Bassingbourn students finally get to Malaysia after two-year fundraising mission
BVC students with those from a Burmese school in Malaysia. Picture: BVC - Credit: Archant
Former Year 11s at Bassingbourn Village College have travelled to Kuala Lumpur where they worked with Burmese refugees, and trekked in the Cameron Highlands.
Organised as part of a world challenge, BVC students headed to Malaysia. Picture: BVC - Credit: Archant
The teentook part in the Malaysia trip, organised by the school, and accompanied by teachers Jude Shortt and Rachel Ward.
Fundraising for the trip took place over two years with the then students raising the cash through car washing, babysitting, bag packing at Tesco, waitressing, quiz nights, stalls at village fairs, odd jobs and selling prized possessions on ebay.
Ms Shortt said: “It was a truly life changing experience for the whole team. The students worked so hard to make a lasting impact on the lives of this school community and should be so proud of their achievements which left a lasting footprint of their visit.”
For their trek in the Cameron Highlands, complete with tea plantations and rainforests, the students were responsible for sourcing their own transport and accommodation, as well as planning the trek itself. Their resilience and determination was rewarded with a white water rafting experience on the Kampar River – a journey punctuated by laughter and wetness.
Katie Myerscough with a youngster in Malaysia. Picture: BVC - Credit: Archant
Katie Myerscough said: “It was definitely a rewarding experience. From learning to budget to valuing my life back home, it changed my perspective on the way I live and strengthened my belief in my abilities.
“The Cameron HIghlands were a particularly memorable experience, as we were able to explore virgin rainforest that gave each one of us a very immersive view of the extensive wildlife and vegetation that Malaysia had to offer.
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And Tom Nussey added: “The high point of the trip was spending time with the large group of Burmese refugees, of varying ages - from 6 to 70, during our stay in Kuala Lumpur. We spent several days teaching the children. We each had our own class and were tasked with delivering a structured set of lessons, which proved to be both rewarding for us and useful for the children involved. It was useful to talk to people our age from a completely different culture.”
In other BVC news, students swapped their uniform for denim as they took part in Jeans for Genes Day. Not only did they raise more than £450 for the charity, staff and students also raised awareness for the cause.
