THEY WERE SMALLER THAN ME BUT SO MUCH STRONGER AND PHULMAYA AND SAMJHANA CARRIED MY BAGS AND THEIRS WITH EASE
Friends of the
HIMALAYAN CHILDREN
There ’ s nothing like a breakdown to help you sort out your priorities in life . In mid-2016 , Kirsty Nancarrow was unrecognisable to herself . She let go of a long career with the ABC , damaged by all of the years of stress and exposure to trauma . Kirsty needed to heal . So , not unlike many other people , she went to Nepal .
Kirsty had always meant to go at some point . Having worked with many Nepalese at a high-end Indian restaurant in London more than a decade before , she vowed to visit her friends back in their home country one day .
However , it was an interview Kirsty did with Som Tamang , the founder of Cairns-based charity Friends of Himalayan Children after the devastating earthquake in April 2015 that set the chain of events that would see her actually book a ticket and go .
Dealing with the raw grief of losing his brother in the earthquake , Som swung into action , mobilising Cairns locals to gather supplies and be part of a significant relief effort . Som made sure some of the more
remote , difficult to reach and hardest hit villages , including his own , Batase , had access to vital medical supplies , food and building materials so communities had shelter for the coming monsoon .
“ I was inspired to help but having experienced natural disasters in far north Queensland , I knew that I could be of more use down the track , when the initial influx of help wanes and people are still in need ,” Kirsty said .
So in late October 2016 , Kirsty flew alone to Kathmandu and embarked on a month teaching students at Batase School .
“ I had to get there first and I was pleasantly surprised when two young women from Batase met me to start the two-day trek to the village .
“ They were smaller than me but so much stronger and Phulmaya and Samjhana carried my bags and theirs with ease ,” she said .
The volunteer experience did wonders for Kirsty and she vowed to return within two years . So , when Som ’ s partner Susan Devitt asked for expressions of interest in a womenonly Everest Base Camp trek in September 2018 , through their other enterprise , Take On Nepal , she put both hands up .
Som and Susan have been supporting children in Batase for more than a decade , particularly focussing on girls , who are still vulnerable to child trafficking and early marriage . Through the charity , they have been given access to education and training to be runners and trekking guides so they can have a different future .
“ I am looking forward to reuniting with some of my female students who will now be my guides on a journey to one of the most breathtaking places on earth ,” Kirsty said .
The Women Only Everest Base Camp Trek is raising money to support young women in Batase village to access education and training to become trekking guides . Please email kirstynancarrow @ yahoo . com if you ’ d like to donate or visit www . f-hc . org for more information .
PLEASE EMAIL KIRSTYNANCARROW @ YAHOO . COM IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DONATE OR VISIT WWW . F-HC . ORG FOR MORE INFORMATION
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