Check out the photos from Poppy's Mt Fansipan fundraising trek, which she blogs about here.

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Well, the thousands of squats, lunges, push ups and walking expeditions may have paid off for the killer 7 day trek up Mt Fansipan, in what was some of the worst conditions they had had in months (including torrential rain and thick fog), however nothing could have prepared me for what I was to experience at the Thuy An Disability Centre, which is 1.5 hours out of Hanoi in Vietnam...but I guess that’s why they call it the Vietnam Challenge!

Take a look at some of my photos from the trek and our visit to the Centre.

I signed up for the fundraising Challenge in late 2009 thinking I had a year to physically prepare my body for the intense mountain climb, and that the second half of the Challenge - volunteering at a disability centre in a remote village - would be a breeze, considering I work in the disability sector and have hands on experience with people who have all levels of disabilities.

From the time I arrived at the Thuy An Disability Centre I was continuously flooded with emotions. My heart was drawn immediately to the children who had the more severe disabilities. One child in particular stole my heart, Leanne, who is just one of over 100 children who live permanently at the Centre.

Through the beautiful smiles and laughter were innocent children who wanted to learn, be challenged, be hugged, be loved, and cared for. No doubt the carers at the Centre were doing a marvellous job, however they are grossly under-staffed, and ashamedly under-resourced.

Myself and the 10 other volunteers that participated in the Challenge (and raised money to get there) spent most of our days teaching the Centre's staff about new therapeutic exercises that could be used for the children with physical disabilities. Unfortunately for these children, their day only comprises of meal times and physical therapy - no means of education, not even drawing, colouring-in, painting, or playing with toys. This is probably what devastated me the most.

We did our best to share the knowledge we have, and we have plans to send over some new equipment, but what we wish we could really send is love, hugs, time to laugh and play, and adequate levels of staffing. I guess it just reflected how wonderful my job is and I can’t wait to go back over again sometime soon.

Since I’ve been back in Australia, 2011 has kicked off to a flying start; planning programs, organising outings for our clients, my university enrolment, blogging for carecareers.com.au, and even the opportunity to be involved in some upcoming media events for the carecareers campaign.

It’s going to be a pretty exciting year, with different goals and a different focus in my role at Cerebral Palsy Alliance. I will soon be a trained Life Needs Link Worker which will mean that, after an intense training course, I will begin looking at each client’s life with a more holistic, proactive and lifespan approach. My career always manages to keep me on my toes, allowing me to experience new and exciting challenges. :)

Later this year I will be setting myself a goal of climbing 3,143 metres to the highest summit in Indochina, Mt Fansipan in Vietnam, to make a difference to the lives of young adults living with cerebral palsy. I will be joined on this challenge with 12 other energetic, motivated, passionate and committed people, all aiming to raise both awareness and money for Cerebral Palsy Alliance (formerly The Spastic Centre).

Once our climb comes to an end we will then be spending 4 days volunteering in Thuy An, a centre that cares for children and adults with disabilities, many who have been affected by agent orange and who live with cerebral palsy.

I had set myself a goal of raising $7,500 for my challenge and thankfully to the generous support out there I am well on my way! I recently held a trivia night that was not only a brilliant night had by all, but I also raised over $4,000! (I was hoping for $2,500, so counting up the money at the end of the night was seriously exciting!)

Along with being fundraising mad I have also turned into a little bit of a fitness fanatic. The training for Mt Fansipan requires me to do a minimum of 4-5 cardio and weight sessions a week along with some outdoor trekking. I have also got right into rock climbing, cycle classes (it builds up great leg strength) and beach running.

Recently I went on a 5 day disability camp with Cerebral Palsy Alliance. It was up there with one of the best weeks of my life. The rewarding nature of taking away 20 medium to high needs clients to a wheelchair accessible camp facility on the Central Coast was endless.

Smiles, laughter, tears of happiness, bollywood parties, masterchef competitions, accessible motorbikes, karaoke, pelican feeding and discos, were just a few of the activities everyone enjoyed. It's one of the great parts of working in this field I must say!

I know from speaking to many of my friends at uni that there is stigma attached to working with people with disabilities and many misconceptions: that you have to be some kind of angel, have high levels of experience and work long ongoing hours. This is simply NOT true! I don’t regard myself as a angel in my job,  I didn’t have any experience when I first started, and as a full time student there is no way I have the time to manage lots of long shifts.

Being a full time student at Macquarie University, I find working in this industry is perfectly suited to a uni timetable. I work at a Community Access Service on day shifts during the week and at a Respite House for evening shifts and on the weekend. My shifts at both these sites are completely flexible, which makes studying and earning a living far easier compared to many of my friends.

Along with the flexibility of the work, I am also gaining valuable experience in a recognised health organisation. This experience will undoubtedly give me an advantage when I go on to secure work in the international aid sector once I have finished my degree.

I prefer to work in non-profit organisations because I believe they are are better at reaching out to their clients and putting their needs ahead of profits.

In a non-profit, everyone is working together to realise a similar goal: to help build futures for people with a disability or support need. In my current role, that's helping to build futures for people with cerebral palsy. For me, I find that more valuable, meaningful and rewarding than working for an organisation whose primary focus targets the bottom line.