Hansen Motorsport supports community project in Nepal

Supported by donations from friends and family, Susann and Timmy have helped to fund and carry out work in Nepal as part of their contribution towards a privately-initiated venture.

For two weeks a group of volunteers, including Susann, gave a helping hand at a school and orphanage in the small village Rampur, west of Kathmandu.

Alongside Susann’s support on the ground in Rampur, Timmy has made a noteworthy donation. Going beyond just funding the work done to the school and orphanage, the children were also provided with bicycles – a life-changing gift as they make the long journey to their school.

“They say ‘what you give is what you get’, but for me I’ve come back from Nepal with more than I gave,” reflected Susann. “From the first minute, the children at the orphanage and the basic community school in Rampur greeted us with hugs, smiles, and joy.

“Our aim was to try to fix, paint and decorate the classrooms and the exterior of the school to make it a more inspiring place for education, which for these children is the key to a better future.”

“My dream is that every child can go through life being as ambitious as they want, and this is just my small way of helping that. Hopefully this first donation and the bikes for the children to get to school makes their life that bit easier, ensuring they can get an education as well as help their families back home.

“There will be more projects to come, but this project in Nepal is an amazing start. Susann went out there and lived through this. With her own hands she helped these kids, which is a beautiful thing and makes my contribution small in comparison, but doing something is the important thing. If everyone did something for someone else, we could end up in a better world.”

Poverty is rife among the 31 million-strong population of Nepal, but the country is progressing in the right direction. UN reports reveal that poverty declined to 17 per cent in 2020, and last year, the level of hunger was reduced from the severe category to moderate.

Nepal has also made major strides on issues of gender equality and health, successfully achieving its gender parity in schools enrolment target, and significantly reducing under-five mortality.

Education is crucial, not least in the knock-on effect it has on perspectives around equality and awareness of climate issues. Hansen Motorsport now joins those efforts with its work at the Basahandra Community Basic School and the local orphanage in Rampur.

With the help of local craftsmen, painters, bricklayers and carpenters, Susann and the team of volunteers helped to renovate the buildings with the resources at-hand, repairing and decorating the orphanage and school to provide a better environment for the children there.

The donations collected beforehand were put to good use. For the orphanage, the money gifted was put towards bedding, blankets and toothbrushes, along with sports equipment, painting sets and writing materials, allowing the children to have fun and be creative in ways that had previously been unavailable to them.

“We took some money and equipment with us, donated by generous friends and family,” Susann added. “All day every day we cleaned, painted and organised various improvements for the school, while the local craftsmen made our contributions go even further.

“I even brought a manual lawnmower with me in my check-in luggage from Sweden. It’s a perfect machine, requiring neither electricity nor fuel, and will allow them to keep the football pitch in safe and snake-free condition all-year round.”

Everything was done with sustainability in mind, including education. Classes were taught on waste and water management, and more bins were added throughout the school and orphanage. At the end, all the children stepped in to clean the entire school yard.

“The things we have been able to buy and do for the school and the orphanage are thanks to all our family, friends and supporters that donated,” concluded Susann. “Now I have seen first-hand how much it means to these children that have almost nothing.

“I could not have been more impressed by the mindset and spirit of these children. What touched me was their unselfishness. What little they had, they shared with those who had less, and that mindset defines their lifestyle. Spending time with these warm, open and fascinating people is something I will cherish deeply.”