My DofE experience was unlike anything that I had previously done. Our final expedition was in the Atlas mountains of Morocco. It was full of incredible experiences, like working in a mountain village to install mains water pipes, hiking through alien landscapes in the blistering heat, not to mention climbing the tallest peak in north Africa, Toubkal. However, as I'm sure HRH The Duke of Edinburgh would have intended it to be, it was not without its challenging moments. In hindsight however, I see the benefit of overcoming these hurdles and, in a broader sense, understand why the DofE program is so challenging. It teaches life lessons that cannot be learnt else where. For example, without experiencing the horrific living conditions of most of the population in Morocco, I would never have gained the sympathy to want to make a difference, and strive for equality across the globe, lifting communities from poverty. This effect, multiplied over all those who have participated and will participate in this scheme, is world changing.