On 5th October 2007, I have organised an expedition for 14 trekkers to go to Everest Base Camp.  This trek was only an idea 15 months ago, and over this period I have put in a lot of effort to organise it, recruit the rest of the group to join me for this 18 days trek into Nepal and most importantly train and get into shape for it. 

Many of you may be aware of the work I have done in the past to help raise awareness and funds for a small international charity called Sense International which works exclusively to meet the needs of people who are both deaf and blind in developing countries.   One of my objectives at the outset when I started organising this trek was to target to raise £80,000 of funds as a group to support the very important work which I believe Sense International does. It was also my objective that the cost of this trek should be fully borne by the trekkers.

Can you imagine a world if you could not see or hear simultaneously?  How would you communicate?
 
Some facts about Deafblindness:

• There are an estimated 2.5 million deafblind people in the world today
• More than 3 out of 4 of the world’s disabled population live in a developing country
• Unlike the UK or USA, in most developing countries there are very few, if any, services for deafblind people or their families
• Fewer than 0.1% of deafblind people in developing countries are receiving the appropriate services
• In developing countries the mortality rate for children with disabilities is around 80%.  For deafblind children this figure is likely to be higher

Deafblind people in developing countries are among the most isolated of all disabled people in the world.  Almost all of them are denied their basic human right, receiving no support at all and often rejected by their own communities.  Sense International exists to do something about this.  Their aim is to ensure that all deafblind people, wherever they are, have access to advice, opportunities and support that will enable them to exercise their right to be full and active members of society.  For further information please go to www.senseinternational.org.uk.

And a tremendous amount can be done to help.  Home visits by local workers, funded and trained by Sense International, allow the deafblind children to develop their communication, mobility and daily living skills.  Sense International also set up special education units for the deafblind children and vocation training for young adults, offering advice and support for their parents and carers.  They help to create networks for deafblind adults to share their experiences and provide peer support so that integration back into the society is possible.

Here is an indication of how little funding is required to make a difference

• £25 could help teach East African parents how to communicate with their deafblind children
• £50 could help teach living skills to deafblind children and adults in rural communities in India
• £100 could provide vocational training for deafblind young adults in Latin America
• £1,000 could help pay for specialist training for the teachers of deafblind children in Romania
 
Thank you for your time. If you are able to help then I very much appreciate your support – Thank you.

Sunil Shah