Cycling 1,170 km around Nepal to raise funds for Nagarhope charity
By Brendan Grehan
A LUCAN MAN is cycling across Nepal to raise funds for the charity he set up in the mountainous country.
Fachtna “Doc” Clandillon, Alan McGuinness from Sallins and two Nepalis started on their epic 1,170 km cycle across Nepal. It is all in aid of Doc’s charity Nagarhope which will help build a school in Nepal.
The proceeds from this event are going directly into the fund that hopes to construct a Primary Block for Nagarhope Basic School in Nagarkot, Nepal. At present 65 children attend the school, which runs Pre-school classes.
The cycle will coincide with Doc’s 40th birthday. The team has been training since October for their pedal bound journey from East to West Nepal.
It is Winter in Nepal and morning temperatures will drop as low as 5 degrees celsius with average daytime temperatures at 15 degrees Celsius. The cycle will take 20 days with the cyclists averaging 65 to 70km a day.
Doc’s father, Seamus Clandillon told The Echo that the action will be happening just not in Nepal. He said: “To coincide with the cycle, a team of supporters and Nagarhope Ireland committee members are holding a sponsored spin in SuperValu, Lucan, on Saturday February 10, where they will attempt to cover the 1,170km distance in one day on stationary bicycles.”
Doc’c charity Nagarhope has been running educational projects in rural Nepal for 10 years, and has been running a Pre-School since 2013. Nagarhope’s infrastructure was badly damaged by devastating earthquakes in April and May 2015. Nagarhope’s work since the devastating earthquakes of 2015 involved a lot of assistance programs to various government schools in affected districts. With the increase in children in our own school, the time has come to better our facilities and upgrade our school to a primary school.
The genesis of Nagarhope was in 2006, when in a village 30 kilometres from Kathmandu, Doc met Nepali Dhurba ‘Baba’ Bhujel.
They shared a few days in each others company. It could have been like so many other chance meetings between strangers, fun, but short-lived. Instead Doc and Baba started working together and they started Nagarhope.
Nagarhope has grown over the years, from simple beginnings when assisting just two children’s education until now when Nagarhope has assisted more than 300 children’s education in various ways. The initial two children have grown up, one is a teacher in Nagarhope’s own school, the other is currently studying Pharmacy in a teaching hospital in Bhaktapur.
For more information on the Tour De Nepal and Spin event, or if you would like to get involved or bring a sponsorship card into work or school go to www.nagarhope.com for details.
To make a direct donation to Doc’c cycle you can donate online at https://give.everydayhero.com/ie/tour-de-nepal-cycle or http://www.nagarhope.com/donate
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