Namaste! Hello! And thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page :)

My name is Kristina Hagen, and this summer I will be leading the Durham University Charities Kommittee (DUCK!) expedition to the Himalayas.

The charity we will be working with on the ground in Nepal, Future For Nepal, is absolutely fantastic. The charity was set up by a Durham graduate who was so inspired by his own experiences having traveled to Nepal during his gap year, witnessing not only the extreme poverty in which many Nepalis live (82% live on less than $2 a day), but also being touched by the kindness and generosity of the people in spite of their poverty, that he decided to do something.

Future For Nepal works mainly to support children and to promote education. The charity sponsors a number of children, spread across various schools in the Kathmandu valley, but also funds a number of other projects. One such project funded by FFN is a drop-in centre for homeless children in Kathmandu. Funds are made available through FFN to which local projects can apply: I feel that this is an extremely sustainable way of promoting development - supporting local projects in this way allows local populations to decide for themselves what it is that they need in order to work their way out of poverty. For more information, take a look at the Future For Nepal website: http://www.futurefornepal.com/.

As expedition leader, I need to raise £1300 - a hefty sum of money! Half of this, £650, will cover my costs, and I am committed to paying this myself; the remaining £650 will be a donation straight to the charity, to be spent on funding the types of projects mentioned above.

It is a lot of money, but every little bit helps! I would be extremely grateful if you might be able to give a little bit towards this, no matter how small the amount. Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now. Dhanyabad, thank you, for your time and for your generosity.