Ian and Chris, both doctors, have been sponsoring Hilda for over eight years through ChildFund Australia. The couple says: “Once we had children of our own we wanted them to relate to a child of their age and sex that they could help.”
After much consideration the family decided it was about time they met the beautiful young girl that they had been corresponding with for so long. Ian and Chris wanted to give their daughters, Zarli, 9, and Xabby, 7, an opportunity to experience firsthand “how many people in the world live and why they should help others less fortunate”.
The family of four met ChildFund staff in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. Together they travelled about three hours through steep mountains and dusty roads to get to the village where Hilda and her family live.
The first stop was to her school where they were greeted by the elementary school students waving Honduran and Australian flags. It was here they saw Hilda and her family for the very first time. The Dickinsons were the first foreign visitors the school had ever hosted and excitement was visible on all of the children`s faces as they sang and performed dances.
At Hilda’s school, Zarli and Xabby began to notice some big differences from their life in Australia. “It is interesting how all the children fit in one classroom. In my school we have individual classrooms for the different school grades,” says Xabby. “Here, you have one classroom for all the different school grades.”
Zarli adds: “It is very impressive to know they walk long distances to attend school.”
In the months prior to their trip, the Dickinsons had gathered school supplies from friends and family to bring for Hilda`s classmates. They really could not have brought a better gift for the children, who were very impressed with their generosity.
The family continued their visit through Hilda`s community. “I must admit I was shocked about the poverty endured by Hilda and her family,” Chris states. Even the girls started to realise to a larger extent how different their lives were when asking about Hilda`s toys. Zarli and Xabby were very excited to give Hilda and her family all the things they had collected for them. They quickly handed them out and proceeded to explain how certain things were meant to be used.
When it was time to go to lunch, the girls walked hand in hand – it was hard to separate them to get in different cars!
The two families had to travel two hours away to reach the nearest restaurant. When finally they arrived, the Dickinson girls couldn’t be happier to reunite with their new friends. This was also the first time Hilda´s family had left their small village so everything was new and exciting for them.
29-year-old Matthew from Western Australia has set himself an incredibly ambitious goal – to climb the Seven Summits and raise money for charity with each of these incredible climbs.
The Seven Summits are the highest mountains in each of the world`s seven continents, a challenge certainly not for the faint-hearted!
Matt began with Mt Elbrus in July 2014, the highest mountain in Russia and considered one of the world`s most deadly peaks. Mt Elbrus sits a daunting 5,642m above sea level, on the border of Asia and Europe. Its snow-capped peak makes this five-day climb a challenge for even the experienced climber.
Having climbed peaks in Nepal including trekking to Everest Base Camp, Matt had some experience but to conquer Mt Elbrus he had to devise a serious training schedule. You could often find Matt in the gym twice daily or stair-training with his trekking pack firmly hoisted on his back. After a gruelling six months and only-after purchasing all essential equipment, including thermals and some heavy-duty boots for the snow, was he ready to take on Elbrus!
At 4am on 15 July, Matt set off for his climb from base camp at 3,700m above sea level to the summit of Mt Elbrus at 5,642m. “The weather came in so I was stuck in a snow storm. We were glad we made it to the top under the dangerous conditions but were keen to get down before it became too dangerous. It was so cold that most of our camera batteries froze and did not work.”
Matt was a man of few words at the end of his climb; perhaps a sign of exhaustion after what has been a massive 2014 so far. “It was tough but we got there!”
But climbing all seven summits is only half of the challenge for Matt, and fellow climber Nik. “We want to raise awareness of struggling children in developing countries as we are so lucky to be a part of developed nations and it is up to us to be able to use our resources available to help those less fortunate than us,” Matt says.
Prior to departure, fundraising was at the forefront of their minds with the pair eager to support children in Laos and help clear unexploded bombs leftover from the Vietnam War that cover much of Laos` countryside.
Matt and Nik knows how important their fundraising is clearing land in northern Laos means communities, with ChildFund`s support, can make way for new schools, play areas and farmland, and most importantly prevent injuries and even death from bomb accidents.
Matt and Nik raised an incredible $3,882 which means over 80,000m2 of land can be cleared.
The trekker`s fundraising was truly a group effort with much of the funds raised through their work. Matt`s work team even got involved by collecting coins on the weekends. “I really need to thank the residents and the ALC team at Barrow Island, my friends and family for their support, my wife and son for letting me go and Funky Trunks for sponsoring us and giving us merchandise to use to raise funds.”
Matt`s next challenge is our very own Mt Kosciuszko on 7 February 2015. He`ll be inviting others to climb with him. We can’t wait to hear all about it!
ChildFund Australia would like to say a big thank you to Matt, Nik and their entire trekking team for their amazing commitment to raising funds to help children living in poverty in Laos.
