In what may be a New Zealand first, a group of humanitarian aid leadership students from Manurewa High School will visit Laos this year.

The school has run a humanitarian aid leadership programme (HALP) since 2010.  We have sent a number of groups to Cambodia and Vietnam.  This year the HALP team will travel to Laos – a first (as far as we are aware) for New Zealand.  23 students and staff will travel and carry out a range of activities including working in orphanages, schools, rural highland communities and bomb affected areas.  They will visit NZ Aid projects in Laos, the NZ embassy in Bangkok, and travel to areas hit hard by bombs during the Vietnam War (around the Ho Chi Minh trail).  The team will plant trees in areas still affected by agent orange defoliation during the war.

Teacher in charge, Mr Phil Muir, says the students return empowered, focussed and ready to ‘give back’ to their community in a big way.  Students who have travelled in the past returned as different (much better!) people and we have many powerful stories to tell.
 
There are lots of fantastic, future leaders travelling on the trip, who have worked exceptionally hard to be able to go.  Their fundraising efforts will continue until the team flies out on 24 September.  Anyone wishing to donate to the trip can contact Mr Muir, [email protected].

Photo shows last year's HALP team in Cambodia.