Help Phortse School and Village survive the 7.8 earthquake in the Himalayas

NEW UPDATED GOAL - Less than 7 days before our planned departure the devastating earthquake has struck in Nepal. Our planned trip is on hold while we reschedule. The intention is to go in September/October when we hope infrastructure in Nepal will be able to cope and we can make our way to Phortse and make a real difference with our donations and energy. The original school was built by Sir Edmund Hillary in 1961 and we feel NZ has a strong sense of connection with Sir Ed's impressive and altruistic legacy and wish to see it continued. We don't know how much damage Phortse has sustained at this stage but some accounts from neighbouring villages is not good we think our help donations will be needed more than ever. From now on 100% of ALL DONATIONS here will go to Phortse. PLease give even small amount will be appreciated.

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Our original goals are below...

Using education to bridge the void between NZ and Himalayas is all about extending our kids and getting them to reach out beyond their square of comfort to touch the lives of needing children of the remote mountains of the Himalayas. What can our kids learn from this? Humility; understanding; the art of giving; a broadened outlook on the world and some important NZ history as well as the physical challenge of trekking in the highest mountains in the world.

How will the participating children from Central Otago benefit?

This project will take our children and help them to grow up with the values we wish them to possess as adults in our community. It will take them out of their safe cocoon and show them how the rest of the world lives but also show them that we can make a difference to the lives of others and that life is not all about taking but also giving. Giving brings colour and enriches our lives and shows our young ones there is more to life than owning possessions.

Why the Himalayas?

NZ has for many decades had a special relationship with this part of the world. Sir Edmund Hilary’s ascent of Everest alongside Sherpa Tenzing Norgay sowed the seed that has brought special meaning to this part of the world for everyday New Zealanders. Following the ascent of Everest and Sir Edmund’s subsequent dedication of much of his life to improving the education and facilities of the Sherpa people his name and that of NZ has been associated within Nepal touching many lives associating many of the values we wish our children to grow up holding dear.

How is this project going to help in the Himalayas?

Small and poor is how the village of Phortse has been described. It is a four day trek to Phortse from the nearest airstrip at Lukla for Phortse lies near to the top of the Solu Khumbu only 15 miles from Everest but is not on the direct route to Everest base camp. . There are no roads in the Solu Khumbu (The nearest road is 2 weeks south of Lukla airstrip) and so all things must come in by foot, pack animal or air. As Phortse is off the direct route to Everest Base Camp it misses out on the attention many other villages and their schools get. Our project seeks to raise funds to donate to the school for its use to provide better opportunities for its children. This project follows in the footsteps of an earlier expedition and donation to the school undertaken by the pupils of Cromwell College, Central Otago in 2013. We want to see how progress is going, contribute to its ongoing success and identify needs for the future.

When is it happening and how are funds being raised?

The journey is planned for May 2015 and will take 4 weeks from Departure to return. Fund raising will continue until departure. We already have donations to give to the school and our fundraising will start in November 2014. Children of the expedition will take part in any sort of activity we can identify within our community to raise funds but will be reaching out through “Give a Little” to ask for further donations. The tiniest amount to whatever you wish or can give will all be appreciated and the donations don't have to be $$ but can be goods or services. Everything will be gratefully received. Our aim is to make a significant donation to Phortse school that will make a huge difference to the kids at Phortse. To motivate and help us to get there a portion of the funds raised will be used to help the children towards their expedition costs. To share the money around we simply plan to donate a dollar to the school for each dollar each kid will receive