3 months in Nepal

I went out in 2017 January to volunteer with young people and develop their leadership skills as well as try working in a different environment to that which i am used to. I learned lots about the Nepali culture, cuisine, language and way of life. Living in a rural community for 6 weeks and trekking through the Ruby valley for 3 weeks are among the best experiences of my life.

In the community we worked alongside qualified masons and trainee masons to build earthquake resistant homes for the community. Who received the homes was decided within the community. I was lucky enough to develop a positive relationship with one of the recipients of a home. She and her family were also involved in the building and learning how to build an earthquake resistant home. Hopefully they will take this knowledge and the skills forward and help others build their own homes built to resist destruction from an earthquake.

Seeing the young people develop over the 3 months was wonderful too. Some arrived shy and under confident and as they left they had gained positive skills enabling them to find employment or increase their social circles. This could be anyone with the support Raleigh offers to all the volunteers.