If the true meaning of Christmas for you is helping the others, this year World Expeditions offers the opportunity to help rebuild a school in Nepal that was destroyed by the catastrophic earthquakes that shook the country last spring.
Part of World Expeditions’ ‘Re-Build Nepal’ programme, which combines a series of community projects with trekking trips, the 16-day ‘Re-Build Nepal’ Christmas Project: Kshamawati School & Annapurna Trek for Families is specifically designed for families with children from eight years old. It departs on 21 December, spending the first five days within the Suspa Kshamawati community, in the Dolakha district of northeastern Nepal, helping with the reconstruction of their school. No specific skills are required and all materials and equipment will be provided onsite when the families in the village.
It is estimated that 78 per cent of the population in this region are illiterate and World Expeditions has already been assisting the school since 2013, working on the construction of a residential hostel for the students.
People in this region face the challenge of limited access to education and the Kshamawati Higher Secondary School has 470 students enrolled, from infant to year 12. The hostel that travellers will be helping build will allow students to reside at school during the week, having a positive impact on school attendance.
When the earthquakes struck last April the hostel was at the foundations stage and thankfully was mostly left intact, however the school buildings were flattened. Naturally, our support will continue, only now our focus will primarily be to help with the reconstruction of the classrooms.
Following the project work, the small group of families (16 people maximum) will take a four-day trek into the Annapurna foothills, passing through traditional Hindu villages, oak and rhododendron forests and alpine meadows for spectacular views of the Annapurna Range.
Seven Community Projects have been announced so far as part of the ‘Re-Build Nepal’ programme, which will be funded through a combination of voluntary donations from participants and the World Expeditions Foundation Nepal Earthquake Appeal.
World Expeditions has been offering treks in Nepal for 40 years and, at the time of the earthquake, it had 15 groups travelling in the country and the surrounding regions, including Kathmandu, Everest, Annapurna and Tibet.
Re-Build Nepal’ Christmas Project: Kshamawati School & Annapurna Trek for Families
Joining Kathmandu: 21 December 2015 - 05 January 2016
16 days, including five-day community project and four day trek.
Suitable for children from eight years old.