Crown Paints’ store sales development and trainer John Vause recently returned from the trip of a lifetime: a weeks’ volunteering in Peru with the Hempel Foundation.
The Hempel Foundation – Crown Paints’ parent company – organises the annual trip which sees volunteers from the 80 countries the Hempel Group operates in travel to poverty-stricken areas of the world to support the Foundation’s work to provide education for children.
The Hempel Foundation team trip to Peru
John, who has worked with Crown for 17 years, grasped the opportunity with both hands and his thoughtful application won him a place as part of the 10-strong team from around the world who travelled to a remote part of Peru on the Hempel Foundation trip.
The volunteers travelled to schools in Cusibamba and Lares, where the Hempel Foundation is providing bi-lingual education to children whose families traditionally speak the indigenous language, Quechua, rather than the more commonly-spoken Spanish. These families often live in extreme poverty, with the language barrier restricting their chances of social advancement.
As well as assisting the children with their language studies (and improving his own Spanish along the way!) John taught the pupils more about his life in the UK, and organised a six a side football tournament – even presenting the kids with Blackburn Rovers replica kits to play in.
John said: “I’ve followed the Hempel Foundation’s work with interest, and have always been keen to get involved personally and help on one of the volunteering trips. It was an unforgettable experience and I feel very fortunate to have been given the chance to experience a culture that is worlds away from my own.
“I left Peru with the upmost respect for the teachers and pupils of both schools I visited: they accept life as it is, support each other and work hard make the lives of this generation better than the ones that went before. I’m now focused on highlighting the fantastic selfless work of the Hempel Foundation and encouraging my Crown colleagues to get involved and take part in a future volunteering trip.”
To find out more about the Hempel Foundation and its charitable work visit the website, and to keep up to date with news about Crown Paints follow the company page on LinkedIn.
