The Annapurna from the sky
Smoggy first day on the lake
Growing their own vegetables
The girls are now sewing sanitary pads
Bimala, our teacher is helping
Daily feeding of the animals at sunset is the task for 2 or 3 of the girls. The others go to the jungle to cut grass and bring for the cows, buffaloes and goats.
Making a fire for cooking
New flavours! Helping with the cooking.
Belmaya introducing her film ‘I am Belmaya’.
Talking about her film at Balmandira secondary school
Ishita talking to the students about human trafficking, social media and scammers.
Helping at school with the new little students
Hike up through Majhagau village to the little school
New schools bags for every one
New shirts and bags and a football for the school
These bags were made by the girls on the sewing course. So impressed with how much they’ve learnt and that they’re able to actually sew school backpacks like these
New clothes and new school bags for all
Showing I am Belmaya to mothers at the school.
High up chatting to the teacher
Some little students got a bit tired
That bridge, which is the only way to get to school
Such a warm welcome by such a warm man, the ex-headmaster
New teacher playing Hangman
Well, we talked about plastic waste, what happens to it, how from the river it ends up in the ocean. Then cleaned up the school yard. Shockingly the kids then took the bins and emptied them in the river. This is what the adults do. Changing habits is hard, one session of education is not enough.
How happy can you be when you get a Messi or Chelsea shirt?!
Visiting friends at the farm where their mother works. Love these little baby goats
Our old students now in class 6 and 8
Buying fruit to take to school for the kids
Eco village had amazing coffee
Astam and Balung highway below
Visiting a teacher’s family home
Shree Bhumeshwor Basic School
New pencil cases with pencils, pens, erasers and sharpeners for everyone. These were also made by the girls at the sewing course
And 3 new clean copy books for everyone
Football with their new fair trade football from Goa.
Learning head and body parts
A few yeas ago we bought furniture for this school
While the older ones watched ‘I am Belmaya’
Of course, it’s also important to have a chat about the film, share views and discuss the message.
Watermelon and papaya for lunch
Preparing the pencil cases at Pame
New pencil cases and copy books for everyone
The students without a uniform will get one from us in the next week or so. The rest of them got new uniforms in November 2022
Lunch snack; bananas and biscuits
Some of the girls meeting Belmaya for the first time. Like meeting a film star.
A lot to talk about, a lot of questions to ask
An ice-cream at the end of a lovely day in Lakeside
Long walk from Pame route to Back to Nature
Ranjita with Ravi’s school bag
The boy was at school so we left a new school bag for him via his siter, who doesn’t, well didn’t go to school. The good news is, she then decided she’d give it a go and is now trying to catch up. She’s 8.
We went to visit the step mother (only 18) and sister of Ravi who just stated school, and we wanted to give him a school bag. His sister, Ranjita refused to got to school, after having had a traumatic experience when she was sent away. After this though, she has actually gone to school. Very much thanks to the man who runs the ‘resort farm’ where the family is working. He walks them down and up, an hour each way, every day.
Tailor measuring the kids for their new uniforms.
One of our old students, now 17
