Published: Wednesday, 21st July, 2010 11:15am

Kayleigh's trek to Kilimanjaro

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Largs medical student Kayleigh Brown who recently visited Eastern Europe volunteering in a disabled boys orphanage is set to climb Mount Kilimanjaro for the Childreach International charity.

Kayleigh recently completed her second year of Medicine at Edinburgh University and spent one month volunteering in a disabled boys orphanage in Moldova, caring for 350 boys, aged from 2 -20 for medic run charity SKIP.

Kayleigh said: "Normally there is one carer to roughly 18 boys - these women are responsible for every need of the boys - feeding, bathing, toilet, putting to bed. They are truly amazing women.

"Some of the boys go on to work in the orphanage as gardeners or painters. One of the boys went to art school and has done some amazing murals on the walls of the orphanage.

"Orphanage itself is a good facility, however low funds means that they cannot use electricity and the building is slowly falling into disrepair.

At SKIP we fundraise during the year for the orphanage and we are looking for a way to make a sustainable investment in the orphanage.

"Volunteers spend one month out in Moldova, caring for and playing with the boys. This also provides the carers with some much needed support. We utilize our funds to take the boys on day trips to safari parks and for pizza - simple childhood enjoyments that we would take for granted. Moldovan medical students act as translators."

She is currently the process of fundraising at the moment through bag packing and organised a successful jazz night in Edinburgh. Kayleigh says that she ha received generous support from family friends which is very much appreciated.

If you would like to sponsor Kayleigh in her Mount Kilimanjaro trek, e-mail K.E.Brown-2@sms.ed.ac.uk