Over the hills and far away: BT Peoples Himalayan trek for ChildLine

We joined a group of intrepid BT employees as they trekked through the Himalayas to raise money for ChildLine and got more than they bargained for in the process.

Since time immemorial, people have been attracted to the sheer majesty of the Himalayas. Stretching over 2,700km from Assam to Kashmir the snowy glaciers, deep forests and gushing rivers of the Himalayas have bought grown men to their knees in appreciation of the wonders that nature creates. Considered the world's mightiest mountain range, with 10 of the worlds highest peaks, no other chain can boast 14 peaks of 8,000 metres (26,000 feet) and hundreds of summits over 7,000 metres (23,000 feet) high.

For 30 BT employees, 25 from the UK and 5 from India, the experience of trekking through the Dhaula Dahr Himalayan range, just north of Dharmasala, was an experience that none are likely to forget in a long time.

All 30 participants signed up to help raise money for ChildLine - as part of BTs award-winning Am I Listening campaign. BTs biggest-ever social campaign not only continues to raise very necessary funds for ChildLine, but also aims to highlight the benefits of listening to children and young people to bring about social change.

BT is a founding partner of ChildLine and is committed to raising funds, in addition to the strategic, technical and help-in-kind that it already provides. This help goes a long way to ensure that ChildLine can reach its goal of answering every child's call for help.

The Himalayan trek is just one such way that the two organisations work together to raise money. Motivation for taking part in the trek however, isnt just limited to doing something for a worthy cause.

I wanted to do something different for charity rather than just contribute cash and I saw the BT ChildLine trek as an excellent and safe way to do that. says Nas Haque, mobility sales manager, BT Wholesale

The journey took place during May and bought together a diverse group of people from different ages, backgrounds, job functions and beliefs. Five days later the group emerged united, with a bond that certainly wont be easily broken, having raised 65,000 for the charity.

The trek began in McLeod Ganj, the now home of the exiled Dalai Lama and Tibetan government. The high snow-clad Dhaula Dhar ranges of the Himalayas form a magnificent backdrop to the hill resort of Dharamsala as it overlooks the wide spread of the plains covered with dense pine and deodar forests. For the next five days the group hiked through forests, ambled through alpine meadows, climbed mountains, traversed rivers, picked their way across snow expanses and slept beneath the stars. While all the participants found the trek challenging, humour and laughter helped most through the toughest of moments.

It was in the afternoon of day two that the group suddenly became very aware of the unpredictability and awesome nature of the climate that would affect the trip every day from then on. In a matter of minutes the weather went from a warm and sunny 23 degrees, plummeting down to temperatures that rested around freezing. As they were simultaneously enveloped in cloud cover, they were also subjected to hailstones the size of golf balls. With no way of getting dry before bedtime, most slept in sodden, wet clothes in the hope of drying out briefly the next morning.

For one trekker, Andy Singleton, a HR manager from BT Wholesale, the experience was a little more extreme. Following another incredible hailstorm on day three, he found himself with shivers that he just couldnt shake and was diagnosed with hypothermia. Andy refused to consider abandoning the trek and despite getting sick and losing nearly a stone in weight maintains that the trek was, The best thing Ive ever done!

Battling the elements wasnt the only challenge that the team had to overcome. Climbing up to heights of 3,000 metres in parts, the group had to dodge rock avalanches, traverse steep ascents, cope with altitude problems, and dangerously slippery paths. Despite all of these tests thrown at the previous bunch of strangers, a team spirit of co-operation developed early on.

The whole group really worked together to get through the tough challenges we faced, says Beth Courtier, head of charity programmes at BT. It was an unforgettable experience that we will all remember for the rest of our lives.

ChildLine India

Yet despite the testing nature and the personal sense of achievement of completing the five-day hike, it seems that for many the defining moment of the adventure came not on the Himalayas but later during a visit to ChildLine India.

The charity is struggling to scratch the surface to help poor, missing and abused children in the region. Volunteers work with the local police to rescue homeless and abused youngsters, often at great personal risk. And the project in Delhi does all of this with just four employees and one phone line.

One of its projects, The Prayas project, takes local children off the streets of Delhi and offers them somewhere to sleep and the opportunity to get an education. And it was some of these kids that the trekkers met and shared in a lively game of cricket with.

Andy says, The ChildLine project was inspiring and humbling at the same time. Inspiring because the 24-year-old woman who runs it has done more in a few years than most people do in a lifetime which is also pretty humbling. And seeing these kids running around with the smiles on their faces, knowing their background, was fantastic and made the entire trek worthwhile.

The ChildLine project was heart rending and heart warming at the same time warming to see the positive things that are happing but sad because it is barely scratching the surface, adds James Wright, account director at PR agency Harrison Cowley.

The powerful nature of seeing first-hand how charities, such as ChildLine, really do make a difference has literally changed the way that many of participants view and approach their own lives.

As Nas puts it, I feel that I am a changed person. I was, dare I say it, extremely materialistic money and success focused living my life for myself. The attitude and enthusiasm of the ChildLine team was inspiring. One lady (from the ChildLine India team) was offered a high paid job in call centre but came back two weeks later because she felt that she wasnt helping anyone.

For Sunny, the trip was a call to action. Too often in life I have taken a lot of things for granted my family, my wife, my creature comforts and my health. I can honestly say that I wont be taking anything for granted again. I have taken charity very lightly in the past and now I have finally done something real its a cool feeling. So now Im looking into becoming a ChildLine counsellor.

With another trek through the Himalayas in the planning for October would the trekkers encourage others to take part? I am so grateful that I made the decision to go. I <would> strongly encourage a trip like this because it really does change who you are, and makes you think about what you want to be, Andr concludes.

For more information on ChildLine visit: www.childline.org.uk

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