Project in Peru for York student (From York Press)

Project in Peru for York student

5:40pm Tuesday 11th November 2008 in Search By Richard Harris

TWO months of hard graft faces a York woman who hopes to fly to South America to help build a dormitory for orphans.

Hester McTurk, of Main Street, Heslington, is currently studying English at Queen Mary University of London and is part of the University of London Air Squadron (ULAS) – an organisation run by the Royal Air Force, which raises money for charity every year.

In June of next year, she hopes to join ULAS on a trip to South America where she will work alongside the UK arm of Project Peru, whose principal aims and objectives are “to help relieve poverty and distress to children in Peru”.

The focal point for Project Peru is a refuge in Zapallal, about 30 miles from the capital, Lima, where a previous group of University Air Squadron students, funded and built a play area and dormitory in 2005. With this in place, the Project now aims to build a dormitory, at a children’s orphanage in the area near Araquippa. But first Hester, 20, who attended Manor School and is paying for her own flights, must raise £1,500 to pay for building materials and equipment.

She said: “I don’t know much about Peru or South America, but I’ve always wanted to do the Inca Trail.

“It will be really good when we finish the project and see all the kids’ reactions to it. I know it’s going to be a lot of hard work in the heat but it will be worth it.”

Hester is now busy trying to raise money for the trip with cake sales in London. Manor School has also agreed to hold a non-uniform day for her benefit.

She said: “That will be a big help and will give me around half of the money I need so I’m very grateful to them. I need to think of what I can do before Christmas as I need to have £500 raised by then so it doesn’t give me much time.”

Anyone who wants to help Hester can donate money online at www.justgiving.com/sendhestertoperu