I'm going back to Nepal in November!! (Cover photo taken from first trip in 2014)

Please will you help children in the Solokhumba region of Nepal get a chance at an education, to give adults (particularly females) a chance to work as teachers, and in doing so encourage me to keep on trekking for almost two weeks during a trip to Nepal?!

It has been 11 years since I first visited Nepal, 10 years since I last went. (the photos in the gallery are from the second trip) It is a country that very quickly captured my heart, that I think about often, and have long wanted to go back to. My health and then the pandemic all got in the way before. But now I have the opportunity to go back, and more than that, to go with a close friend and show her this country I love, while also seeing the incredible work that Classrooms in the Clouds does, supporting education for Nepalese children to give them the best start in life. Education is something we in the West take for granted - it is our right to go to school (even if we don't want to as kids!) Others are not so lucky.

Those who know me well will know that I am not as prepared for this trip as I should be, in the way I often am with challenges I sign up for, and I am also a very slow walker! But I am also very determined and I know I will do this. The trek is being led by an amazing person Dawa who I am lucky to call a friend, and there will be a group of about 15 in total doing it from 4 different countries. I am 100% sure I will be the largest, the unfittest, the slowest! But that will not stop me. I am the tortoise not the hare!

The details of where we will be going and what we will be seeing are below. Part of the trek I have done before, part of it will be brand new to me. I am most excited about seeing the work that Classrooms in the Clouds does, and talking to the locals. At one point in my life I had hopes of living in Nepal and, while that ended up not happening, this will be a tiny slice of what could have been.

This is a charity that means a lot to me. Classrooms in the Clouds supports children in the mountainous Solukhumbu region of Nepal by building earthquake resistant classrooms, sponsoring and training teachers and running initiatives to tackle gender inequality in education. All donations are hugely appreciated and will be well spent at grassroots level, helping to improve educational outcomes and break the cycle of poverty. Please consider leaving your contact details when making your donation so we can acknowledge your kind contribution.

Read more here www.citcnepal.org

Thank you x

The trek

We will start our journey in the lower SoluKhumbu region where we will have a unique experience of Nepal, away from the crowds, in an area that relies heavily on agriculture for its income. We will see first-hand, the challenging existence the people have here, and experience their amazing hospitality. During this part of the trip, we will visit four schools supported by Classrooms in the Clouds, where we will have the opportunity to see the projects and meet some of the CITC staff who make it happen. We will also be able to hear from the local communities about the difference these projects are making to their lives.

As we progress up the course of the Dudh Khosi river we will find our walking legs and acclimatise, preparing us for the second part of the trek. Here the route will get busier as we join the famous Everest base camp trail and progress up the valley to Namche Bazaar, also known as the Sherpa capital. We shall spend a whole day here, taking in the exceptional views of the mountains, including Mount Everest, and experience this vibrant town.

Returning to the village of Lukla for the finale to our trek, we will visit Lukla Basic school. This is the location of CITC’s most ambitious project yet, including 6 classrooms, a learning hub and new toilets. Again, we will get the opportunity to meet school staff and the local community to understand the importance of the work that CITC supports. Finally, we will return to Kathmandu for a farewell celebration before returning home.