Apprentice firefighters from Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service have been set the task of raising money to build classrooms in Nepal.

The team of 11 Firefighter and Community Safety Apprentices need to raise £30,000 to enable them to fund the building of much-needed classrooms at an early years centre in a remote Nepalese village.

The build will be in partnership with the charity Classrooms in the Clouds (CiTC) and will be earthquake resistant standard and will provide gender specific toilets as well as specialist early years learning resources.

Nepal is a very poor country with a dysfunctional infrastructure, significant health issues and poor rates of literacy (circa 65-70% men, 40% women). Many children are required to work on family land or earn money to support their family. If children do attend school, they will often have to walk long distances.

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service has worked with CiTC since 2013 and have already supported the building of five schools in Nepal. The project supports good quality, new classrooms, sponsoring teachers, supporting teacher training and encouraging employment of female teachers to support children’s education and gender equality in the remote villages of Nepal.

The challenge set for the apprentices is focused on children’s education, which will be changed for generations if they can raise this money and fulfil the task.

If successful the apprentices will fly out to Nepal in February 2023 to finish off the build before handing the classrooms over to the local community during an official ceremony.