Dear All,

In September 2010, myself and group of fellow students from Oxford University, will be travelling to Kullu Manali, India to teach English at the ‘Himalayan Buddhist Cultural School’ (HBCS). 

The school is located in the foothills of the Himalayas and provides education to 250 pupils aged 4-16. Were it not for the school, these pupils would be deprived of an education, since they come from poor families living in remote mountain areas, which are a couple of days of travel away from the local schools. HBCS kindly provides board and lodging to the pupils for 10 months a year, saving them this trouble.

Despite CarEducation Trust’s best efforts with HBCS, currently the school is a dilapidated building with no proper dormitory facilities or bathrooms. There is only cold running water on the premises, and the pupils have to walk 4km once a week to have a bath in hot springs. The dormitories are small and cramped, consisting of metal frames and wooden boards covered only by thick sheets.

CAREducation Trust wants to establish a safe, healthy and nurturing environment for the pupils of HBCS.  As such, it is in the process of constructing a new purpose built school and accommodation, which will officially be inaugurated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama early next year. The complex will allow over 400 pupils to board during term time and provide excellent educational and recreational facilities, greatly improving the experiences of the pupils. The construction is almost complete thanks to the donations of around £280,000 by CAREducation Trust, however, in order to ensure that the project is seen through to the very end (including furniture for the buildings and educational resources for the children), we need your help.

During our trip, my team and I will be participating in a sponsered four-day trek through the Himalayas, in order to raise money for this worthwhile cause. For anyone who knows me, it is undeniable that this is an experience far out of my comfort zone, and in return, the children of the school and myself would be most grateful if you could sponser me. 

Please note, they money collected for the sponsored trek will NOT go towards covering my personal travel or accommodation expenses, and will go directly to the school.

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