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21 November, 2008
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By Hazel Lawson
Published: 27 June, 2008
AS thousands of pupils across Moray look forward to their long summer holidays, a group of teenagers from Milne's High School will be helping rebuild an orphanage in Vietnam.
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For the last 18 months, the 14 S6 pupils from Fochabers have been fund-raising for their four-week expedition, which includes a trek through the rain forest and visits to two of the country's national parks. Teachers Stuart Kennedy and Melany Messenger will be accompanying the youngsters on their trip of a lifetime. Mr Kennedy said the group's fitness meant they were able to undertake the tough conditions they would face in south east Asia. "This is fairly challenging and not something for everyone," he said. "They have been working on this since fourth year: fund-raising, the planning, getting it organised, collaborating and promoting team work and leadership. "It's all part of the experience." The party will get a final briefing on Monday before they leave the school. They will head off early for their morning flight from Aberdeen to Paris, then the 14-hour-long haul flight to Hanoi with only a brief stop off in Bangkok. During their first week they will be staying with families gaining a real insight into life in the communist country. They will travel to the centre of the country and spend their second week at the orphanage in Da Nang, rebuilding it as well as teaching and playing with the children. The work is part of a six-week project, with youngsters from across the globe, including the United States, Australia and England, helping renovate the orphanage. The Fochabers group will then travel to the south of the country for their third week, then back north for the final week before flying home. As part of the experience, the pupils will have to manage their budget, organise all travel connections and deal with problems while experiencing a completely different culture to their own. Mr Kennedy said: "They are going to see poverty on a scale they have never seen before, and they will have to manage themselves, especially when they are the guests in other people's homes. "They will be out of their comfort zone." The expedition is run by World Challenge, an organisation specialising in outdoor educational programmes in the UK and across the world. It promotes leadership and team working skills, self-motivation, confidence and consideration for others to those involved with their projects. |
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