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NEWS: Brandon Ayers
Mulgrave grad dedicates year to volunteer teaching
Kian Khoshnevis, North Shore News
Published: Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Brandon Ayers went five months without taking a hot shower.
But that didn't stop the 18-year-old from helping out children in need in Kathmandu, Nepal.
A resident of West Vancouver and a 2007 graduate of Mulgrave School, Ayers embarked on a year-long mission to South East Asia in July 2007, during which he volunteered for several aid organizations and sought to have a positive influence on people in need.
Brandon Ayers (centre) enjoys his time with students in Nepal. The North Vancouver resident spent a year in South East Asia where he helped teach English, social studies, sciences and computers.
Ayers was inspired by another teenager, Tsering Dorje, an 18-year-old Buddhist monk from Nepal, who came to Mulgrave school on exchange in 2005, and stayed for two years with the Ayers family.
"Tsering had a big influence on me," Ayers said. "Hearing him talk about his home motivated me to do something."
Ayers embarked on his mission without knowing much about where it was taking him.
"I didn't really set any specific goals for my trip, because when I went into it, I was pretty blind towards what I would be doing," he said. "I didn't really know whether I would be building, taking part in physical labour or teaching. I just wanted to get a feel for it and help in anyway that I could."
Seventeen at the time, Ayers helped children learn in the small Himalayan village, teaching them subjects such as English, Social Studies, Sciences and Computers. He also taught first aid, worked in a medical clinic, and helped set up an earthquake evacuation program for the area while raising funds for supplies.
As a qualified lifeguard, he even created the area's first swimming program.
"I took around 170 students who had probably never seen a body of water, out to swim," Ayers said . "It was an amazing experience to see the different reactions of the kids."
After spending close to five months in Kathmandu, Ayers left Nepal for India where he continued his humanitarian efforts. In Calcutta, Ayers volunteered for a special Loreto School, where a mix of wealthy Indian children and underprivileged street kids received an education.
He spent valuable one-on-one time with students, teaching them whatever they wanted to learn.
"Street kids would come whenever they had free time, and I taught them whatever they were interested in," he said.
"It was a pretty flexible system over there. A lot of kids wouldn't be able to leave their houses during the day, or had to work at certain hours. These one-on-one sessions gave them a chance to learn no matter what."
After his time in Calcutta, Ayers took three weeks of vacation in Thailand, where he relaxed and took time to prepare for his second trip to Kathmandu, which lasted 4 months.
Ayers returned to Canada at the beginning of June, and was very happy with what he accomplished through his year-long trip.
"One of the best things was seeing that some sort of product came out of my efforts," he said. "It's great to know that you've made some sort of difference in the lives of people."
Ayers said he has changed through his experience and has learnt not to take anything for granted.
"The little things really do matter," he said. "Having access to electricity and hot or cold water is something people don't really think about, but they should really appreciate the fact that they have access to them."
Ayers will attend Capilano University in the fall where he will begin studies in the global stewardship program.
And he will head back to Nepal in the summer of 2009 to continue with his foreign aid efforts.
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