Nepalese adventure for Arran pupils
Two Arran High School students are off on the adventure of a lifetime volunteering in Nepal.
Abbie Mckelvie of S5 and Bethany Walsh of S6 will be travelling to Nepal on Friday June 16 to volunteer and assist with two different and contrasting projects.
Working with Projects Abroad, the girls will be going to Ghandruk, a rural town in the Annapurna Mountain range in the Himalayas where they will spend two weeks volunteering on the Annapurna Conservation Area Project. This area is home to a wide range of species such as the Himalayan black bear, more than 122 species of flowering plants, leopards and many species of birds. This project focuses on sustainable development in the area. While there, the adventurous duo will be assisting in wildlife studies involving surveys and camera traps. They will also participate in rubbish clear ups and get to learn about the work the project is undertaking and the impact and importance of it.
They will then travel to the capital Kathmandu to spend a week in care centres to support the staff in teaching basic life skills, such as health and hygiene. During their visit to Kathmandu, Abbie and Bethany will be staying with a local host family which they hope will give them an insight into normal Nepali life and immerse them in the Nepalese culture.
As this experience is unpaid, the girls will need to cover the costs for flights, the Projects Abroad programme fee and vaccinations and, while they plan to contribute a significant portion of their own funds, they will hold two fundraising ceilidhs at Brodick Hall on Saturday April 8 and Saturday April 29 to which everyone is welcome.
If anyone would like to support them you can join them at the ceilidhs or donate at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/abbie-mckelvie or www.myprojectsabroad.org/fundraising/4wVnOk