DUBAI // Excited pupils are making their final preparations before travelling to Nepal to help build a primary school.
Eleven teenagers from the Innoventures Education school network will travel to a remote area in western Nepal as part of their Adopt a School initiative.
Colin Scicluna, of Innoventures Education, said that after months of planning the team was eager to make the trip.
“It took a while to get all the required approvals and health checks but now, in a few weeks, the team will be heading to Nepal,” Mr Scicluna said.
“This will hopefully be the first of yearly visits to Nepal to help with development.”
The primary school will have capacity for 100 pupils but will also serve as a community learning centre.
“Not only are the pupils going to be getting their hands dirty and help with construction, but an important element is the cultural exchange aspect,” said Mr Scicluna.
All team members will live with Nepalese families during their one-week stay.
“They will live as locals live, eat the food they eat and experience the culture first-hand,” he said.
“The community in Nepal will benefit from the school and our pupils will have the chance to broaden their horizons and experience what life is like for people who do not have the comforts they are fortunate to have.”
Fourteen people will travel, including the 11 pupils, aged between 14 and 18, from Dubai International Academy, Raffles World Academy and Raffles International School.
Three teachers will fly out with them on November 1 and return on November 7.
“They will be working two four-hour shifts each day to help create the school’s foundations,” said Mr Scicluna.
But it will not all be hard manual labour. Each day they will have morning yoga classes with the community and cultural exchange sessions in the afternoons.
Ananya Mirchandani, 15, an Indian pupil in Year 11 at Dubai International Academy, said her passion for helping others was the main reason she signed up.
“I’m looking forward to going to the country as I think it’s going to be a fantastic experience for us,” Ananya said. “It’s really important to try to help others and by building the school we are doing that.
“It’s going to be a big learning experience for me as well, as we will have to work as a team with people we don’t really know.”
Jacob Tullberg, 18, a Year 13 Swedish pupil also from the academy, said he was looking forward to understanding the culture of the village as much as building the school.
“When I was 11 we lived in India, so I got the chance to experience what life is like in another country and it was very interesting,” Jacob said.
“I really like to travel and meet new people from different backgrounds, and on this trip I will be actually living with a local family.”
This will be the second overseas project for Briton Matthew Cairns, 13, who is in Year 10 at Raffles International School.
“I did a community project with my family in Kenya in 2012 and it was a great experience for me,” Matthew said.
“I believe it’s very important to help people who are less fortunate than ourselves, because everyone has a right to an education, no matter what your circumstances are.”
Andrew Jennings, a teacher at Raffles World Academy, will be accompanying the group to Nepal.
“We had a shortlist of those who were going since June so it’s been a case of counting down the days until we leave for most of us,” Mr Jennings said.
“We’re looking forward to meeting the host families and experiencing and learning how they live.”
The project is in coordination with Dubai Cares and in partnership with US charity buildOn, which specialises in building schools.
“We’ve had briefings from buildOn and have been coordinating with them regularly over the last few months, and I think we are as prepared as possible for the work we will do,” Mr Jennings said.
nhanif@thenational.ae