Supporting rural communities through YFC can reach far beyond the local village, extending across counties and even to other countries.
Earlier this year, good friends Alison Balsdon and Katie Grist from Devon jumped at the chance to help develop community gardens and support children at a care centre in Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley.
Inspired by friends who had been on a similar trip to Kenya with YFC Travel, they were both keen to take part in a future excursion.
Katie, a teacher, grew up on her family’s beef and sheep farm and felt the Nepal trip was a natural fit.
“I've never been in a country with such a different culture. Probably the main thing for me was seeing farming and education in a different country – and being able to share what I do in the UK.”
Alison, a council planning officer, was also eager to immerse herself in a different culture and give back to a more diverse community.
“I don't work on a farm. I'm not a practical worker. But I was keen to get involved and have that experience.
“I have travelled quite a lot but always to countries with a similar culture to ours. I have never fully immersed myself in a different culture and I really wanted to do that. Through a volunteering trip, you get to experience that first hand. On holiday you just see the touristy areas, whereas in Nepal we got to meet local organisations that you wouldn’t normally meet, and work with the children in the schools. I really wanted to give back to the community.”
The pair were amazed by the bustling city and how every scrap of land was used for food production.
“It was amazing,” said Alison about her experience. “The streets are constantly busy. Something's always happening. I was interested in the built environment – there was never a space that's not used. Land there is so expensive that they literally grow anything, wherever they've got any space in their gardens.
“I didn't have any preconceptions before I went and that really gave me the chance to just accept the experience for what it was and take in every part of it.”
The pair were joined by 10 other YFC members on the trip, which is organised by Projects Abroad for NFYFC. The group spent a week at the care centre planting, weeding, harvesting and being involved in workshops. The second week was spent working alongside a local farmer, helping him and his family develop and maintain the farm.
“The children in the school loved looking at photos of farms back in the UK. We took English books with us and read with the younger children and I was amazed at how well they read,” said Katie.
“Any form of education in Nepal has to be paid for – even if you’re not in a private school. Your job prospects are much higher if you speak English.”
In April of 2015, Nepal suffered a catastrophic earthquake which affected the entire region, destroyed many old buildings and temples as well as affected the lives of millions of people. While the country is rebuilding, volunteer experiences such as this YFC one can have a huge impact on communities.
While in Nepal, Alison learned she had earned her chartered status after five years working on a degree apprenticeship.
“It’s an amazing achievement for me to have done that. Yet I realised how privileged I was to gain that kind of qualification in the UK. There are so many more opportunities in the UK compared with Nepal,” said Alison.
“It’s easy to slip back into your normal life when you get home. I wasn’t looking forward to going back to work, but I realised how some people in Nepal might feel very fortunate to have my job and there I was moaning about it! So, I think it gave me that perspective.”
After spending two weeks in reasonably cramped living conditions Alison also appreciated returning to her home where she lives alone.
“In Nepal a lot of people live with their parents and look after their elderly family and they're living in a much smaller space than I am. I try to remember how privileged because I was born in this country.”
Returning to life in the British countryside was also welcomed by Katie who said it was easy to “take what you have for granted” in the UK.
“The biggest thing for me was breathing in some fresh air! Kathmandu was so polluted and coming home and just having fresh air was amazing. And, being able to get water out your tap if you want a glass of water,” said Katie.
Taking part in a volunteering trip can be costly so Alison and Katie decided to use their vocal talents to help fund their experience by forming a country music duo. The pair already spent a lot of time together through YFC activities such as Tug of War and Performing Arts, which had cemented their friendship.
“Towards the end of last year, I think it was quite usual for me and Katie to spend seven evenings a week together for competitions practice or training,” laughed Alison.
“We have both always had a keen interest in singing. I grew up doing grades in school and Katie's grown up in a musical family. We’ve been involved in Performing Arts competitions for a while. and we both competed in choir together.”
Calling themselves Country Harmonies, they started advertising to perform at YFC events, shows and even weddings.
“We sang at a farm shop fun day, a village fete and Devon County show. We’ve also had our first wedding booking! The money we raised went towards funding the trip,” said Katie who described their music as acoustic in style.
“I think we definitely want to carry on with it,” said Alison. “We'll just upload videos from some of the performances we've done recently onto our social media so that people can see what sort of things we do.”
With a new singing sideline and a heap of memories from their experience in Nepal, Katie highly recommends a volunteering experience to others.
“I don't think there's anything quite like these trips where you are put into such a different culture and work alongside people in the country,” she said.
Alison added: “Young Farmers provides the opportunities and gives you the confidence to go for it. I don't think I'd have ever gone to Nepal without YFC.”
For more information about Country Harmonies visit here.
Find out more about this year’s volunteering trip to Sri Lanka.
