"My family runs an environmental conservation trust in the cold desert Himalayas, in a place called Kargil," says Milan Peters, who is in Grade 5 at Linbrook School. "Kargil is very far away from every place and it is difficult to get around there. The people who live there are quite poor. Because it is so far away and very cold, it is difficult for the children to go to and from school or even attend after school activities like sports."
In past winters, the children liked to play in the snow and ice, but that's becoming more difficult with climate change and global warming.
"I am collecting money to build a skating rink in Kargil. I would be very happy if people could donate a small amount to help me build a rink just for the boys and girls of Kargil, where they can go to skate whenever they want. And once we build the rink, I want to teach them to play hockey too."
To build and maintain a full-size rink and purchase skating equipment will cost 7000 CAD. Thanks to the generosity of his classmates, he quickly met his initial, lower goal of 1700 CAD--which would have bought a basic rink. Encouraged by the early success, he is going to try to raise much more to build something bigger and more durable. His goal is to raise the money by December 31st, 2021. "As a thank you for your donation, I will send you updates as we build. I hope that they can have their first skate by the winter of 2022-23."
"Of course my parents will help me handle the money. I will then accompany my mom on a trip to Kargil to give them the money so they can start building in 2022."
Milan became aware of the lives of the children of Kargil when his mother found herself stranded there when the pandemic struck and Canadian flights were cancelled. During the six months she had to stay there, Milan spoke to her every day and learned more and more about life in the place his mother was trying to help. Realizing how important sports and play were to his own life, Milan became inspired to try to improve the quality of life of the children of Kargil.
You can help Milan by donating to his GoFundMe page.