A group of 13 friends from all over the world are coming together on a self-organised trip in Uttarakhand, Northern India to work in partnership with Dungri community and some friends at Doon School, to build a community training centre. Dungri village sits in a valley in the Himalayan foothills, an area that is fast becoming home to "ghost villages". Young people migrate to find work, often ending up in menial or illegal jobs and living in slums due to a lack of vocational training and education near their home villages. As parents become elderly, they too leave the village to be cared for by their children, and whole communities become "ghost" villages.

Three families in Dungri village have come together to donate a piece of their land for us to build a community training centre. Classes, workshops and cultural activities will take place there, with ongoing support from Doon School and a local alumnus who is working with the community Head to provide a long-term, sustainable future for them.

The centre will be 20 x 30 feet in size, and our group will assist local builders and masons to move materials to the site, then build the structure at the end of December this year!

We need to raise funds to buy the building materials and pay the local masons and builders (estimated at around £6,000 to £7,000 in total) and if we have any left over, we can provide extra funds towards the future building of toilets, kitchen and vegetable garden that will complete the training centre.

Myself, my partner Paul and my mother Kathryn are using this page to raise £3,000 of that total. It's a completely self-organised trip, with friends coming from Australia, Canada, Singapore and the UK! Your support is so much appreciated - thank you!