Rebecca Hall

Hi, My name is Rebecca (Becci) and I am a 26 year old Construction Engineer/Manager (with Bouygues UK)living and working in North London.

I have just returned from Nepal where I was helping to build houses with the Kamaiya people living in the remote village of Belarpur in North West Nepal.

These people were stuck in bonded labour (a form of slavery) in order to pay off debts from previous generations, in 2001 the Nepalese government outlawed this practice, 'freeing' the kamaiya people. however, these people have now found themselves with nowhere to live, no land or any way to earn a living.

So far I have raised over £3000 for ActionAid in sponsorship. Please show your support - I am still collecting sponsorship and donations here online and I still have bricks left to buy on my Lego "sponsor-a-brick" house!

ActionAid's work in this area focuses on helping the Kamaiya people to build their own homes, supplying building materials and training to ensure the houses that are built are long lasting and that these people are educated and aware of their rights regarding land ownership - This allows the Kamaiya people to really improve their lives and future prospects.

Some of the work I was involved with on a day to day basis was:
Filling in foundations with hardcore and concrete
Carrying and laying bricks
Shifting earth to backfill land
Mixing and carrying concrete & mortar

It was hard work in the hot sun, but very rewarding and extremely enjoyable. All the local people; the villagers, masons and children were wonderful, enthusiastic and happy that the team was there helping out! It was definately a very worthy cause and I know we made a real difference to the lives of these people, not only with the building work, but also with relationships we made!