IN the aftermath of the Nepali earthquake earlier this year a group of women from Frensham, Dockenfield and Aldershot raised £4,711 for the relief work in a Nepali-themed charity dinner. Since then four of those ladies have travelled to Nepal to trek to a remote village to handover the funds.

The group consisted of Dr Claire Brooks, Dr Lesley Rosling, Alison Somers and Kalpana Gauchan – each travelling at their own cost. A demolished school in a remote village near the Tibet border which had not yet received any help was identified by Trailblazers Travel in Kathmandu, via connections made by Kalpana’s husband, Khim Gauchan, an ex-Gurkha Major.

It was with trepidation that the four departed, they knew they would have an adventure of a lifetime but they did not feel physically or mentally fit enough prepared to witness the devastation.

When the team arrived at Shree Singarche School (2,100m above sea level) the children were waiting to greet them with garlands made of marigolds. They met the headteacher and her three colleagues and were shown around the temporary school made from corrugated iron with open sides to the elements.

There are five classrooms for the 85 students from four to 14 years old. The number was higher but many moved away following the destruction. The children danced for the visitors and sang a song which translated as “the earthquake has destroyed our school but we won’t let it destroy our education”.

Lesley said: “The people were so welcoming and ‘Namaste’ greeted us everywhere. We were invited to tea in every village we passed. It was humbling to witness their determination and cheerfulness. We walked past giant cracks in the earth and multiple landslides. A glorious, new white Buddhist temple built by one village was destroyed yet the villagers bore no grudge and declared it an act of nature.”

The £4,711 raised is almost enough to completely rebuild the school in stone. While on the trek they came across a devastated school in another village, Listi (2,300m above sea level). The 200 secondary school students walk for up to two hours to attend school. The team is planning a fundraising event in January in Aldershot to support this additional school.

Free training was provided by Nuffield Gym in Farnham, and patients of Southlea Group Practice knitted more than 100 woolly hats for the school children as winter approaches. St Mary’s School in Frensham donated educational materials and books and Reverend Jane Walker from St Mary’s Church in Frensham plans to make a permanent link with the school following the fundraising by the local parish.