving every minute of their adventure and do not miss home in the slightest.

“It has been such a privilege and a highlight to travel around Myanmar to become introduced to some of their cultural variety and meet such incredible people,” said Ms Oliver, who is living with Mr Stevens in the city of Yangon.

“It was so worth coming out here. We do not watch TV, we do not have a kitchen, we only have cold water where we live and we do not eat dairy or bread as it is too expensive. We walk much more and just love our new lives.

“We honestly cannot think of anything we miss except family and friends but even then we are often in touch.”

This is not the first volunteering work the duo have done together, as for the last 18 years they have helped out at Glastonbury Festival, running a cinema tent.

“We rise at around 6.30am, with Melani getting a 45-minute bus journey to her job and I develop curriculums and training methods to help teachers include children with disabilities into their primary classrooms,” said Mr Stevens.

“Myanmar is on a road to democracy and is changing rapidly in many ways, some good and some not so good.

“However one has to remember that the country has had more than 50 years of a brutal dictatorship with an appalling record of human rights atrocities and therefore there is lots to change in terms of women’s rights, human rights and children’s rights.

“We are so pleased to be here for two years as we know now just how long change takes in a cultural and an economic climate that is so very different to our western experiences.”

Their daughter Harriet also spent several months doing voluntary work, however she took part in agricultural programmes and community action days in Cambodia, through the UK Government funded International Citizen Service (ICS) programme.