Internet problems

It is very difficult for me to post here as I get the whole post almost done and lose it, not sure what the problem is.  So I have to make this fast.  I am just posting some pictures of a school in Nuwakot where NEF is providing a science lab and furniture.

Chandoswory School

This is the school we have built with NEF earthquake funds.  It is in the village of Tupche in the district of Nuwakot.  The school was destroyed in the earthquake.  The building consists of five large rooms.  Some volunteers from England are going to paint it and we have money left over to do some other improvements.

Pokhara

A lot has happened in the last few days including a visit to Nuwakot where we visited village schools and saw the school built with our earthquake funds.  We travelled for many hours by bus over two days.  We have donated money for a science lab at one school we visited.  This is a donation from NEF .  Today we visited some sponsor's families in Simpani .  Carrie and her daughter Lauren met Manu and his mother for the first time.  Manu's mother has burned and deformed hands and suvives by begging at the temple.  Emotions were high here and tears shed.  We visited Daumaya and her family, all four girls are sponsored.  Everyone enjoyed themselves.  It is the Tihar festival now and today is the dog festival and so the dogs have tikkas and flower malas.  Photos of Manu's family, Maya and Sabita BK and the dogs enjoying their day.

Visiting Schools

Today we visited two schools out at the village of Hattiban.  This is a beautiful village and it is always a pleasure to visit here.  Chalnakhel school is where the Duncan Rotary Clubs installed railings and doors and windows a few years ago.  The children we sponsor in Hattiban were badly affected by the earthquake and many are living in temporary tin shacks.   The children are always a delight.  We did a bag up for each child, those that had a letter or gift we put in the bag and for the others we put in a piece of clothing and a pen or book.  This way every child gets something.  Photos:  Children at Chalnakhel School, Krishna reading Anju her letter, little Rosi, college student Kabita, Hattiban school children.

Sabitri

Today Sabitri, our blind student, came to visit us at Ram's office.  I will never know how she navigates the Kathmandu traffic, I have a hard time myself.  Sabitri is in a Master's program, she is very bright.  She is still waiting to hear whether she has a teacher position at a village school.  We are hoping for her as she wants to be able to support her family in the village, she has a brother and sister there who are blind and cannot speak.  We brought her to the hotel to give her some clothes and shoes which she was very happy with.  Then I walked her to the bus.  We will see her again before We leave.  She looked very lovely today in a turqoise and purple couta.

Chring

One of the sponsored children that we saw today was Chring.  He is one of our success stories.  Chring comes from an extremely poor family with an alcoholic father.  The family has had much misfortune.  Chring lost his closest brother in age to untreated ear infection that caused a brain infection.  His baby brother was adopted to a family in Spain.  His two older brothers quit school early and became labourers.  His older sister left the family and was educated by another family.  I often see the father drunk on the street but he is very proud of Chring and his continuing education.  They move often from one drap room to another.  Now Chring can talk to me in fairly good English.  Thanks to NEF Chring will complete his education and be able to get a job and help his mother.  Chring always seems happy and has a big smile.  Many thanks to his sponsor.
Sorry but I cannot upload photos from my ipad at the moment.  I have tried for hours and it is not working.

Chring in runner's donated shirt.

We arrived in Nepal on Tuesday night after a 40 hour journey.  Yesterday we met with Ram and Krishna and went over all child and school lists.  Everything is going very well and the students are very happy in their new schools.  There have been a lot of changes in Nepal since the earthquake and the government has many new rules.  NEF is being run very efficiently by Ram.

We slept for many hours yesterday and hopefully feel better today.  I will visit children and schools starting tomorrow.  I am having some trouble with blog and keep losing and this is my fourth attempt.

On my Way Home

It has been a hectic three weeks in Nepal, my shortest visit to date.  When I booked the oil embargo was on and I thought getting around was going to be difficult but the embargo was over before I arrived.  Many days I worked eight to eight but 99% percent of the work was completed as of yesterday.  Krishna will finish up.  It has been a marathon but the children as always have been a delight and meeting with friends enjoyable.

Our new organization and board are doing well.  I have seen all the paperwork and we now have transparency and detailed records of all children.  Krishna is extremely efficient even though he is still learning all the children and schools.  He is a very fast learner.  Ram has put in hundreds of hours to achieve the correct paperwork for the government and also to learn all the children, their backgrounds and schools.  We are going to minimize the amount of schools we are using so that all children in one area go to the same school.  This will be much more efficient and mean that even government sponsored children will get a better education.  Below are some of our board members.  I will post more photos in the next few days.

TREASURER - Krishna Hari Basnet.  Krishna works as a night receptionist at the Kathmandu Guest House.  He coordinates all NEF children, visiting schools and families etc.  Past NEF student.

PRESIDENT -  Ram Hari Basnet.  Ram runs a cargo busniess in Kathamndu and also has built his own school in his village for poor children

VICE PRESIDENT - Rajendra Thakuri - Rajendra has worked for NEF for many years managing the Hattiban area children.  He has a job in guest relations at the Kathmandu Guest House.

MEMBER - Niroz new to NEF and is an IT Designer.

SECRETARY - Pradip Gandharba -  NEF student now in a master's program.

MEMBER - Bipana Ale Magar - NEF student now in a BA program.

Not shown are Shirjana Adhikari past NEF student now a bookkeeper at a college

and Sabitri Poudel blind NEF student.

Manu

'Manu is just starting class 1 at nine years old.  His mother is very poor and  has no useable hands as they have been badly burned.  She earns a meagre income begging at the tmple.  When we met Manu he was seven and really wanting to go to school so NEF sponsored him to go to Government school where he started in nusery class.  That is not what he wanted so he went to the High Mount which is private and refused to leave.  His sponsor agreed to pay the fee and he is happy and attending regularly.  I find Manu to be an extremely lovable child who has a lot of determination.  He is always delighted with his sponsor's letters, the first time I gave him one he tried to give it back to me, he could not believe someone would write to him.  I gave him this medal, donated by one of my running friends, and told him it was for his good work and attendance at school.  He was very happy.

Pokhara

This is my last day in Pokhara and a rest day, my only one this trip.  I have seen all the children here and it has been so enjoyable.  Pokhara itself has problems because of a lack of tourists.  Businesses in Lakeside are suffering badly, the stores are quiet and some already have closed.  Hotels mostly empty. To rent a store a years rent must be paid up front, the earthquake happened a year ago next month, so that years rent is almost gone.  After that I just do not see how they can pay these high rents with no tourists shopping in their stores.  I have a friend who is a jeweller and another who owns a gift shop both say the situation is terrible.  The only tourists here are young backpackers and they do mot spend money.  

At this time of year the sky is usually alive with coloured paragliders, there are very few now.  Everyone is suffering.  I also see kids sniffing glue on the street something I did not see before in Lakeside.  Things have changed due to a disasterous past year.  Hopefully tourism will pick up but it is going to take time which a lot of these businesses do not have.

Literacy Program Restarts Tomorrow

The Women's Literacy Program restarts tomorrow.  After the earthquake, some construction of the building and then the oil embargo the women seem keen to start again.  I met with them today and we had 14 who wanted to start tomorrow and I am sure more will come once they know the program is running again.  I felt 14 was enough to make it viable.  We then went and bought the books etc for them and will drop them off tomorrow.  I am happy that the women are keen to start again as they have done so well.

NEF Children in Pokhara

We have visited many children in the last three days, 48 in one day.  They are always a delight.  Here are a few.  Top Milan, Nikku a student with NEF for nine years, now in his last school year, Gagan a very sweet little boy, Dipika from Pumdi Bhumdi, Ganga, and a teacher reading Sohan his sponsor's letter.

Supplies for Blind Students

A few days ago I mentioned the donation we received from the students in Georgia, USA.  They make unique jewellery which they sell so they can help underprivileged children.  They call themselves "Jewels for Jewels".  We found a special project for them in Nuwakot at the Chandaswory School where we have our earthquake project.  At this school there are 22 blind students ranging in age from 5 yrs to the early 20's.  They had no supplies at all especially since the earthquake.  We bought for them two computers with special software, a radio for each with an external drive so that they can listen to their books, braille supplies, white canes etc.  It was very rewarding delivering these supplies as they were so appreciative and happy.  We chatted with them and a little girl sang for us.  These kids were not only blind but also very poor and had lost their school in an earthquake but were so happy.  A lesson to be learned here.  Sabitri, our blind masters student, came with with us as she had helped us with advice on what the students needed.  She is hoping to get a job as a teacher at this school and it is looking very hopeful for her.  Many thanks to "Jewls for Jewels" for making this project possible.  I wish you all could have been there.

NEF Earthquake Project

Yesterday we visted Nuwakot and the village of Tupche (not sure of Spelling) this is a five room building plus five toilets.  The toilets have not been started yet but the school buildings are well on their way.  Now the fuel embargo is over it should be finished quickly.  It is a block building reinforced with iron, next it will be cemented and the roof material is being delivered this week.  The children are studying in tents at the present time.  There are 22 blind students here and tomorrow I will tell about them and our project for them.  I am very tired as we have been on the road all day and now we are in Pokhara.

Tomorrow leaving for Nuwacot

Early tomorrow we leave for the mountain area of Nuwacot.  This is where we are building the school rooms with the earthquake money.  We will be there for two days and then travel to Pokhara to visit all the children there.  So no internet for a couple of days.  It will be nice to leave the dust, pollution and chaos of Kathmandu behind.  The fuel embargo is over and they are getting 70 percent of the fuel allotment from India.  Tourist numbers are down but it is still fairly busy. 

Children needing Sponsors

We have quite a few students needing sponsors.  Most of them are older in the higher classes or college so the sponsorship will be short term.  If we do not get sponsors we have to pay for them out of the fund which is quite draining on our resources.  These children had sponsors but have lost them and some NEF has been paying for them for two or three years.  Some are here in Katmandu and some in Pokhara and I will going there in a couple of days.  These ones are in Kathmandu.

First is Shailindra in class nine, very bright student.  He will be starting class 10 next month, cost $125 for the year and the two years college at $ 350 per year.

Next is Bijaya Lama.  He has one year of college left at a cost of $350.  Bijaya has been with NEF for many years and is a good and regular student.

Binod class 8 at private school so cost is $350.00 per year, good student.

Prabu, from the first family ever sponsored by NEF.  Has two brothers and a sister all who have done well through NEF.  Private school $350 per year.  Class 9 so four years left.  

These boys are all good and regular students and we have to continuing helping them to finish their education.  Any help would be appreciated.

Stone Quarry

I am calling this the stone quarry children out of habit as the quarry has now gone.  Over the years the land has gradually been built on and the families have been sqeezed out of their dwellings.  I met most of them in a room one of them lives in.  These children have lived hard lives in very poor circumstances but they do so well in school and we have three in college and one that has graduated.  I have been coming to visit these families for so many years and it is always a pleasure to see them.  Photos 

Of Abeseka, Bijaya first year college and has mo sponsor now, Aaiseka, Sarita and Sanija.