Taylors' Boys Raise Remarkable Sum for Nepalese School

During the course of their time in Nepal, the team worked in a local school in the Patan district of Kathmandu. Each morning, pairs of boys taught a succession of English, Maths and Science to the primary and secondary students of HVP Balkumari. The experience has given them a lasting connection to the school and to the young people of Nepal, as well as unforgettable memories. They understood what it meant to be a volunteer teacher and to give something back in return: to travel with purpose.

Wanting to leave a lasting legacy, together they have come together to raise an extraordinary amount of money, a total of £7537.60.

The boys secured donations from family and friends who really believe in the transformative power of education. One or two boys found more unusual ways of fundraising. Come this time last year, you might have found Jacob R. (U6) sitting at a small portable table in Trafalgar Square, challenging passers by to a game of chess in return for a contribution to the fund.

The money will be shared between HVP Balkumari and its sister school in the Kathmandu Valley, HVP Thali. It will enable a refurbishment of half all classroom desks across the two schools, which means the HVP students will feel everyday the benefit of their efforts. The principals of the two schools – Mr Raj Kumar and Mr Vishnu Danghi (who visited Merchant Taylors' in March) – have already expressed their gratitude on behalf of the schools and hope that when the next expedition comes to Nepal in July 2026, they will see the new desks in action. They may very well be teaching from one side of them.

Very well done to the expedition team of 2024 and my huge thanks to each of them. I hope that several of them will return to Nepal as independent volunteers when they are a bit older. They know a very warm Nepalese welcome awaits them.

Mr Hilton-Dennis