Cadets get a taste of Nepal as sherpa Dawa Geljen drops in
MACCLESFIELD fire cadets enjoyed a visit from a Nepalese sherpa.
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service welcomed Dawa Geljen who visited a team of 17 cadets and eight leaders, who are heading to Nepal in October 2017 where they plan to build classrooms for village children.
During his visit Dawa was introduced to the group, which included Ellie Bosworth, Charlotte Lord and Jack Maney, based at Macclesfield fire station, and spoke about his experiences as a Sherpa and what they should expect to face when they embark on a four and a half day trek to get to the village of Kangel in North East Nepal.
Nick Evans, community cohesion manager, said: “It’s been great for the cadets to meet Dawa and hear about his experiences. His visit has made the trip real and we remain determined to raise over £70,000 to enable us to renovate these classrooms for the students.
“The money will be used for flights and to buy all materials to build the six new classrooms and finish them to a good standard. The children need a better and safer place in which to learn and we can help with that. Dawa’s visit has been a great boost for us all.”
Dawa, 47, is a qualified mountaineering guide and trustee of Classrooms in the Clouds, an National Government Organisation working to build classrooms for village children.
He said: “It’s the second time that classrooms in the Clouds has worked with cadets and they are working really hard to raise money for a country and people that they don’t know. They will hopefully leave Nepal with a better understanding of different cultures and, most importantly, they will leave knowing that they have made a real difference to many lives.”