Merry Christmas

I just received these photos the other day of Jagat buying groceries for two families in Hattiban, a gift from their sponsor and Asmita writing a thank you letter under Jagat's guidance. Asmita has eight brothers and sisters so this gift of food was very welcome. On the left we have Rupesh in his Olympic shirt from his sponsor.

In this spirit of giving I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and thank all of you for making all of our children's lives in Nepal better and for giving them the most precious gift of all which is Hope.

NEF Donor visits Nepal

A donor and his wife from Vancouver arrived in Kathmandu yesterday and have met with staff from NEF. On Saturday they are going to be visiting some of our sponsored children and their families. Then they will visit the NEF office and have lunch there with Mann and Sima and the baby Purnita of course. I am always happy when sponsors or donors visit and see some of our work.
Mann will be going to Pokhara next week to start three ladies in a sewing school. NEF will pay for the school and for rent and food while they are there. If they are in the school six hours per day they are not able to make any money to feed their children so we have to help them with this. The ladies are very excited about the prospects of learning a new skill which will help them support their families.
Mann will then travel to the Chimkhola village with the money to start refurbishing the buildings at the school. They are anxious to get this started.
Just a reminder that school fees are due by February 15th, 2009.

Photos from Nepal Trip

Sorry these photos are all over the page, it is hard to change them. They are at top: Sabitra BK who is to be sponsored in the spring, children from Chimkhola, the Principal and social sciences teacher Lomaya, the village ceremony, view of Dauligiri, the trek to the village, Kasack at the orphanage, Rusma, marigold malas sold on the street for Tihar, below is Hira helping her mother sell tea on the street and Samjhana and the children at SBCH home.

The child in the photo on the trek to the village, you can just see her, is only 4 and walked all the way up there with no complaint, in fact she led the way for 7 hours. She is the daughter of the math teacher and he and his family were returning home so walked with us and the mother carried the baby of about 18 months all the way on her back.

Leaving Nepal

Tonight we leave here for Hong Kong to begin our journey home. Today we are going to spend with Mann,Sima and the new baby. As always it is sad to leave.
This trip has been different in that I have spent a lot of time with the Rotary and the registration of NEF which is to be finalized now. So although I have visited many children, some I have just not had the time to visit.
When I get home I will put a lot of photos on here for you to see.

Till later

Photos on left is Sumitra getting her hair washed. Above Kabita in her new clothes. On the right is the building in Chimkhola that NEF is going to refurbish for computer lab, medical centre and upstairs for some of the children of other villages to stay.

We have been in Kathmandu for two days. This morning visited Dev Raj's mother who lives in the tiny, narrow room. It is a challenge just getting up two flights of stairs as it is so dark. We then took her out for the morning with us which she enjoyed. Also been shopping for Nepali handicrafts that I sell for the charity. Tomorrow we are visiting more children and also taking vet supplies to the Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre.

A very successful Day and a New Baby

Mann's wife Sima delivered a baby girl this morning at 5am. I am so happy that she was born while we were here. Can't wait to see her now when we return tomorrow to Kathmandu.

Today we found a new and better room for Mrs. BK for just 100 rupees a month more. It is in a nicer area near some friends for her. We bought her a bed, stove, door curtain and some lino and she is so happy. A new start for her and her little girls. We also checked out a sewing school and decided to train her and another lady, susmita's mother, for two months. Hopefully then they can teach others in the area in new sewing school we plan to start. Decided it was better to train our own ladies rather than hire a teacher from outside. Mrs. BK seemed very keen and said once trained she would be able to look after herself and family. Susmita's mother a little hesitant owing to her lack of education but the two of them together hopefully will give her confidence. Later we can train more. These women are single mothers. I envision this to become a ladies co-op where they can make school uniforms for the two schools and other handicrafts in the future. This will require some money but I am optimistic as always that this will happen.

We both feel very satisfied with our day's work. Dipak who has been helping us has done a great job. Other good news is the Rotary Club is back from Chimkhola and said they agreed that the village was in great need and also said they had never received such a great welcome and from such nice people. They are meeting right now and working on the paper work to send to Canada.

So goodbye to Pokhara or as they say here "until next time".

Life is hard in Nepal

Back to Simpani today to give out clothes. Many children packed into a small room just waiting to get a piece of clothing or shoes. We managed to have something for all our sponsored children and others got a toothbrush. Immediately they have the clothes on running around the street. We had lots of tea. Tomorrow we are going to return again to try and find a better and larger room for one very poor family, Mrs. BK and her four little girls. Her terrible living condition is really bothering us so we will see what we can do.
We visited with the young Rotarians of Pokhara this morning. They spend Saturday mornings cleaning up plastics in the city for recycling. They were very dedicated and offered to volunteer for us if I had a project for them. The Rotarian President is so helpful and so very keen that our Chimkhola school project is successful.
Sometimes here when we are exposed to so much hardship it becomes emotional and I find myself comparing our world to theirs. They have to worry everyday that they will have a little work to be able to survive and enough food for their children. Education seems to come before anything else and they will do anything so that their children are educated.
So many men go outside the country as migrant workers and that is less than desirable but their only hope of making a living. I met today for lunch with Kamal and Mann's mother and sister, Gita. Her husband is in Qutar and earns only 300 rupees per month about $4.00 as the rest goes to pay his agent and airfare back. He is terribly unhappy but has no way out. And then we have the caste system and that is really bad.
So you see life is very tough here. Their only bright spot is that they have such wonderful family ties and will do anything to help each other. I envy them that.
Anway onwards and upwards we do what we can.

Simpani

Sometimes running NEF in Nepal is like an emotional rollar coster. From the highs of Chimkhola village and then today meeting the mother of Serriya who we lost to a heart problem just two months ago. Seeing the mother's tears I had a hard time holding back my own. She apparently died in a bus on the way to the hospital. Imagine having your child in critical condition and having to take her to hospital in a bus. Raj Kumar, Serriya's brother, also looked so sad. I have a new sponsor for him in Serriya's name. Her photo was in the school office adorned with tikas.
Everything seems fine in Simpani and we saw a lot of the children. I have to return in the morning to give out clothes and shoes. It always seems so poor there. Some families, like Mrs BK and her four little girls in their tiny dark little room is very upsetting. Today only the girls were there as the mother had gone to cut rice. The subedi family of nine children are another example of extreme poverty but they are always delighted to see us. Mina Puns grandmother just would not let go of me. I told her I would have tea with her tomorrow and I had to somehow extricate myself from her grip as it was getting late. Wonderful people and how I wish you could all meet them and see what I see.
This trip is somewhat of a marathon and I cannot possibly see all the children. Bob and I are tired today and have stomach upsets. Only minor but it slows us down. We go back to Kathmandu in a couple of days.

Photos

This has taken a long time to download and a few of the photos of the children just keep getting lost. so I have to give up until I get home. The photos are of the children, me cutting the ribbon to the room where NEF concreted the floor and made a new blackboard, handing over the football and basketball chains from the Duncan Daybreak Rotary and the children presenting us with tikas and malas, there were some from each class.

Chimkhola photos

Back from Chimkhola

Some experiences and memories of Nepal live forever and this one will stand out like a bright light. Visiting the school in Chimkhola was something that is hard to explain. The whole school was waiting for us and the musicians led us to the school yard where everyone was waiting and had been for a long time. We were adorned with flower malas and tikas (my hair is still red) and there were speeches of such gratitude. I cut the ribbon to the classroom where we concreted the floor. It all seemed so much for so little. The whole village welcomed us and we were invited to homes and there was much music and dancing in the evening.
We discussed how the Duncan Daybreak Rotary funds would be spent and how NEF funds would help. They had some old buildings which had long been abandoned but still were solid so with our funds we will refurbish one building to start with that will house the new computers and medical room. Also upstairs we will make a room where some of the children that walk two hours to the school can stay during the school week.
We met a new friend, Dipak, he is a guide and he came with us and Mann to help carry things and was really good. We are just on our way to his house now for Dal Bhat (lunch)
More later and some photos.

Tihar Ceremony

We had a wonderful day with our Nepali family of Jagat, Mann & Kamal etc. etc. they made us part of the tikar ceremony and I am sitting writing this with three tikars on my forehead and two lovely marigold malas around my neck. It really was a lovely day and we took two Australian girls along too. We met them coming from the airport and they were happy to take part in Nepali culture something as tourists they would not otherwise have been able to do.
They now want to meet and sponsor a child.
Tomorrow morning we leave for Pokhara where I will meet with the Rotary Club and then trek to Chimkhola.

Some Photos of Children I have Visited

Here are some photos (bought a new cable). Chring in his new jacket and how pleased he was with it. Above right Ranjita who wrote the poem below. She is in a dance costume for Tihar. Left Uma who is one of our many success stories. She is doing so well now, many of you will remember the ups and downs of Uma. this photo shows how well and happy she is now.

Tihar

Today and tomorrow is the festival of Tihar or Diwali and it is really quite unbelievable. The lights and flowers every where looks very wonderful and the singing and dancing is great also. the worst thing is the fire crackers which never seem to stop and they are thrown from buildings and across the street which is most dangerous.
I visited quite a few children today but some were not at home because of the holiday. I visited both tea shops and both are still doing well. I delivered more letters which are always well received. Yesterday we took one family, Auntie Dickie and Yangji, out for lunch which was a nice change for them. Aunty Dickie always makes us something when we visit so we thought it would be nice to treat her.
On Friday we leave for Pokhara and on Saturday we start our trek up to Chimkhola to see the school.
Tomorrow is a big celebration for Tihar which are spending with Jagat, Mann and Kamal and their families.

In Kathmandu

Well we arrived here a couple of days ago and it is very chaotic because there is the Diwali or Tihar festival going on. Traffic is horrendous and so moving around is difficult. I have visited some of the children and am delivering letters and gifts. Everyone is fine and there appear to be no problems.
Mann's wife is having her baby in a couple of weeks. We are going to Pokhara on Friday and then up to the village of Chimkhola in the mountains.
I will update this blog as often as I can as time allows. I forgot to bring my cord for my camera and so downloading pictures is not possible.
Thursday is bitikar day when sisters honour their brothers and we will spend that day with Jagat, Mann and their families.
The luggage that we brought got here okay but only just as Hong Kong airport was not going to allow us to bring the extra bag that we had paid for in Vancouver. They did not really care that we had no where to leave it and after about an hour we found a lovely Chinese official who sorted it out for us and it arrived okay. We brought 330 pounds which is a feat in itself just moving it all around. All for the charity, clothes, shoes etc.
More later.

In Hong Kong

We are in Hong Kong for a few days and leave tomorrow for Kathmandu. Very hot and humid here. We have had a chance to get over our jet lag so will be fresh when we arrive in Nepal. Have been enjoying some time with a friend who I have not seen for 45 years and that is a long time. Will be updating the blog regularly once we are in Nepal.

Daybreak Rotary Club Fundraiser

Last Friday Bob and I attended the Daybreak Rotary Club's Crabfest Fundraiser. This was a fundraiser for the Chimkhola school and a local charity. I do not know how much they raised yet but it certainly seemed like a very successful evening. Joe Simpson did a great job on the Chimkhola display board. Here is a photo of it with Joe, Bob and myself.

Our thanks go to the Rotary Club for the funds raised at this enjoyable evening.

Poem from a Sponsored Child

This poem was sent to a sponsor and I think she speaks for all of the children in Nepal. I have copied it exactly as it was written. Please Read:

About Life

When I see others life,
I used to see only their happiness life
Again when I turn towards me,
I used to be sad coz there's no any free

All others rejoying prosperous life,
But why I only have sad and nervous life,
Why I should always make fall my tear,
Though there's no any one to care

Why I can't enjoy their life,
Though I am also some child
I know that in my life there is no any happiness
Except my life is full of pain
Why I was born in this crude world

Though I don't have any one to hold
All of the people are curring my life
Though I have'nt done any mistake

Thank You Ranjita

I am leaving in a few days so there is still time to get a letter to me (if you live locally) for your child to let them know that you care.
When I am in Nepal I will update the blog regularly except when I am in the mountains so please check. I arrive in Nepal on October 26th after a few days in Hong Kong.

Return to Nepal

Bob and I are returning to Nepal via Hong Kong on October 19th. This is a short trip and we will be gone for one month. I can take letters and small things if anyone wishes. You will need to get these to me in the next couple of weeks.
All the children are doing well, they are all being monitered regularly. We only have one with a medical problem at present and he is Sushant our little blind student. He was diagnosed with high blood pressure last week and has seen a doctor and is now on medication.
I will not be able to see all the children on this short visit but I will visit those that I can and I will visit many schools.
I will be going to the Chimkhola village school to see how the upgrades are progressing. We are at present working with the Daybreak Rotary Club in Duncan who are going to help us with this project. This is great news and will make a huge difference to the villagers of Chimkhola. This school has 400 students from three villages and is the only school that goes to class 10 in this mountain region.

Garage Sale

We had our third garage sale of the season on September 6th and did very well making $980 with a couple of items still to sell. It was a fun and enjoyable day and very profitable. Again many many thanks for all the items donated, thanks to Ray for letting us hold it at his store again and to those that helped, Sue, Alice, Monica and Barbara. You all made it happen successfully.
This money will help the schools and college students who are increasing in numbers with extra expenses and many other things as well. It is very reassuring to have some money put aside for medical expenses also and now I do not have to worry about that so much.
Fundraising is always ongoing and we will do this all over again next year so if you have any stuff in the meantime just give me a call and we will pick it up and store it somewhere in the back of the garage or wherever I can.

Presentation

Just a reminder that we are having a presentation on Wednesday the 17th at 7pm. That is this Wednesday at the:

Maple Bay Rowing Club in Maple Bay.

Directions: Follow Trunck Rd to Maple Bay Rd and come all the way down to the Ocean. When you get to the bottom of the Maple Bay hill at the water turn left and the Rowing Club is just a short distance on your right at the boat launch. Plenty of parking there too. If anyone needs to phone for further info the number is 250-746-8936. Maple Bay is about 6 miles from the TCH and the Duncan Mall.
Hope to see you there.

Seriya Chantrelle

A sad goodbye to Seriya. Seriya died on Sunday August 17, 2008. Only 7 years old she passed away suddenly at her family home on a festival day when sisters and brothers celebrate their good relationship. She had one older brother. Seriya, we believe had a heart problem. A sweet little girl and although she did not have a sponsor at this time her schooling was paid for through NEF. Mann has been to see her mother and offer our condolences.

Chimkhola School

I have just received these photos from the the Chimkhola Village School. These are of the repairs we are doing with some of our garage sale money. They are cementing two floors and have made two blackboards. It looks to be coming on well and we will do more work there soon.

A reminder that we are having another garage sale on September 6th at Ray's Second Hand Shop again. If you have anything please give me a call.

For anyone interested in the Nepal tour happening in the Fall of 09 I am having a meeting on Thursday August 28th at 7 pm at my house: Please call if you are interested and I will give you directions 746-8936.

Dinner Draw

The dinner draw ticket was pulled tonight by the waitress at the Brig Pub with friends and organizers Monica, Anne, Jim and Sheron and myself present and the winner is:

Elaine Nessman of Cobble Hill, BC and she is a school teacher at Bench School and also a Dragon Boat Diva. Congratulations Elaine.

We raised a whopping $3,400 selling these tickets. Thanks to all who bought tickets and helped sell them. A job very well done. Thanks to you all. The real winners here are the children in Nepal.
A special thanks to Monica for coming up with this fundraising idea and for selling the most tickets.

Hattiban School

I received these photos yesterday of the Hattiban school. As you will remember we had these tables, benches and cupboards made in the spring and have since had the walls painted. I am showing the before and after pictures and I am sure you will agree that it is a huge improvement for the children. These are the two classrooms of the youngest children, nursery and kindergarten. Hopefully we will be able to improve some more classrooms later.

Tour to Nepal

Hi Everyone:

I am planning to do a tour to Nepal in the Fall of 09 if enough people are interested. I have had a number of sponsors ask if they can come to Nepal with me. In giving it some thought I think it would be better if it was done as a group tour as in the spring I am too busy working to really give my attention to anything else.
This would include a trek for those that wish it or volunteering at a school if that is your interest. Sponsors can visit their child and school as well as see the sights of Kathmandu and Pokhara.
This is in the very infant stages of planning. First I would like to know who would be interested to see if it is worth doing. Just email if you think you may be interested. There will be a information meeting later.

Just a couple of things of note. First for local sponsors we will be having a booth at the end of my driveway this weekend for the Tall Ships Festival in Maple Bay. We will be selling dog biscuits, Nepali items and dinner draw tickets again.
September 6th we will be having another garage sale at Ray's Second Hand Furniture. I have quite a lot stuff to sell again and have more promised.
September 17th (date to be confirmed later) I am having a presentation at the Maple Bay Rowing Club. This is a information and social evening to show slides of the highlights of the last year in Nepal.

Work at Chimkhola School Started

We gave a donation of $500 last week to the Chimkhola School Board to start work on cementing a floor, making two new blackboards and anything else they needed to start with. Once they have done one floor we will know the exact cost of this. They were in Kathmandu and bought the supplies to take back to the village. The cement will have to be transported to Chimkhola by donkey and so it could take some time. Mann will go there in a couple of weeks and see how they are progressing. They are very excited about it. Once we know the costs hopefully we will be able to do some more work. The photo is of the trail that the supplies will travel to the school and as you can see it is difficult.

The children have been all visited in the last month by Mann and Jagat and all are doing well.

Canada Day Success

Yesterday was Canada Day for us here in Canada and our booth was set up early to sell dog biscuits, Nepali handicrafts and dinner draw tickets. We did very well making $330 from biscuits, handicrafts and donations. Plus we sold $220 worth of dinner draw tickets. This was a great day and we thoroughly enjoyed talking to everyone about NEF and greeting many old friends. The parade was the best yet out of the six years it has been running. It is a real local community event.

Again thank you to everyone who came by to say hello and to all who contributed to our sales. Special thanks to my dog walking friend, Barbara for helping all day and her great salesmanship. She even had one of my Nepali Christmas cards in her hat to show people what we did last year. It is so wonderful for me to have such support.

Thanks also to the Pictorial for a very good article on NEF, it certainly brought people out to meet us.

I have had a donation for 4 sewing machines for our newly planned sewing program in Pokhara. I am hoping to get this started later in the year. Certainly now with the success of these sales we have the ability to get this up and running.

Another Successful Garage Sale

We had a great day on Saturday and made $890 which I was very surprised with as I thought that we did not have much stuff. It was steady all day helped by a very good article about NEF in the local paper. Itwas a very hot day and I got quite sunburnt but it was very enjoyable. A special thanks to Linda Milne and my daughter Wendy who helped all day and to Ray Scudder who let us use the front of his store to set up the sale. Thanks to all who helped and donated to both sales it is greatly appreciated.

Tomorrow, Canada Day, my friend, Barbara and I are selling homemade dog biscuits and the dinner draw tickets at the celebrations.

The Fundraising Goes On

Walking on the beach last week one of my dog walking friends came up with the idea of making dog biscuits to sell at the Canada Day celebrations in Maple Bay. I really needed something else to do!!!!!!! We will be set up in a driveway right next to the celebration selling these treats and also the dinner draw tickets, which are going well, and Nepal handicraft items.
Also a reminder that I have another garage sale this weekend, the 28th, at Ray's Second Hand Furniture next to the Duncan Garage from 9am to 3pm. Still looking for more stuff for this if anyone still has anything left. I keep raiding my home and soon I will have to start buying it back.
There is suppose to be a little article in the News Leader this week about the garage sale. and NEF. Hopefully it is okay. I am really shy about publicity but if it helps I can stand it.
I am very excited with all this fundraising, it is a lot of work but is paying off literally and thank you to all who are contributing in different ways. Even buying a dinner draw ticket is a contribution which we really appreciate and believe me every bit helps. Just think of what $20 buys in Nepal. For instance: 2 sets of school uniform for a child. Books for a year or two volley balls for a school.

Progressive Dinner, A New Fundraiser

Monica came up with this idea about a year ago and she has been very keen to put it on. Monica and Anne are organizing this and it is as follows:

It is a progressive dinner for 6 people meaning that the winner can invite 5 people to enjoy a special evening of dining:

The dinner guests will be picked up and driven to the various locations, and returned home.
Appetizers will be served in one location, the main course(s) in another and dessert in another. Locations will be a surprise to the winner.
Portraits will be taken and given to the dinner guests at a later date. It is going to be a VERY special evening for the winner!
The date and final menu selection of the dinner will be decided on mutually between the chef, Joe Schuckel, and the winner. Ideally this would be between late August or September. Special diet requests and allergies can be taken care of.

Tickets are $20 each in books of 5. If anyone would like a ticket or would like to help us by selling a book please contact me.
I think this is going to be a great event and a way for the winner and his/her guests to enjoy a special evening all in aid of helping those so much less fortunate than ourselves, the children of Nepal.

Garage Sale Success

Monica

Monica doing a good job and little Ali wearing a pair of wings she found in the sale. Ali is our Nepali granddaughter. She was a big help in explaining the charity and at one point piped up and said to a customer "I was made in Nepal"

Well we had a great day, the weather was so good to us, volunteers superb, donations enormous, and we made a whopping $2,818.00. Still some more to come from some bigger things that I have advertised, fish rank, trampolene, windsurfer and a piece of art work. I cannot thank everyone enough. This really helps the charity and takes a lot of the worry out of running it.
The money will be used for different things including extra tutoring, helping kids go onto college (I have a few of them coming up in the next couple of years) and their sponsors may not want to cover this. We can also give some help to the two schools that we work with, they have many needs and this helps many children. Some will help with admin costs such as website hosting and office expenses unfortunately these things do have to be paid. Also we now have to pay an auditor in Nepal each year as we are now registered there. Also I am always paying extra money when I am there to kids that need different items or medical attention. We are considering starting a sewing project in Pokhara which we hope will be possible in the spring of 09.
So a huge thanks to all involved. It was sure worth the work.

New Furniture for the Chimkhola Village School

Before and after Photos

Chimkhola is a remote mountain village in the Annurpurna range. I visited this village with Mann while in Nepal and we stayed here as this is where Mann and Kamal were raised. I visited the village school and found the condition very bad. Although the building was only five years old it was basically just a building. The desks were in a deplorable state, the floor were mud, no steps to the office just a plank and the room they were wanting to make into a library was bare.

I had a donation from a lady in Alberta and so offered to repair 20 desks as the frames were okay. We spoke to the carpenter and agreed on the price. Mann was back there two weeks ago and took these photos of the repaired desks and they also had enough money left to make these tables and bookcases. It is just a start but a good one as now two classes have desks that they can use. We also were able to buy a few books for the library but they were put on a donkey that had not arrived when these photos were taken.

Back Home

Well we have been home for a few days now but still suffering from jet lag. Everything seems to be an effort. I will get to all of you with photos of your children as soon as possible. I have quite a lot of letters also to get out in the mail.
The time in Nepal was as usual very busy and successful. We have experienced a lot of changes. We are now registered as a charity there with the Social Welfare Council which meant that we had to have an office. So I have rented a small place where we are setting up the office and I can also stay there when in Nepal. Mann, who works for us, and his wife Sima will also live there and as it is in the same building as Jagat I think this will work well especially as they have to share the motorbike and computer. It was a big step for us to take but I think now that it is for the best. It will be good to have our own place. Mann, although new to the job, is working out well and he will be doing all the paperwork involved for the auditor etc.
All the children were visited some a few times. All but two passed the school year. Just out of interest the two that failed were boys.
Now I am home it is time to think about fundraising again with our annual garage sale. For all local sponsors it is being held May 31st. I will let you know when you can drop things off or we can pick up. It will be at Monica's again on Calais Rd. in Duncan. More details a little later.
Also as a fundraiser I am making photo cards of the children made on Nepali handcrafted paper which is made by Mann of NEF. If you would like one of these they are $4 each plus postage.
I have added three new photos below. One of Sushant, he is the little boy who has gone blind. He has just been at the School for the blind three weeks but has already learned some braille and has been intergrated into the regular classroom. He was much happier when I saw him last week. The other photo is of the vegetable trolley we bought for Krishna. It had just been delivered when I was there so unfortunately do not have a photo with the vegetables on it. He was just getting ready to paint it. the third photo is of some little children at the Hattiban school who we bought the new furniture for. I will have photos of the village school where we repaired desks shortly.

On My Way Home

We are in Hong Kong right now and will arrive home in Duncan on Saturday. At that time I will update this blog with photos and final news of the trip. It was sad to leave as it always is but as usual we achieved a lot and this time had a lot of changes.

In the last couple of weeks we started another tea shop for a lady who is widowed with two children. She has an American sponsor who helped her with this venture. She is happy with it and is working long hours to make it a success. She opens at 6am to 9pm 7 days a week and runs it with the help of her two children.

More news when I arrive home.

New Furniture

The Hattiban school new furniture. Middle photo before and photo on right with the new tables and benches. The cupboard they put there for me to take the photo as they were going to attach both of them to the wall so the children would not pull them over.