Wey Valley School pupils help Nepal community hit by devastating earthquake
A LIFE-CHANGING trip to Nepal has seen students take on a gruelling trek and carry out community work in areas hit by last year’s earthquake.
Wey Valley School students spent three weeks in Nepal in December.
The group has been raising money to pay for the trip over the last 18 months as well as working to improve their fitness and stamina for the trek.
The group undertook the Poon Hill trekking circuit over eight days before heading to the village of Raipali to carry out community work.
Karen Edgeley lead the expedition and she explained just how challenging the trek was.
She said: “On arrival in Nepal, the team undertook the challenging eight day Poon Hill trekking circuit in the Annapurna region. The route was extremely challenging for the first two days as the group continually walked uphill to the village of Gohrepani.
“Although each day involved early starts, as early as 4.45am, the trek was very rewarding with fantastic sunrises and the views of Poon Hill, and the beautiful mountains of Mount Dhaulagiri, Machhapuchhare and Nilgiri to name but a few.
“The team stayed at chilly but beautiful tea houses and experienced traditional Nepalese cooking and hospitality.”
Alongside the trek the team developed community projects in Nepal’s remote region of Okhle and to develop community links developed through previous expeditions with the surrounding villages and Bayapani School.
The group stayed for seven days in and around the village of Raipali and got to see the completed water tank started by Wey Valley Students in 2013.
The visit to the secondary school saw the group join in singing, dancing and taking part in a game of football with a donation of school shirts and toys made to the local nursery.
Mrs Edgeley said: “During the last year, the Wey Valley School raised £1,800 for the the Nepal earthquake appeal which we donated through the Okhle Trust to these local villages.
“It was humbling to visit the areas that had been damaged but also heartening to see the rebuilds.”
The trip was rounded off with a visit to Kathmandu.
Mrs Edgeley said she was ‘”very proud”‘ of the group for all their hard work before and during the trek.
Yeah 11 pupil, Sam Anstey described the experience.
He said: “Nepal was absolutely amazing, it was one of the best things that I have ever experienced in my life.
“The trip was such an eye opener and a life changing opportunity for me, right from seeing how people have to live their lives with very little at all but are still so happy and lead a nice community based life.”
News Source: dorsetecho.co.uk
