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Many Hands

15.05.2006

It was time to take a break. At the end of one of the toughest weeks of competition thus far on the Land Rover G4 Challenge, the teams finally got the opportunity to rest up in Sucre before the final push to the end. ‘It is great just to be able to clear the head,’ said Australia’s Alina McMaster. ‘We really need the time off, just to step back from the competition a bit.’

But the time off, however, didn’t mean that the 18 men and women could sit around the cafes and restaurants of Sucre. They gave up their rest in order to complete the second of two community projects initiated by Land Rover.

The first took place at the end of Stage 1, when the competitors helped to complete a school project at Ban Nahai in Laos. This time it was the turn of the Escuela Granja, which was originally built in 1938. Situated in the village of Tarabuco, approximately 60 kilometres from Sucre, the school is one of two in the area.

However, the main school in town is funded by the government, whereas the Escuela Granja, which serves mainly the nearby farming community, relies solely on contributions from the parents of the children who not only go to school there, but are also served their main daily meal by the school.

In recent times the school has fallen on hard times, and was in dire need of support. Land Rover offered to contribute with funds, expertise – and the many hands of its 18 competitors in the 2006 Challenge. ‘I’m really excited to go and help at another school,’ said Ireland’s Gary Robertson. ‘After the project in Laos I had to wonder if we really helped or not. I mean, skilled local artisans could probably have done a better job, but it was just great to get our hands dirty and pitch in.’

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