This summer, alumna and international humanitarian Linda Cruse, led a 16-day trip to Nepal where a team of Sixth Form students set about helping some of the poorest people in the world.

The girls spent time in Kathmandu before visiting a remote village in the Himalayas. They worked in pairs to visit families, with interpreters, to identify those most in need. They then had to decide, as a group, where they could have most impact. Careful budgeting followed as the team then decided how best to support families sustainably. Next they headed off and bought goats, tools, chickens, cooking utensils, seeds and even a dairy cow which they delivered themselves to the villagers.

The team also unearthed urgent medical cases leading to nine villagers being transported to the city hospital in Kathmandu. These included a father with uncontrolled epilepsy, who could not even afford the bus fare to see a doctor, and a young mum who received urgent medical care for an incisional hernia that was about to strangulate. 

There was also a family living very precariously in a hut under constant threat of a mud slide that the girls were determined to help. Unfazed by these added challenges, and to meet these unforeseen costs, they set up a Just Giving page and raised an additional £3,000 in less than five days.

In a jam-packed schedule the trip also included a visit to Setu Nepal – www.setunepal.org – an incredible organisation which helps women with HIV, and Maiti Nepal – www.maitinepal.org  – who rescue between 3,000 to 4,000 trafficked women and children each year.

The girls even had a private audience with HE David Morris, British Ambassador in Nepal, who provided a unique insight into international development work done by the UK Government.

It was an experience this group of students will never forget. As Linda Cruse said, “The girls cried tears of sadness and joy together as they witnessed the harshness of life and then recognised the incredible power they have to help. At just 17 years old, they have given these families a real ‘hand up’ and left a lasting legacy.”

www.lindacruse.com

Photo by www.tomascohenphoto.com