Namaste!

It doesn’t feel like long since I got back in mid-May, but time flies.  The first couple of days I spent in Helambu, at the Norbuling secondary school high up in the mountains.  It’s only about 70-80km for Kathmandu but the journey, which is only possible by jeep takes about 7 hours on a very bumpy road, I mean, you couldn’t possibly even drink your coffee while the car is moving!  Our friend, Sam used to work at this school and is still very much involved, and it was a really fantastic to get the opportunity to visit these kids who live there because their villages have no schools nearby, i.e. within several hours of walking, and therefore it makes more sense to stay in the dorms at the school.  They have some fantastic teachers, a great little community where the older siblings or children look after the younger, help them with homework, do their hair and comfort them when they’re missing their parents.  They sleep 2-3 per bed in bunk beds and they all help out with the daily tasks, and always wash their own plates and cups and their clothes.  I can’t imagine them ever complain about anything.  Last winter Sam raised money and arranged to have solar cell panels installed for electricity.  Previous to this once the sun set behind the mountains it was dark.  Now they have a few extra hours per day to do homework and play.  They were super happy with the clothes we brought for them, and the football.  But unfortunately, there wasn’t quite enough for the older kids.  Next time though…..

 

From Kathmandu I took the bus for about 8 hours to Pokhara where I spent the rest of my time in Nepal.  Let us thank you all again for the donations up to that point, which came to £1000!  The standard government funding for schools is only about $200 per year for books and pencils, and as you can imagine not sufficient to buy uniforms for children. These the parents have to buy themselves and many can’t afford it. A lot are inherited from siblings or class mates, and if they have one they wear the same uniform for years, and with just one there is not much time to wash and dry it from one day to the next. Especially not during the monsoon months, where afternoon rainstorms are like a daily occurrence.  This small contribution is not enough for writing books, pencils, erasers, whiteboard pens, etc. either.  Most children use their pencil until it’s about 3cm short and practically impossible to write with by holding it with the fingertips. Imaging copying text, or writing your essays and stories by hand with a tiny tip of a pencil! (computers are not something you find in most of these schools).  Not easy!  And look around our schools or in our own drawers at home, we usually find tons of unused pens and pencils that mean nothing to us.  With the situation as it is, Alliance Nepal is often approached by Government schools for some extra funding to keep up with basic necessicties to run a school.  Some schools have support from charity organisations, like the one in Jogimori, which is supported by Kétaa Kéti in France (and we bought them uniforms last year).  Kétaa Kéti even built a school kitchen and held a dental camp for them last year.  So when the Pame school (just outside Pokhara, down a very bumpy road) got in touch, Krishna (Alliance Nepal) went to visit them and then asked us if we would like to support them.   Based on his assessment of their needs, we felt more than happy to, and as uniforms was a priority, we decided to use the latest money donated to buy each and every one of the 67 kids a new school uniform, as well as some notebooks and pencils. As always, it turned in to a bit of a ceremony, where even the village president was present.  On another day I went there to teach a bit too, and to give the kids clothes that our friends had donated.  About 20 of them got a football shirt and a few also got a pair of football shoes.  And they were over the moon, and with the new football the games was on at the first break!  Many of these families have no income or very little, while living a ‘migrant’ life, moving from place to place where the father can find work for a certain period at a time.  Obviously this results in disruptive education for the children, some of whom I found to really be struggling, especially in English.  Although the teachers are lovely, it would be fantastic for them to have teaching support by someone staying for a longer period of time.

On another day I went to visit the Shree Bhumerswor school in Astam, up at an altitude of 1350m.  To get there you have to hike uphill for about 1.5 hours. The 8 teachers do this every day, and many children walk far as well to get to their school. It’s the most beautiful walk though and I don’t think you can ever tire of the stunning Annapurna mountain range.  But of course, this was May and doing it in December might not be the same pleasant experience day in and out.  A few months ago Alliance Nepal bought new furniture for them with the donated money.  What they had was quite basic and old, and although nobody would complain, they were hugely grateful to have proper desks and benches in the classrooms.  I also did some teaching there and as always the children were so enthusiastic and eager to learn.  It would be a wonderful place to spend more time and really get to know them.  If anybody reading this is thinking about going to do charity work in the form of teaching in Nepal, please speak to us and we can help you find a suitable place and prepare you for your experience.