I went to Nepal in September 2015, a few short months after two earthquakes had devastated that beautiful country. Whilst the earthquakes destroyed buildings and flattened towns it did not destroy or flatten the people. I visited villages, I visited an Orphanage, I met locals making a difference – providing art therapy, forming work gangs cleaning out houses, making them safe to live in. I became friends with some kind hearted, passionate people doing what they could to get Nepal back on its feet.

I also met people from other parts of the world who had come to lend a helping hand. I stayed at the same hotel as a small team of builders from Sweden, they went from village to village fixing buildings – we would spend each evening comparing stories, I was inspired by them, we became friends. They would arrive in a village and ask what needed to be done and almost without exception that first request was “can you fix our toilets” – so they did. You may not know that many of the villages have homes without a toilet, they share community ammenities.

To this day, four years on from those earthquakes, many towns and villages still do not have adequate sanitation, so it has been a goal of mine to return to Nepal with a group of strong, young (and even maybe not so young), enthusiastic builders, plumbers, engineers, men and women, to engage in some much needed work. My idea is to take no more than half a dozen people and spend a couple of weeks going from village to village, working hard for that period and then taking a few days following to have some fun, perhaps do an easy hike, do a bit of mountain biking, for those up to it, and absorb some Nepalese hospitality.

From the viewpoint of financing the project we will hope to have some funding for air-fares, accommodation and the purchase of some tools while we are there, through a combination of corporate sponsorship, GoFundMe and private sponsorship, so that you’re not completely out of pocket. The best time to visit Nepal is generally from May to October, although we will be guided by our Nepalese hosts. We would therefore envisage not travelling until May 2020 at the earliest.

My friends in Nepal will look after us – we will work hard but we will live well. If that interests you, then make contact with me. I can guarantee one thing – visiting Nepal will change your life.