An intrepid Aberdeen couple are to trek to one of the highest points on earth to raise cash for a charity cause close to their hearts.
Lewis Duguid and his fiancée Roshanna Bain have taken time out from their careers to travel around Asia and have spent two weeks in the small Nepalese village of Najing – a remote community in the Solukhumbu region of the mountainous country.
Now the pair will put on their hiking boots and make the long journey to the base camp of Mount Everest, earth’s highest mountain, at the start of November.
Mr Duguid, from the Bridge of Don area of the city, said they had already raised around £400 from generous friends and relatives but are looking to bring about £3,000 into the charity’s coffers.
He added that the funds raised would be ploughed back into the remote community providing vital medical supplies.
Miss Bain, who is nurse, said: “Lewis and I spent two weeks volunteering with Mountain Heart Nepal in Najing, which is a remote community within the Solukhumbu region of Nepal.
“We focused our efforts on teaching English in the local school and providing training in nursing skills at the local clinic.
“We were welcomed into our host family and they wasted no time in making us feel like family ourselves.
“I started my days working in the community clinic for a few hours.
“The clinic opened its doors a year ago and since the nearest hospital is at least a three hour trek away, it serves as the central medical hub for the surrounding three villages and their combined population of about 1500 people.
“The daily running of this clinic falls on the shoulders of three people: a health assistant who adopts the role of the doctor in the community, a midwife and a general assistant.
“Officially, the clinic is open six days a week from 10 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon, but the reality of the matter is that these people are on call basically 24/7.
“There is some government funding for the clinic (regarding elderly care and monthly vaccination checkups for mothers and their newborns), but there is a huge need for the community to come together when it comes to the wellbeing of others.
“The clinic and community gets by with what they have – sometimes by torchlight if the power cuts out – to treat the wide variety of cases.”
Miss Bain added: “Since the earthquake in April 2015, the land has become cracked in many places and when the monsoons come these cracks fill with water, causing devastating landslides.
“Many did move back as the situation has become safer, but will likely have to move again when the monsoons come again next year.”
Mr Duguid added: “We are now trying to raise as much funds as possible.”
To donate please visit:
https://www.ammado.com/community/179838
