Nine Ararat College students are preparing to embark on the trip of a lifetime to visit Nepal next year.
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The students will spend three weeks in the country, where they will spend time working with in a village, hiking and exploring what the country has to offer.
A group of current year 10 and 11 students will make the trip at the end of the 2017 school year.
Not only are they organising everything – from accommodation, flights, travel plans and food – they are also raising money to cover the cost of the three-week visit.
Year 11 student Shakira Hurst said she was involved because she thought it was a good opportunity to help a community in Nepal.
“It is also great opportunity to travel before I go to uni,” she said.
“I have seen a lot of travel shows and have seen what Nepal looks like.
“Exploring different cultures will be a really good thing because it is really different.”
College teacher Chris Ellis will be travelling with the students, although he said he would only provide support, and they would still have to organise everything themselves.
“They are aiming to raise a significant amount to contribute to this project,” he said.
“They also have to organise the entire itinerary himself, and when we are in country the students are responsible for everything.
“I have full confidence that my students will be prepared, and I will equip them with the skills they need while they are there, having travelled with these students in the past.”
Mr Ellis said the students would organise car washes, sausage sizzles and night markets during the next 12 months.
The fundraising will start with a night market at the college gym from 4pm to 8pm Friday, November 10.
Thirty stalls, jumping castles and a train ride for children will be part of the opening effort to raise cash for the trip.
Mr Ellis said the entire program, including the fundraising, would give the students valuable skills.
“The reason students have chosen to be part of this program because it provides an experience that has not been available to kids in Ararat,” he said.
“They will travel to a developing country and gain leadership skills and travel skills.
“They will also complete a project with Tibetan refugees communities.”
After helping a village rebuild water systems and schools, which were damaged in a 2015 earthquake, they will then explore the Nepalese capital Kathmandu.
The final week will be spent on expedition along part of the Annapurna Trail, which is one of the most popular treks in the Himalayas.
