Nepal Education Fund

Return to Nepal

2012-02-12T20:39:00.000-08:00

I leave in one week for Nepal arriving there on February 21st. It will be an exciting time with the Rotary members arriving in early March and the trip with them to Chimkhola. The Duncan Rotary Club has paid for a new generator and turbine for the village and that has been delivered there this weekend and so will be up and running when the Rotary visit next month. I know that they will be very excited to see this and the impact that it will have on the village. While in Pokhara we will also visit the Gunjara village and the village school where NEF has started work on the roof.
Quite a large sum has been raised by a Rotary member for dentistry and a dental clinic will be held while we are there. Dag's father was a dentist who recently passed away and so this will be very special for him to be there while the children are being treated. He will also be able to visit the dental hospital.
I will, of course, be visiting all the NEF children and women and all the photos will be posted to flickr. www.flickr.com/photos/98411 Please check here for all updates on our time in Nepal.

Family's Christmas Gift helps NEF

2012-01-25T20:44:00.000-08:00

The children of this family, Alexis, Danaca, Jayda, Cayleand their mother Heather, all decided that instead of buying gifts this last Christmas that they would all make gifts for their family members. The gifts included a hand made photo album, crossword puzzles and lavender bags. With the money they saved by making their gifts they each made a donation to NEF. They chose which projects that their individual money went to. These included library books, help with a school roof and school supplies. The eldest daughter, Alexis, decided she wanted to give her money to help animals. So I told her about the Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre which helps street dogs in Kathmandu. They also have a spay and neuter program to help cut down on unwanted puppies and this has saved thousands of dogs from being poisoned in Kathmandu as this is how the city controlled the dog population. They also treat dogs covered in mange and traffic accidents.
So a big thank you to these generous young ladies and hats off to them for recognizing that there are children in the world so much less fortunate then themselves and to Alexis who showed compassion for the animals who live on the street in Kathmandu in a state of constant negelect.

Payments due by Jan. 31st.

2012-01-18T19:49:00.000-08:00

I am sorry to be so late in updating this blog but I have been sick for some weeks with a flu and bronchitis. I think I am better and then it returns again. This week has been a bad one. Hopefully I will get back to normal soon.
Thank you to everyone who has sent in payments it is very much appreciated. For outstanding ones you have till the end of the month.
I return to Nepal on February 20th and would like all finances to be in order by then so I do not have to worry about it while away.
Seven Rotarians are coming to join me in March and are making the trip to Chimkhola again. Carol and Keith our donors from Qatar are also arriving in Nepal mid March and we have a sponsor and her daughter coming. They will visit their sponsored student who is now in second year college and they have sponsored her for some years. That will be an exciting meeting. They also support a literacy lady who they will meet. She will be delighted. More on all of this later.

Photos on flickr

2011-12-29T22:31:00.000-08:00

I have now uploaded all the photos from the November trip to Nepal onto flickr. These include the children, women, schools and Mann's wedding. www.flickr.com/photos/98411

Mann & Sima's wedding was steeped in ritual and lasted for two days. It was extremely interesting for us to watch and to be part of. We feel like part of the family and so it was very important for us to be there.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-20T14:03:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to Everyone and a Happy and

Peaceful New Year 2012

NEF has had a very good 2011 with many good programs and the continued success of our students. We have our first university student studying to be a teacher. Without NEF's help she could not have achieved this. We had a successful dental program treating over 200 children. We have another planned for 2012. We carried out improvements to Phumbi Bumdi school and have started work at the Gunjara School. We saw the completion of the Rotary Chimkhola Village School Project. Our literacy ladies program continues with many new students again this Fall.
This March seven Rotarians will join me again to visit Chimkhola and our new project at Gunjara and the village school at Christie.
I wish to thank all of our sponsors and donors for helping to make this a successful year and for your continued support as without you NEF could do none of this work. Also many thanks for Mann and Jagat who work with such dedication in Nepal as they are the backbone of NEF in Nepal.
I look forward to another year of helping the Nepali people achieve their dream of a better future for their children.

Back Home

2011-12-04T14:35:00.000-08:00

We are now back at home suffering some jet lag but that will pass in a few days. As I said in my last post it has been a successful trip to Nepal and every day was full. I did not see all the children but a lot of them. I am posting some photos here but this week will upload all the photos onto to flickr. www.flickr.com/photos/98411
I will email the sponsors whose children or women that I did see and let them know.

Our happy literacy women

Devi and sister Jyoti, Jyoti quit school but her sister Devi is determined to finish school

Uma who is nearly finished her sewing course and also has found a job as a cook in the Passport Office

Suman who is doing very well in school

I am returning to Nepal on February 20th. Payments for sponsored children are due by January 15th. There has not been a lot of response to this so I probably will extend this to January 30th. This does not include the college students or women.

Children in a class at Kristie School

On our Way Home

2011-11-29T05:25:00.000-08:00

We are enjoying a few days in Hong Kong now and leave for home tomorrow. Our time in Nepal was busy and quite productive. We did not see all our children but a lot of them. We spent time at schools with the help of the Annurpurna Rotary Club looking for those that need help. We started work at Gunjara School and they already have the new roofing NEF provided in place. Mann's and Sima's wedding was a highlight which we were so happy to attend. We spent time with our Nepali family and friends and I managed some more Nepali language lessons with Prem. Our time was short there but every day was filled and we enjoyed it to the full. The people of Nepal are wonderful, I love them for their natural friendliness and sincerity. They are so warm and welcoming. It is always hard to leave our friends there. Life for them is hard and we cannot compare it ours. Fortunately the electricty was not too bad with load shedding only for about an hour per day but they are saying by the spring it will be for 18 hours which means only six hours of electricity per day again.
When I get home I will put more photos up here on the blog and also on flickr.

Nepali Hindu Wedding

2011-11-26T02:00:00.000-08:00

A few days ago we attended Mann and Sima's wedding. It was quite the occasion with rituals from the past and Hindu rituals for marriage. It was attended by over 100 family and friends. A wedding in Nepal is very important and relatives travel long distances to be there. The first half is centered only on the groom while the bride is getting ready. He sits with the Brahmin priest and goes through all the rituals from his holy book and the groom dresses as a peasant. When the bride arrives the groom changes into a suit. The bride is dressed in a red sari and veil and then rings are exchanged. There is a small fire which they have to circle three times. After the ceremony they sit in red chairs and family and friends place tikkas on their foreheads. We were honoured as family and given tikkas and malas as well. This was the first day at Mann's parents home.

The second day the celebration moved to Sima's family home and the tikka ritual continued with many guests from Sima's village of Tatapani. Also the guests also washed the bride and groom's feet. They take the water wash the feet and then drink and pour the water over their own heads. It is something to do with the honouring of the bride and her leaving the family. We were again honoured as part of the family sitting next to Mann and Sima throughout the ceremony. It was very interesting and so different from our own culture.

Kristie Village School

2011-11-23T08:13:00.000-08:00

The other day we visited the village of Kristie with a Rotary friend. It was near Pokhara but high and unfortunately the weather was cloudy and we could not see the view. It was a lush area with orange, lemon, pomegranite, papaya and banana trees. Coffee also grew here and one of the school committee was a coffee farmer and he showed us how the beans were harvested and prepared. We also drank black coffee, which I never do, but it was delicious. Everything here was totally organic.
We were welcomed at the school by the children presenting flower malas as usual. They were in lines, girls one side and boys the other. The girls presented to me and the boys to Bob each saying their name. Very touching. The school was in terrible condition some rooms unusuable with plants growing out of the floor and walls. The walls were also crumbling and the roof leaking. They had three new rooms that the government gave them. Bob came up with the idea of partitioning the new rooms to make six rooms instead of three as a temporary measure. He felt it was urgent to remove the children from the unsafe rooms that they were in especially the youngest children. They are going to give us a budget to see if we can help them with this later. They also had no drinking water. The children were crowded on benches. Six children on a bench made for three. They had no library etc. Actually they had nothing!!!
Of three new schools we saw last week we felt that Gunjara and Kristie were the most urgent and deserving of any help. Gunjara has already repaired one roof with the material we sent up last week.

Accepting flowers from the children

Condition of the classrooms

class one with no desks

Mann picking oranges but still talking on his phone

I have been having computer problems in the last two days as my laptop would not hook up to the wifi, today is okay. We left Pokhara today which is always sad as we have so many friends there and Mann's family which are like our own. We also attended Mann's wedding for two days more on that tomorrow and photos.

Women's Literacy

2011-11-20T07:57:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we visited the women's literacy program in Simpani for the second time this week. There were many new women all wanting to start and many of the original group. A new lady of 74 was starting and our grandmother, Shree Ram Pun, 68 years old, is now nearing the end of her third year in the class. In the begining she told me she was too old to learn to read but now she is one of the longest attending students. As usual they showed their gratitude with many flowers and keta scarves.
The new handicraft program we wanted to start with about ten students we cannot start for another five months as we found out that the material, a type of grass, is seasonal and only available to be purchased during the summer season so we will have to wait on this.

Literacy Ladies

Shree Ram Pun

This is still a great program and the women love it and it provides them not only education but a social outlet also.

A Special Moment

2011-11-18T08:01:00.000-08:00

Many things have happened in the last two weeks that have been emotional for me but today a really special moment. We have noticed a young lady in Simpani over the last two or three years who has a handicap and cannot walk unaided. She has always used a handmade wooden structure with wooden wheels attached. We thought it would be an advantage for her to have a walker from Canada that would be easier for her to use. Last year I bought one at a church sale for $10.00. On this trip we brought it as an extra piece of luggage. Today we took it to her home where she lives in one room down by the river. She was so happy and was all smiles while Mann and Bob showed her how to use it and how the brakes worked and showed her that she could also sit on it if she needed to. She is quite handicapped physically but seemed to be a bright girl. As we went to leave she said "Thank you Aunty and Uncle". I got quite a lump in my throat but managed a "swagatum" which is "you are welcome" in Nepali. We had never actually met this young lady before but hope that this walker would make her life a little easier.

Gunjara

2011-11-17T07:26:00.000-08:00

Today we visited the village of Gunjara. This was an amazing day. It took about an hour to drive to the road up the mountain but we arrived there to find the road washed out. So the big bag and other supplies we had to carry up. It was very humid and we were soon sweating buckets. When we reached the village of Jumuna we stopped for cold drinks and fortunately found a porter to carry the bag. We finished the steep climb to Gunjara and on the way some children came to help carry our stuff. We were warmly welcomed at the village school. Here we have supplied 24 sheets of steel roofing and some desks but they cannot be transported up the road until the weather is better and the road more stable. We were so very touched by the simplicity of these village children and people. They had never had to do a welcoming ceremony before so it made it more sincere. The 40 children who attend the school sat in rows before us with the mothers gathered around them. We had some very simple speeches and then we presented the children with novelty pens and hats which caused a lot of excitement. We had a bag of clothes but left these for the principal to give out. We presented a football and badminton set. The school is in deplorable condition but at least the roofing and desks are a start. Now the children will be able to attend school when it rains. They played music for us and we danced with the women. A delicious lunch was prepared for us at one of the village houses. This village has virtually no water. In the dry season there is none. I, of course, needed a toilet after lunch and two women led me some distance to a hole in the ground surrounded by a canvas sheet. When I came out they had warm water for me to wash my hands and were delighted to tell me that it was warm. They held onto to me while we walked back. These women are amazing and just love to look after me. I was just so touched. This village would never see white people. They wanted us to look at their orange tree orchard but we did not have time unfortunately but they gave us a bag of the most delicious oranges. These really are organic.

Gunjara School children

Child happy with pen and hat

It was such a great visit. I could not help but think how lucky I was to experience these visits to remote villages. We cannot imagine the life these people live, like waiting all day for a bucket of water. I feel privileged indeed. I hope we can further help this little school that has nothing. My thanks to the people of Gunjara for their hospitality.

Pumbi Bhumdi & Rotary Meeting

2011-11-16T07:37:00.000-08:00

Today we had an enjoyed visit to Pumbi Bhumdi where we saw the library that NEF provided and the computers donated by the Friends of the Qatar Wooden Spoon in Doha. The children were just delightful and we were adorned with flower malas. They told us how grateful they were for our help and how the school is progressing because of it. Registration at the school is now rising. Most importantly I was told that now the children love to come school because of the library and the computers and even ask if they can come in the school holidays. They have a computer teacher who is teaching from class 3 up and is teaching them how to type and do basic things on paint etc. and they can also play games on the computers to help them learn how to use them. On this visit we presented the school with $300 from the Qatar Friends to pay for school uniforms. They were very happy. We then were given a nice lunch of Dhal Bhat (rice and lentils) and takari (curried veg). Although it is a government school they are introducing programs like that of a private school especially in English language classes.

New computers

Children at Pumbi bhumdi School

Tonight we attended the Pokara Annupurna Rotary meeting and enjoy fellowship with them afterward. This is always enjoyable as I have known them for a few years now and they are friends. Tomorrow we go with them to the village of Gunjara where NEF is presenting new roofing material and some sport equipment.

New Program for Women

2011-11-15T02:53:00.000-08:00

Today we went to Simpani and looked at a new handicraft program for some of our literacy women. It involves making about 5 different items, two which we saw today. One a very high quality basket which among other things is used when women visit the temple to take offerings in. The other a mat for a teapot or other item or to put a vase on. Then there are also coasters. Other items I have not seen yet. The items are made from a thick grass and some of the grass is dyed to make patterns in the weaving. Apparently there is quite a market for these items and they are bought by a distributer in Lakeside here in Pokhara. The teacher would need three months, six days per week for two hours a day to fully train ten women. By the second month they should be able to sell some of their items if they are good enough. After training they could work at home. This type of work they could do if they have no other work or to subsidise their other income. They could also teach their children.
It would cost us about $500 to run this program but I think it is worthwhile as the product was very good quality. We have not made a decision yet as we wish to do a bit more research.
The sewing program we have decided to close as it was costing us too much money every month. Also we have trained about 50 women and ten of these have already opened shops in the area. I think that we do not want to flood the market and it is time to move on to something else. We have given our two full time ladies a sewing machine each. One, Maya, plans to return to her village and open a sewing shop there as the village does not have one. She has been with us since the begining so is well trained. Daumaya is going to do sewing at home. I think it has been a successful program and has had a good outcome.
Today I also saw about 35 children of NEF's at High Mount School. All looked well and happy.
Yesterday we drove high up to a village to look at a school. It was on the Royal Trek route that Prince Charles did many years ago. The views are superb but of course the weather was socked in yesterday and it seemed more like a rain forest. The school had a building but no desks, teaching supplies etc. and needed a wall so the children did not fall down the side of the mountain.

Basket

Tomorrow we go to Pumbi Bhumdi to see the work that we have completed there at the school.

Rabika who has no parents and lives with an aunty

Raining here like it was monsoon season. Very unusual for this time of year and as usual I left my umbrella in Kathmandu!! Sorry these photos are jumbled up but it is very difficult to upload them with slow connections.

Some of our Students at High Mount

Table Mat

Photos

2011-11-12T06:46:00.000-08:00

Sagar

Children at SBCH childen's home in hats donated by a friend

Smitri and Abeska on their way to school

Pinky & her mother

Smitri and Abeska have been sponsored for about five years now. The improvement in them is quite incredible. When Bob and I first saw them we were quite upset by their poor condition. They are low caste children who we felt needed our help. When I first put Abeska in school he did nothing but cry but as you can see by the photo they are doing very well today and happy to be in school. Pinky is a sweet little girl with some bone problems and is tiny for her age of 8. She is the mascot of the Pinky Fund in Qatar where she is sponsored and also the Qatar Friends of the Wooden Spooner provide money through NEF for school projects. Sagar has been sponsored for about two years now. He has a mother and baby sister living in a very small damp room. We visited SBCH a couple of days ago and it was quite a delight to see all the children in this home doing well and they all seemed very happy. SBCH is run by Mann's brother Kamal.

Pokhara tomorrow

2011-11-11T05:21:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow we leave on the bus for Pokhara and we will have a busy time there seeing our children and women in the literacy program. We will also be visiting a very poor school that desperately needs some improvement. We take the bus at 7 am and will arrive about 3 pm.

This photo is of Liza's school transportation, different kind of school bus and certainly environmently friendly. Liza is Mann and Sima's little girl, Mann is NEF President and we share the apartment with them.
We visited several children this morning, one of them being Pinky who is the mascot of the Pinky Fund in Qatar. More from Pokhara.

Kathmandu Children

2011-11-10T02:18:00.000-08:00

Jitesh above and Deepesh below, two of our successful students.

We visited some of the Kathmandu children yesterday who are located in the centre of the city. All were doing well. Also saw Uma who I wrote about in the last post. She is a fine young lady now. The children are all growing up and some have been with us since the begining in 2004.
When we came home two young men Deepesh and Jitesh came to visit us. They travelled two hours by bus to come. I was so impressed with them, they are both in college and Jitesh is also working at a hotel. They are about 18 and so very polite and respectful. They have both been sponsored by NEF for many years and their sponsors would be very proud of them. This morning another young man, Pasang, came to visit and he has just started college. His father is a security guard at a building site and they live in a tin shack. He also is a fine young man now. We tend to focus on girls but our success with these boys is quite impressive.
Today we visited the Kathmandu Animal treatment Centre. This small charity spay the female dogs in Kathmandu and also treats street dogs with mange and other injuries. I always enjoy my visits here although it is sad to see the state of the dogs, they are doing great work. Dr. Keith Grey from Duncan donated several boxes of Advantage Multi which I took and I gave some brushes and pens. A very nice young volunteer from the US was working there for one year and showed us around. This charity was started by a British lady and with her work she has stopped over 50,000 puppies from being born and this has stopped the poisoning of dogs in Kathmandu.

Life in Nepal

2011-11-08T20:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we had an easier day. The apartment kitchen needed new lino
as it was in tatters so we went into Patan which is a short ride in a
tempo, a three wheeled vehicle with as many people as can be squeezed
inside with some hanging off the back. Cost only ten rupees about 12
cents. We purchased the best quality in the shop for a cost of $60
and to my surprise the man said that included installation and it
would be done by 5 pm today and it was now early afternoon. How is
that for service? It looks very nice and so much cleaner. We had
lunch in a local restaurant of coffee and chips. I do not like french
fries in Canada but here in Nepal they call them finger chips and they
are delicious and the coffee is a milk coffee like my mother used to
make years ago. I suppose a true coffee drinker would not like it but
we do. Mann delivered some wedding invitations for their wedding in
two week's time.

Life here in Nepal is getting tougher with the rising prices
everywhere. We never eat in the tourist area or restaurants as the
prices have risen so much so when out we use Nepali restaurants for
half the price. Jobs for unskilled persons are very hard to find.
Mann's brother-in-law, Mohan, leaves for Qatar today to work in a
dairy and will be earning only $80 per week and he also has to pay
back his agent fee and airplane ticket over the next months. They
work long hours six days per week but he says it is better than not
working at all.

Uma, who I wrote about earlier here, has nearly finished her sewing
course and has also now got a job in the passport office as a cook.
Mann tells me that the sewing course really changed her and she became
a responsible young woman. So now she has a job and her sewing as
well. I am going to visit her home today. Uma gave us a lot of
frustration over the years but our patience and belief in her has paid
off and many thanks to her sponsor who never gave up on her either.

Now we are going to visit some children and will have more photos tomorrow.

Visiting Children

2011-11-07T09:34:00.000-08:00

Today we visited some children and delivered some gifts and letters.

Most touching was a little girl, Samjhana, who lives downstairs from
us. Her sponsor is a pilot and sent her a large photo of him in the
cockpit holding Samjhana's photo. In a letter he told her that he
carries her photo with him wherever he flies so that she is also
travelling to these places. Watching her looking at the photo and
listening to the letter brought a lump in my throat. She is just such
a poor, hardworking little girl who always looks so sad. This brought
a bright spot to her life and was just so touching. When she is not
at school, she is cleaning, cooking and looking after her brothers.

Samjhana with the photo of her sponser

I also saw Pradip, Parmila and Sandeep today who were the first family
I sponsored. Now Pradip is in class ten. Both Pradip and Sandeep
spent time on the streets and with our help have turned their lives
around and now are respectable young men who are studying hard.

Sandeep

We visited the stone quarrey family which includes, Juni, Bijaya and Puja. They are all doing well and growing up fast. These families bring me a lot of satisfaction by their success and all of them live
in extreme poverty.

Juni

The weather is quite cool for this time of the year and we have had rain. We have three more days here in Kathmandu before leaving for
Pokhara.

Arrived

2011-11-04T22:13:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Nepal on Friday just after midnight. It was a very long
journey and tiring journey. On the flight to Hong Kong a heavy
laptop fell from the overhead bin and hit my face but fortunately I am
okay. My glasses saved my eye but they are chipped and bent. I iced
my eye for an hour and then it started to feel better. I was lucky
not to have been seriously injured. The crew were very good to me and
gave us first class pyjamas and chocolates. Now I am walking around
the apartment in Chinese pyjamas!!!

When we arrived in Nepal we rushed to get at the begining of the visa
line up with our papers all filled out only to then realize I had lost
Bob's visa photos. We had to leave the line up and go through all my
things but no luck so Bob had to have another one taken in the
airport. Then we were at the back of the line and had to wait nearly
two hours finally leaving the airport at midnight. Mann and Jagat had
been waiting two and a half hours outside.

So today is Saturday and a holiday here. Tomorrow we will start visiting.

New Computers for Pumbi Bhumdi School

2011-10-25T21:49:00.000-07:00

New computers, a printer and computer desks have been provided to the school at Pumbi Bhumdi through NEF by our donors in Doha, Qatar. I am sure the children are very excited by this addition to their library which NEF donated earlier this year. We will be visiting the school next month during our visit to Nepal.

Dental Program

2011-10-25T21:21:00.000-07:00

We are still running our NEF dental program. Approximately 200 children were treated this last year. We would like them to be able to have yearly check ups to keep their dental health in check. This can still be bought as a gift for someone for Christmas. It costs $38 to buy a dental visit for a child. The receipient will receive a card telling them of their gift and also some info on our dental program in Nepal. Please keep this in mind. It makes a really worthwhile gift.

Back Home but Leaving for Nepal shortly

2011-10-17T08:44:00.000-07:00

I am back home in Canada after an extended stay in England looking after my sick mother.

We are now leaving for Nepal on November 1st. I am willing to take letters and small gifts if they are delivered to me in good time. Packing is always a huge job. We will be there for the month of November.

I wish to thank Sandy at Valley Yoga for holding the golf tournament in September which raised $1230.00.
Apparently everyone had a good time and I am sorry to have missed it. Thank you also to those who provided prizes for the raffle. We had donated a hockey stick signed by the members of the LA Kings from a Banff game back in 1990. This proved a very popular item. Thanks to the donor.

Payments are now due for women's literacy as of this month and also sponsor money for the children by Jan. 15th.

Sorry not to have updated this blog regularly lately but it has been a difficult time and I had to use library computers in England. I will be updating very regularly while in Nepal so please check for news.

Away in England

2011-09-24T02:44:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately I have not been able to add new posts to this blog as I am in England looking after my mother who has just had major surgery.
I am in touch with our staff in Nepal and everything is fine there. I hope to return to home to Canada in two weeks.
Today Sat. Sept. 24th some sponsors are hosting a golf tournament and dinner as a fundraiser. I wish them luck with this event and am very sorry that I am not able to attend.

Fundraising Tea

2011-08-29T07:42:00.000-07:00

The ladies of Saltair organized a delightful afternoon fundraising tea this last Saturday. It was a rea English tea set in Sharon's garden with sandwiches, cakes and trifle set on tables and served on china. All the ladies wore a hat and it was a very enjoyable event and $500.00 was raised for NEF.

A heartfelt thank you to these generous ladies and their friends and neighbours. Unfortunately I forgot my camera so do not have a picture to add here.

Santi loses her Mother

2011-07-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

Some of you will remember the story last year on this blog of the lady who nearly lost her foot. On visiting her we found that she had a large ulcerated hole in her foot that was badly infected. We took her to a private hospital where she received treatment and surgery and eventually skin grafting. The infection was half way up her leg at the time so had we not visited at that time she likely would not only have lost her foot but her life. She had no money for medical treatment and her sponsor paid for her hospital treatment. She was also blind. Unfortunately she died a couple of weeks ago. We are not sure what the cause was other than it was a stomach problem. She was never a well lady. She leaves a five year old child, Santi, who now is in a small children's home run by Mann's wife, Sima. Mann is NEF President in Nepal. Her father is not able to care for her as he is an alcoholic. The bright side is that Santi is now being well cared for and is clean and well fed. Before the school was always complaining about her dirty condition and attendance. Santi is a bright little girl and I spoke to her on Skype a couple of weeks ago when she was visiting our office. She was very outgoing and happy to talk with me. Hopefully she will be happy in her new home. She has lost her mother but now has a more stable future with regular food and education.

Success Story of Uma

2011-07-06T14:48:00.000-07:00

Uma has been sponsored through NEF since the begining in 2004. She started school at age 11 as her family was too poor to pay her school fees. Uma is bright and learned fast but she was always a long way behind her peers and the children in her classes were half her age. She spent two years in a children's home at age 13 as her mother could not manage her. Here she did well but after two years wanted to go home. We enrolled her in a private school attended by her brothers and sister. She progressed well for awhile and then started skipping school. A year later she was missing from home for several weeks. We do not know where she went during that time. She returned to school promising us that she would improve and not be absent. This lasted only a matter weeks and then she left school for good. This was over a year ago now. When I visited her in the spring of this year she was looking very forlorn and unhappy. She asked me if I would give her another chance. She realized it was too late for her to go back to school as again she would be in the same situation with younger children which she could not cope with. When she was in the children's home she had learned some sewing and her sponsor had bought her a sewing machine. I suggested that she could go to a sewing and tailoring course and learn this trade. Fortunately she has a very good sponsor who has been to Nepal and met her. The sponsor was willing to help in any way she could partly because when she visited Uma at her home and saw the poverty that she lived in she understood the difficults that Uma was experiencing. Uma has now been in the sewing school for nearly two months and she has not missed a day. Mann said she has improved so much and that he never thought it was possible. When he goes to visit the home she is always there working with her sewing machine. This is a girl who always ran off when she saw us coming. Now he says she is a different person and her attitude has changed completely and for the good. We are very happy that finally our persistance has paid off and we have helped this young lady find a purpose in her life. Without NEF's help she would have had no chance and she would have been very vulnerable on the streets of Kathmandu where thousands of girls end of up in the sex trade in India.

School Leaving Certificate Results

2011-06-28T19:17:00.000-07:00

We had six children take their School Leaving Certificate exam and the results were just out a few days ago. We have heard from five of the six students and those have all passed. We are very happy for their success. These children have been sponsored through NEF for quite a few years and it has paid off for them. Now they wish to go to college and we have heard that most of the sponsors are willing to send them. We also have seven students starting their second year of college and four that have completed their two years of college. This is a great success for NEF and we are very happy with these results.

Mann Has Been Sick

2011-06-14T22:02:00.000-07:00

Mann, our NEF President in Nepal, had his appendics removed a couple of weeks ago. He is feeling much better now. He has to take it easy for awhile but is looking much better.

I have been away for ten days in the US. Now that I am home I will get the newsletter out as soon as possible. It has been a busy time with the garage sale and getting photos out to everyone. Hopefully now I can catch up on some paperwork.

Everything is fine in Nepal. One of our students who left school last year has now realized she made a mistake and so her sponsor is paying for her to attend a sewing course so that she will have a trade. She is too old to go back to school as she felt she was too far behind. She has been at the sewing school about a month now and has been attending every day. Hopefully this makes a difference for her and helps her future.

Garage Sale Success

2011-05-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

Sandra, who has helped with the sale for six years running organizes the clothes.

Ali and Alice look at the quilts.

We had a very successful garage sale on Saturday. Total raised so far is $3,400.46 with a few more items yet to sell. It was a busy day and fortunately the rain held off. Thank you to everyone who helped and donated items. Special thanks to Barbara for running the sale and working so hard. She also made some lovely children's quilts which we still have available. It is a lot of hard work but paid off well. We had many very good quality items and thank you to those who donated.

Garage Sale Tomorrow

2011-05-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, Saturday 28th, is the sale from 8 am to 2 pm at 2167 Calais Rd. We have lots of items, definitely something for everyone. A big thank you to everyone who has donated. We really appreciate it. Now all we need is good weather which is in short supply these days. I will post here what we make and how it goes.

On a more serious note I have to report that Mann, NEF President in Nepal, had surgery a few hours ago for an appendicitis. The surgery went well and he will be fine after a few days in hospital.

Sanju Now has a Sponsor

2011-05-20T20:55:00.000-07:00

Sanju has a sponsor now so thank you to the people who offered to sponsor her.

A reminder about the garage sale next Saturday the 28th from 8am to 2pm. We need volunteers so please contact me at 250-746-8936 if you can help. Baking is also needed. Either 6 muffins or 12 cookies which we will sell for $3 per package. There will also be a new and nearly new table featuring home decor items. Barbara has made lavender eye pillows which are great for relaxation which we all need! Also if you have any items to donate please contact me. This sale is an important fundraiser for NEF and in the previous five years it has always been a success thanks to all of you.

We now have a facebook page under Nepal Education Fund. It is very new and I will be adding to it as time permits. Please check it out. I will also be getting a newsletter out very shortly.

Sanju Needs a Sponsor

2011-05-14T20:41:00.000-07:00

Sanju needs a sponsor. Someone offered to sponsor her back in March but has not paid or contacted us since.

Sanju has no parents as her mother is dead and her father disappeared a long time ago. She is 8 yrs old and in class 3. She is pictured here on the left with the family that helps care for her. Two families are helping her. The two boys in the photo are also sponsored by NEF and the lady, Khimaya works in the NEF sewing shop and she is also in our literacy program. The cost to sponsor Sanju is $100 per year and she goes to a government school. She thinks she has a sponsor but unfortunately she now does not.

Presentation of Sign for Library

2011-05-09T13:54:00.000-07:00

Last year in the Spring of 2010 NEF suppled library books to a remote school in the Baglund area of the Annurpurnas. Prem, who is a school teacher and also a teacher of Nepali language to foreigners, is from this village and personally took the books to the school. This spring we had a sign made and presented it to Prem and also to the principal who was in town for a couple of days and I fortunate to be able to meet him. Prem tells me that the whole village uses the books.

Garage Sale

2011-04-25T20:09:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year again when we have our annual sale. This is a fundraiser to help with our NEF expenses in Nepal. We are looking for donations of items for the sale and these can be dropped at my place in Maple Bay. We can also pick up. Please phone me at 250-746-8936.
This is a very important fundraiser for us as we have not taken admin money out of our sponsor or donor contributions but must pay our expenses in Nepal which include our office rent, salaries, transportation costs, audit and renewing of the charity. We have to keep the charity running so need your help. This will be our 6th annual sale and they have always been successful and with your help this one will be also.

Pumdi Bhumdi New School Library

2011-04-19T17:20:00.000-07:00

Pumdi Bhumdi School Library funded by NEF. This was excellent use of funds, the cost was $1000. From an empty cinder block room to what you see in these photos and the books also came from this money.

Phumdi Bumdi

2011-04-18T21:39:00.000-07:00

Last October we visited Phumdi Bumdi and its small school. At the time we were most impressed by the school board member and their vision for the future of the school. This school's students are 80% Dalit caste (untouchables) the very lowest caste. They have planted a small coffee plantation on the grounds and already have been promised a market for the beans when they harvest in two years. With the money they will be able to pay for an English teacher. The school needed many improvements and NEFdonated a $1000 for a library. We went back to see how this was progressing when I was there in March. We had to give the money in two parts so it was not quite finished when we were there. The carpet was laid with a good underlay and some tables, bookcases and books were there. Two weeks later they sent some prints to us of the finished room. We were just amazed at the great job they had done here. The walls are painted different colours and there are cushions on the floor at low tables for the little children. I will scan the photos tomorrow and hopefully I can get them up here. The children are delightful and here are photos of them.

The photo of the library is when it was not complete tomorrow I will post the final photo and prepare to be amazed. It has turned out to be the best project we have ever done with a school.

Photos

2011-04-14T15:26:00.000-07:00

Photos: Top left Parmila and her sister Ramila in new clothes I gave them. Top right Sunil in the dentist chair. Next down Alina and Sunita in Hattiban. Mann (NEF President in Nepal) and wife Sima. NEF children waiting to see the dentist. Right Rajendra NEF monitor in Hattiban and left Sunil in his new raincoat. Pink is no problem for boys in Nepal, he was just happy to get this raincoat. Botton Samjhana and her brothers come to say goodbye.

A Successful Mission

2011-04-11T19:57:00.000-07:00

Relecting on these past weeks in Nepal I realize how many successes we have had, a few failures and mistakes made along the way from which we have learned. 90% of our children do well and are happy to be able to attend school and look forward to going onto college.
Our sewing program we have had to make some changes to with a new teacher and a bigger shop and hopefully this will blossom. We did train about 25 women this last year but we need to move to a bigger shop as the one we had was tiny.
We have a new staff member in Pokhara and his name is Nar. He will monitor the sewing program and see to any problems when Mann is not there. Mann and Nar have been friends for many years so this will be a good combination.
This morning I ran in Kowloon Park and went to the rose garden. Two months ago when I was last there only a few roses were out but today it was in full flush, roses of every hue and colour and the fragrance was wonderful. It compared to NEF as in the last two months we achieved so much, every day a new challenge and a mission accomplished and in end so much success just like the rose garden we are in full flush. Now we have the challenge of raising the funds necessary to keep NEF alive, we have our dedicated staff who must be paid and our office rent etc to be paid. Every year our charity has to have an audit and be renewed in Nepal which costs money. I have worked hard every day along with Mann and Jagat but the fundraising is difficult for me as one person. I need your help. The gift of helping someone less fortunate then oneself and giving them hope is the greatest gift that you can give yourself as it fills the soul and gives satisfaction like nothing else. I can garantee that as I experience it everyday. These are difficult times for everyone but for the poor it is especially bad, they already have a hard time just to survive and give food to their children. They do not have to worry about puttung petrol in the tank of their new car they have to worry about putting food in the stomachs of their children.
I have never asked for money before but now I have to. We appreciate any donation. Larger donations can be tax deductible. Cheques made out to NEF or money orders can be sent to 6718 Beaumont Ave. Duncan, BC, Canada V9L 5X8.
Thank to everyone who supports us. We have a great little charity that is doing so much for so many please let it continue.
Photos later.

Leaving Nepal

2011-04-10T09:26:00.000-07:00

Tonight I am on my way to Hong Kong. Saying goodbye to my ever extending Nepali family is very sad for me. These people are incredible, they look after me so well and it really is a second home for me. I am not allowed to cook as in a Nepali kitchen it is taboo for visitors to cook, it is a matter of honour Mann told me and respect. So I sit back and enjoy the delicious dhal bhat and tarkari that Sima cooks for me.
This has been an incredible trip with so much work completed. There have been no days off but much accomplished. All children have been visited and we have seen all but two children. We spent a lot of time with our women's literacy, we trekked to Chimkhola and Gauda Muni which was a highlight. We also visited another village and school which we hope will be a future project. We visited Phumdi Bumdi and the school there with its new library provided by NEF. Photos of this later. We had our dental program treating over 100 children and some mothers, a medical camp where 85 children were checked. We visited the village of Hattiban 3 times to see the children there. The last time this morning we registered this all at school, 16 children there now.
I will continue this tomorrow as my flight is nearly boarding.

Successful Dental Clinic

2011-04-08T07:38:00.001-07:00

Mann & Jagat did an amazinging job arranging this dental clinic at the Kantipur Dental Hospital. The hospital used their bus for transportation but the children were spread all over the city and also 12 children came from Hattiban which is outside the city. We met the bus on the motorbike and it followed us to the different locations. The traffic is extremely heavy in Kathmandu but we managed to stay together. The bus was full and some children came with their mothers on their own and we ended up with nearly 50 children. All children were checked and some had their teeth cleaned and then there was some classroom instruction on brushing. The treatment will begin next week. We are having lunch with the administrator on Sunday to arrange this and to see what the costs will be. I really thought that this dental program would be too hard to manage in Kathmandu on a large scale such as 50 children but it went very smoothly. It is a real day out for the children and they came dressed in their best clothes and were very excited on the bus and when they left they were all waving goodbye. Many I am sure will need a lot of treatment as I toured the large treatment rooms and was shown the condition of their teeth.
I am really tired. Riding around this city on a motorbike in the pollution seems to make my eyes burn and I feel done in at the end of the day. Tomorrow we have more children to meet and have been invited to a friend's Nepali restaurant. I will also have to think about packing.

Another Dentist Clinic

2011-04-07T06:42:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we have another dental clinic for our Kathmandu children. The Kantipur Dental Hospital is giving us free transportation for the children from different parts of the city. At the end of this clinic nearly all of our children will have been treated.
Today was the medical clinic in Pokhara and apparently it was very successful with no serious problems detected. I will have more info on this and photos later.
More sad news in that a good friend Ram who has helped us in many ways over the years is critically ill in the hospital and we are not sure whether he will survive or not. He has liver and pancreas problems. He told me a few weeks ago that he had had Hepatitis A recently and he had lost a lot of weight. So we are praying that he will recover.
We are very tired after so many weeks of solid work and for Mann and Jagat they still have a lot of school registrations to do next week. Most school resullts come out this weekend. I just have three days left and leave late Sunday evening for Hong Kong. This has been a very full trip and there is much news to tell and hopefully I will get a newsletter out soon after returning home. Anyway more on the dental clinic etc tomorrow.

Back in Kathmandu

2011-04-06T01:02:00.001-07:00

We are now back in Kathmandu for my last week here. We are still seeing children and giving out clothes. Also we are just arranging another dental clinic for Friday treating another 40 or 50 children. This will be the final clinic for this year as all the dental money raised will have then been spent. The medical clinic in Pokhara is happening tomorrow where 100 children will be screened. Nar who is a new staff member for NEF, Prem and an Australian named Wayne will be assisting Dr. Clare with this. She will also send me some photos. School registrations are well underway.
Pradip who I wrote about earlier here has passed class 9 and is starting class 10 now. I said to Jagat this morning that a few years ago we never dreamed that this would ever happen for him. Also his brother Sandip passed class 7 another miracle for him. Now we are just starting the task of phoning all children to arrange transportation for the dental clinic.

Photos

2011-04-04T21:45:00.000-07:00

Left Sabita B.K very poor child in Simpani. Jesika, 5 yrs needs a sponsor. Parents cannot afford to send her to school. Asmita NEF sponsored child in Nakhipot, has no father. Mann's birthday dinner shared with Dr. Claire from Australia who is conducting our medical clinic this week. Prashila and Prataksha sponsored children in Hattiban. Literacy ladies after goodbye ceremony.

Precious Moments

2011-04-02T03:39:00.000-07:00

This morning we went to Simpani and visited with some of my women and mothers in Daumaya's home. For some reason I am more comfortable and relaxed in these women's homes amid the poverty than anywhere else. I think it must be their karma as although they are very poor they are humble, very grateful and just happy to have us visit. It is a therapy just to sit and chat there with them and their children. Then we visited Raj Kumari who is the lady who set herself on fire a few years ago. She is a changed person today and her home is so neat and clean. She has now joined the English literacy class. I have found that when we sponsor in these families it gives them hope and very often changes their lives in that their situations improve, sorting of lifting them up.
The literacy ladies had a thank you ceremony for me at the school at 11 am but first I sat at the back of the class where I always feel the most comfortable and just chatted with them and showed them photos of themselves on my computer and also photos of my mother, who they thought was very beautiful and my dogs. They adorned me with flowers and keta scarfs and red tika dust and I found myself struggling with my emotions. I have known these women for a long time now and they are my friends and I hate saying goodbye. I told them that yes I had given them education but that they had given me something that was much more valuable and that was their love. When I asked for new women sponsors a couple of months back you responded well and I had 23 new sponsors so was able to keep these programs going. For the cost of 3 or 4 cups of coffee per month you have given these ladies not only education but friendship and hope. They know other women care about them across the world. For the last two days I have received many letters from children and the women and they know your names and wonder what you are like. Even if they only study for six months they are then able to write and sign their names and such basic things. It is a great gift. I can only tell you what their appreciation is like and I wish you could feel it like I do, this morning I felt like the luckiest person in the world, all the flower malas they make by hand, first collecting flowers and threading them on cotton thread takes a long time. One had knitted me a scarf, another brought me juice and most touching was a woman who put a simple ring on my finger that says LOVE.
That said it all and the ladies laughed and said that now I was engaged, how right they are because I am engaged to all of them and I hope that you are too.

Last Two Days in Pokhara

2011-04-01T08:42:00.000-07:00

We were planning to leave for Kathmandu on Saturday but not sure yet if we will get all the work done. There are not enough hours in the day. The dentistry is almost finished, still some patients to come back for more treatment. Quite a few children did not show up so we put the mothers in their place. The dentist explained to me how important it is for the women to be treated. In pregnancy here it is taboo for them to brush their teeth something to do with their culture. So just when it is so important for them to look after their teeth they do not.
Today I met a doctor in my favourite restaurant which is like my second home, The Laughing Buddha. Clare is travelling and asked if I knew where she could do some volunteer work. After giving it some thought I suggested she could do a medical camp, just like the dentist one we have just done, in Simpani. She thought it was a great idea so we took her to the school and introduced her to the children and mothers. It is all arranged for next Thursday. She will use one of the classrooms and will check the children's ear, eyes, heart etc. Unfortunately I will be back in Kathmandu but we have it all arranged for her. The equipment that she needs the dental hospital will provide for her. Nar, who is a new NEF staff member will help her. I am excited about it as she will be able to detect if the children have any problems they need further medical treatment. She thought today that the children all looked quite healthy.
Tomorrow my literacy ladies want to say goodbye and I do not like goodbyes but I do want to see them one more time.
We have had some problems in the last two days which have made it particularly hectic. The motorbike broke down and they cannot get the part here. We had just spent $35 having it serviced the day before and now this part needs replacing which is quite expensive. The schoolroom we use for the ladies literacy at the stone quarrey we lost but Tol Prasad, the school principal at High Mount, found us a new one today. It is more money but we had no choice. Our sewing shop and school had to be moved to a bigger space and we also hired a more experienced teacher. They will start working in the new shop next week making school uniforms. This also is costing us more money. I worry about all this but have to move forward. The ladies who work in the shop love their jobs and have some income from it.
Anyway time for bed. Tomorrow is our last day in Pokhara and how I hate to say goodbye.

Photos

2011-03-30T03:56:00.000-07:00

Photos top left Api getting her teeth checked, she needed ten fillings. Centre hygenist instructing how to brush teeth. Below centre one of our students Harimaya. Bottom left the dental staff who conducted the dental camp for NEF plus school principal and Mann. Above Khimaya, whose little girl died of a heartattack three years ago with her new baby boy, her son Raj Kumar, his friend NEF child Anil and newly sponsored Sanju. Sanju has no parents so Khimaya and Anil's mother are caring for her.

Matching Literacy Ladies

2011-03-29T09:21:00.000-07:00

This afternoon we were back at the school matching literacy ladies with sponsors. I met a young lady from Vancouver in the restaurant today and she asked to come along with us this afternoon to see what we did. We were matching two children so she came to those homes with us and we also took some photos of children who need sponsors and I will post those photos here.
We finished matching the literacy ladies but still have ladies without sponsors. It is sad as they then feel left out especially as today's class was instruction on how to write a letter to your sponsor. Andrea, the lady from Vancouver, sponsored a lady which made her very happy. I love these ladies and always wish I could spend more time with them. We will return tomorrow to take more photos.
Tomorrow morning we are taking about 65 children to the dental hospital. There are three dentists but it seems like an insurmountable task to treat all those children in one day. We will see.
This server is still not allowing me to add photos here so will go to the internet shop tomorrow and add some. I keep adding them everyday to flickr. www.flickr.com/photos/98411

Dental Camp at the Simpani School

2011-03-28T06:33:00.000-07:00

This afternoon the free dental camp was held at the school. Seven dental staff came and it was very efficiently run. Over 80 children and some women were seen. Tomorrow we have to meet with the dental team at the hospital and go over which children need treatment and how much it will all cost. The Kantipur Dental Hospital have said they will give us a good discount which is generous of them. The dental hospital bus will pick the children up on Wednesday and treat as many as possible on that day. There is the same hospital in Kathmandu so we will be able to have the same program there. As usual I am amazed at the poor condition of the children's teeth. One four year old little girl needs ten fillings and gums are infected and she has a lot of pain her father said. This dental program is an excellent one and I just hope we can keep raising the money for it so that the children can be seen at least yearly otherwise this is all in vain. Photos later.

Photos

2011-03-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

New Science Equip. at Chimkhola

Shree Ram Pun writing to her sponsor

Our oldest literacy student Ganga Thapa

Child at Gauda Muni

Giving out pens at Gauda Muni

Chimkhola child in new clothes we gave her

Child with pen

Chimkhola child with school supplies

Literacy Program

2011-03-26T17:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we met with the literacy ladies at the Hamja stone quarrey to match new sponsors. Not all the ladies were there as it was Saturday which is a holiday in Nepal and it was also the Potato Festival. This is celebrated in Hamja as they grow a lot of potatoes here and so a once a year festival is held with music and dancing and a lot of selling of potatoes at a cheaper price.
Matching the ladies is extremely difficult as so many have the same or similiar names. We have three Bhim Mayas and they are either a Gurung or Tamang and nearly all the ladies have Maya in their name. Everyone is talking and laughing while I am trying to get the names straight and photos taken. Have more work to do there yet.
In the morning we met with all the mothers of the children in Simpani. As costs are rising we are having to ask the parents to pay for the children's notebooks and pencils this year for the children in private school only. The parents were agreeable to this. Some really cannot afford to do this and we will buy for them. A school principal suggested this to me as she felt it was a good idea for the parents to have some responsibility as everything else is paid for them. I had fun going around testing myself on placing the child's name with each mother. With about 90% I knew which mother belonged to each child. We then went for tea with Shree Ram Pun who is one of our oldest literacy students at 67. She had a letter already written for her sponsor in English. She has been in the program for two years now and her accomplishment is amazing.
Today we are going to Dulagouda about an hour away to visit some children and a school. A Rotarian is driving us in a private car so that will be a treat.
Still cannot upload photos here so if I have time later I will go to an internet shop to see if I can do it there.

Dentistry

2011-03-25T06:29:00.000-07:00

Today we visited the Kantipur Dental Hospital. I was there last year with two children but now they have a new impressive building and new equipment and I was very impressed. We had a tour of the building and facilities, it is not finished yet but the dental treatment rooms were finished and in use. They could treat up to 15 patients at one time if they had the staff. They also train dental hygenists in a three year program and dental chairside assistants in a 3 month course. This program is for girls who did not pass their SLC but who have at least class 8 or who passed the SLC pre exam. I found this interesting. They run dental camps for poor, underpriviledged children, children in orpan homes and street children. As we still have many children to treat in Simpani they agreed to come on Monday and operate a dental for us as we still have many that need to have treatment here. They have a dental van in which they can do check ups, fillings and extractions if they have to but they also can pick the children up by bus and bring them to the hospital. I was very impressed with their facility and their professionlism. They told me and I agree that these children need yearly check ups otherwise what is the point of having them treated if they never see a dentist again. Hopefully we can make this a yearly program and keep the children's teeth in good condition.

Gauda Muni School

2011-03-23T18:16:00.000-07:00

The second day in Chimkhola we walked further up from the village for one hour to the school of Gauda Muni. We visited here last year with Rotarians Joe and Dag, Nani, Mann's brother who died last year was also with us. It is a very poor little school of only 4 classes. Joe decided recently that he would like to improve the school in Nani's memory so work has already started here and we went to see how it was progressing and to assess the needs here. It was the most sincere and simple ceremony I have been to and I was truly touched by the people here. Again there were so many flowers, tikas and they had prepared food for us all. The children were delightful and I gave then all novelty pens that my husband Bob had sent for them. I had a hard time dragging myself away from here. Desks are already being made, a water tap is in and some cement work has been done and we took up books. Now plastic is going to replace wooden windows so they have some light, flooring done, a water filter and other improvements.
In the afternoon I gave the children at the Chimkhola supplies, pencils, notebooks, coloured pencils etc. and then photographed all the improvements at the school.
I so much enjoyed this visit to Chimkhola. I spent some special time with the women drinking tea and having hard boiled eggs. At Lalmayas, she is a teacher at the school, in her house she has a chicken in a basket on the floor by her bed and she simply went and got some eggs that were freshly laid in the basket and boiled them for me on the open fire. There are only basic items in the room, bed, cooking utensils, broom and some little stools and two carpets she had made. Sitting on the floor by the fire with Lalmaya, Pomaya and another lady who came in I felt totally at home and enjoyed their conversation and their laughter, they are so happy. I can only wonder why we need so many possessions and are not as happy as they appear to be.

2011-03-23T17:54:00.000-07:00

Photos top Mann showing his grandfather his award with his father also. Others at the closing project ceremony, cutting the ribbon with Rotary Charter President Dev Raj. Bottom with the women of Chimkhola.

Photos

2011-03-23T09:11:00.000-07:00

For some reason the server is rejecting my photos on this blog. I have uploaded the closing ceremony ones to flickr so please go there to see them. www.flickr.com/photos/98411

Wonderful Chimkhola

2011-03-22T18:25:00.000-07:00

We are back from Chimkhola and it was an incredible few days. We had a good day climbing up there, fortunately it was cloudy so we did not have to deal with the hot sun. It took us seven hours plus a long lunch at the village of Dagnum. The Annurpurna Rotary were also with us and we all arrived at the village around the same time. I was anxious to see Mann's granddad who is entering his 90the year and the oldest person in the village. When he saw us he shed many tears. Mann showed him his Rotary award which was quite a moment. On Saturday we attended the closing ceremony of the matching grant Rotary program, there were so many flower malas and children all waiting in line. There was three hours of speeches and the sun was very hot but it was a most memorable occasion. A marble plaque was carried up by a porter and was unveiled by the Annurpurna Charter President Dev Raj and myself. Everyone said in their speeches how grateful they were and what a change there has been in the school and in the village. There was dancing and food and a tour of the school. I really was impressed with the medical clinic which was part of the project. Two ladies were trained for a month and they were very proud of the clinic, they took my blood pressure and got out the scales so we could weigh ourselves. They would not take the scales out of the packaging though which I laughed about. Just after we left the clinic a child fell and broke his arm so they had their first patient. They wrapped it and put it in a sling. The next day the mother had to walk the down the mountain to Beni 8 hours away but they could not fix it so then she had to take the bus to Pokhara 4 hours away. The elbow I think has been dislocated. We looked at all the project material such as desks, science lab, water tap, office etc. Most important change in this village in the three years since I first went there is the fact that now the caste system has virtually been eliminated here. I was told this a few times. Mann is Dalit caste which is the lowest. The fact that he has brought this improvement to the school by bringing first me there and then the Rotary is has made him revered in this village. Now they tell me that everyone is equal here and this was proved by the fact that we were asked to eat in so many homes and the morning we left we were asked to a high caste home for breakfast where as little as two years ago Mann would never have been allowed inside. They told him that he was welcome there anytime. This is an amazing change for the whole village. Also they said that we have motivated everyone and now many people want to help even a village man now living in the US who was there at the ceremony shook my hand and said he wants to help. Nothing could have made me happier than the success of this project. I have much more to tell and the second day I will leave till later as I am hungry for breakfast. The second was as good as the first so check back later for that news.
For some reason the server will not let me upload photos now so will add later.

Leaving for Chimkhola

2011-03-17T18:16:00.000-07:00

We are just leaving for Chimkhola after the spending the night in Beni. We arrived here late last night after spending two full days with Carol and Keith. We will be in the mountains for about four days so will update this blog when I get back. Tomorrow is the ceremoney in Chimkhola where the Rotary end the matching grant program at the village school and hand it over to the Chimkhola people. Seven Rotarians are coming with us from the Annuplurna Club. It should be quite an occasion. Until next week when there will be lots of news and photos.

Mann, NEF President receives Paul Harris Fellow Rotary Award.

2011-03-16T10:07:00.000-07:00

Tonight at the Annurpurna Rotary Meeting Mann received this Rotary Paul Harris Fellow Award. I have never seen him so happy, he just could not believe this was happening to him. My battery is very low and no electric so will add more photos to this later. It is a great honour for Mann and he now joins ranks with other Paul Harris Fellow Award recipients such as Mother Theresa, Koffi Annon, Prince Charles etc. It was given to Man for his outstanding service to the people of Nepal and Chimkhola. It certainly was a most memorable occasions. He never believed such a thing could happen to him. His parents were there to see him receive this as was Carol and Keith from Doha. Thanks to the Duncan Noon TimeRotary Members who made this happen. An award was also made to Teijnath Neupene of the Annurpurna Rotary Club arranged by the Duncan Daybreak Club. Thanks for spreading so much joy.

In Pokhara

2011-03-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

Arrived here yesterday by bus and it was a good trip, no hold ups. We brought most of the clothes that Carol brought with us here. One large carton, 3 small cartons and two big bags and our own packs. Getting the cartons on top of the bus was a job and one broke open and spilled clothes all over the road. No problem Nepalis do not get upset about such things but I could not help laughing. We are going to give these out in the next couple of days and also take some to Chimkhola where we will be going on Friday. Some members of the Annapurna Rotary are also going as it is the closing ceremony of the Rotary project on Saturday. I will report on that with photos after it happens. We now have a very busy week. I have not had a day off since starting work here. Tomorrow we take Carol and Keith to Phumdi Bhumdi.

Photos: Loading the boxes, Mann balancing it on his head and top loading boxes in the one of taxes on arrival. We needed two taxis each end. A lot of children will be made happy with all these lovely clothes from Doha, Qatar and we thank the people there who donated them.

Photos on Flickr

2011-03-13T05:49:00.001-07:00

I have been uploading photos onto flickr. I try to do some every few days. This page is not letting me upload photos today but I have put them on flickr. www.flickr.com/photos/98411

I have put the children in files named after where they live. If you do not know this I will email everyone when I get home and tell you with an update of your child. Some of my emails are getting lost so will not attempt to do this till I get home.

Samjhana Tamang

2011-03-13T04:13:00.001-07:00

Samjhana and her family of both parents and three younger brothers live next door to our office. They live in a small brick room next to a workshop where her father works making furniture. Samjhana is 13 years old and looks after the family completely. She cooks, cleans, draws the water from the well, washes her brothers and even takes little brother Sunil to school with her. He is nearly three years old. the mother does work washing clothes at someone's house but when she returns home she does nothing leaving Samjhana to do all the work.. I see Samjhana put Sunil on top of her school bag on her back and walk down the road to school, The school lets him go in the nursery class for free as there is no one to care for him. Samjana is a good student although she is behind because she started late. She was first in her class last year and skipped from class 1 to class 3. I never see her play with friends as she is always working. Last night I put my head in the door and she was peeling potatoes as her mother visited with friends. In the morning I see her drawing the water from the well at 6 am, This year she lost her sponsor so I placed her with a new one. This was a good thing as for the first time she received a letter and gift from her new sponsor. She was more than delighted. This was the sponsor that is an airline pilot that I wrote about earlier when she received the photo of him by the plane he flies. I think this really gave her a thrill and brightened her tough little life. I have photos to go with this post but at the moment it will not let me upload them. Will try later.

Sujan & Suman, Samjhana's brothers

Tomorrow we go to Pokhara on the bus with bags and boxes of clothes.

Carol & Keith arrive from Qatar

2011-03-12T04:21:00.000-08:00

Today we met early with Carol and Keith and brought them to the office. They brought with them 170 kgs of clothing. We had some children come to the office for clothes and then went to visit their sponsored children, Pinky and Santi. They enjoyed their visit very much. Pinky is the name of their fund in Qatar which raises the money for their children and projects here. It is the Pinky Fund, Friends of the Qatar Wooden Spooners.

I wrote about Pradip a few days ago and his brother Sandip who did not have a sponsor. Carol and Keith wanted to sponsor him so we went to visit him also. Sandip was one of the first children I sponsored but left school a year later. In Kathmandu people are cremated at the temple of Pasupatinath. After the bodies are burned the remains are swept into the river. Here street children dive under the water with a magnet hoping to find gold jewellery from the bodies. This is what Sandip did after he ran away from school and home. He then went to live in the village for one year and his mother said that changed him. Today he is a good student attending school regularly. When we arrived he was at a friend's home studying and getting some help for his studies. I really believe he will now go onto college. He is just going into class 8. Carol and Keith are very happy with him.
Photos are Keith with Sandesh and Puja at the office, Keith wearing his keta scarves given to him by Mann and Jagat. Carol sorting out the clothes she brought for the children. Carol and Keith with Sandip. Carol and Keith with Pinky.
Tomorrow we take Prakash to see the opthamologist at the eye hospital.

Rising Costs in Nepal

2011-03-09T04:03:00.000-08:00

Costs in this improverished country are rising rapidly. I cannot believe the price of rents. Some of our families are now having to pay 2000 rupees and more for one room, that is about $30 Can dollars per month. When you consider that most families do not earn more than 1.50 to 2.00 per day you can see that it is an ongoing challenge to live and then food is rising rapidly also.
NEF's office and apartment rent is also going up again now to 8000 rupees per month about $110. When we moved here less than 3 years ago it was 4000 and I am told it will go up next year and the year after that. This makes our admin costs rise considerably and along with that the challenge of how to raise this money. We are looking for something cheaper but that means moving further out of the city and then transportation costs go up.
Medical costs also seem to be rising. Sima, Mann wife, has a problem at the moment that may require surgery and she spent all day yesterday at the hospital having tests and that cost 9000 rupees which is Mann's total salary for the month.
Prakash, the boy with the eye problem is going to the eye hospital on Sunday. Through Rotarian Joe we have been referred to one of the best opthamologists in Nepal. He managed to tract down the doctor in Nanaimo who has contacts here. This doctor we are going see does help the poor so lets up hope this is a good chance for Prakash.
We have had no electric for almost 24 hours now so I am typing this on a laptop which is nearly out of battery so will close.

Stone Quarrey Family

2011-03-06T04:02:00.000-08:00

I have always enjoyed visiting the stone quarrey families. I have known them for some years now and always feel so relaxed in their homes. These families are among our poorest but wonderful people. The Lama family I have known the longest and they live in a tin and bamboo shelter and have no toilet. There is a river across the street and they have to use the river bank for their toilet. The landowner does not provide land for a toilet. Even so they have to pay 2000 rupees per month ($30 cdn approx) for rent for the land that they have their tin structure on. Recently they had to move it further up the road because of construction of a new building. they earn about a $1 per day each working making gravel by hand and filling the trucks. Amazingly the children always look so clean.

Another of our extremely poor families is Pasang's. His parents look old enough to be his grandparents. They brought Pasang to Kathmandu at the time of the civil war to save him from being taken by the Maoists to fight in the war. This is Pasang's last year in school and he is hoping to go to college later this year. His family live in a tin structure also and his father is a security guard for a construction site. Once the building is complete they will have to move on again. I gave the mother a coat and she was just so happy with that.

Photos top right is Juni Lama in a new jacket I gave her. Below is the Lama family outside their home and right Pasang mother outside their home in her new coat. Middle Pasang and his family and bottom children watching us. Wherever we go we draw attention and sometimes I look up and see the faces all peering in the door. These children all giggled when I took their photo. It is hard pasting these photos on here so please excuse the fact that they are not arranged perfectly. It has been another long day and travelling this city on a motorbike in the traffic is tiring.

Success Story

2011-03-04T17:07:00.000-08:00

Sometimes my job here can be frustrating and tough but then I see a child and he/she makes everything I do so worthwhile and yesterday that happened. His name is Pradip and many may remember his story as I have told it before but it just gets better. Pradip has been with NEF almost since the begining. His siblings were the first children we sponsored in 2004 but we did not try to sponsor him until the following year. He is the eldest son and was already in school. I decided the next year that he should also be sponsored and I got him a good sponsor but when we went to see him he was not in school and was running on the streets and had needle marks on his arms. I thought he was too high risk to sponsor but his sponsor wanted to continue with him. Six weeks later I returned to see him and he was very sick and needed his gall bladder removed which we arranged with the help of his sponsor again. Somehow this was a turning point for Pradip. I went to see him in hospital and he appeared so grateful. Over the next years he has flourished. Every year I visit and although he has struggled a bit in school he is now going into class 10. Yesterday he told us he is working every night from 10 pm to 4 am 6 days a week as a security guard then comes home and sleeps for a few hours before going to school. He earns $40 per month which he gives to his mother. The father is a drunk and not there a lot of the time and there has been some violence. The mother washes clothes and dishes for work. I had some money from his sponsor and offered some it to him so he could buy himself something and he said "No give it to my mother to pay the rent". I got a lump in my throat. Here was a boy who worked so hard yet would take no money for himself. He wants to go to college and I am sure he will. I believe now that it is better to have too little rather than too much as it builds charactor. Pradip should be our poster child. He is 18 now. His sponsor gave him a chance when he was at his lowest point and it worked. This proves how important sponsors are in the lives of these children. His brother, who was sponsored, we lost years ago to the streets but to my surprise he is back in school, in class 8 and looking like a respectable young man. He has no sponsor now. Pradip is a great example to him also and I am sure has played a role in getting him back to school. He also has another brother and sister with us who are doing well.
Next we visited the tea shop we bought for a lady some years ago after she lost her husband. We sponsor two girls in college here and their young brother in school. Both daughters go to college from 6 am to 10 pm then come home, change and go to work in a store from 11am to 7 pm six days per week. They earn $70 per month and give all but approx. $14 to their mother. I only saw one, Ramilla, but she is such a nice young lady. Her sponsor sent her some cosmetics from the Body Shop and the body butter she got which I think is about $12 in Canada is $70 here. she knew as they sell it in the shop where she works.

Photos Pradip left, Sandesh his brother middle who is back in school for 2 years now and does not have a sponsor and Ramilla at the tea shop reading her sponsor's letter. I know that most of you wish to sponsor girls and I agree BUT look how Pradip and Sandesh have improved. Pradip now helps his mother and always will as is the culture here. Had we not helped him what would have happened to her?

I could go on but this is enough for today. Must go for a run before we begin the day.

Photos taken in the last two days

2011-03-03T01:05:00.000-08:00

On left Madhu making roti. Right Pardasi. Botton left is Prakash who has the eye problem. Right below is Arjun with sponsor gift. Madhu, Pardasi and Arjun are SBCH hostel children. Middle is Sunita one of our college students in the tea shop where she works after school.

Festival of Shrivaratri

2011-03-02T20:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the Shrivaratri Festival which is Lord Shriva birthday. Thousands of people and pilgrims come to Kathmandu to the Hindu temple of Pashupatinath where there are hundreds of holy men and they give out canabis free. It is too dangerous to be on the roads and it is a drug free day. The children also get involved by holding ropes across the road and you have to give them money to pass. I went for my run very early in fields but on my way home had to pay a few times with rupees I carried in my pocket. Mann and I went to visit Kamal and his orphanage in the afternoon and were stopped on the motor bike and at one point another motorbike did not stop and pay but crossed slowly over the rope then the children pulled the rope tight in front of the back wheel which topped the bike and its riders to the ground. I jumped off the bike to assist but they were okay just shaken up a bit and the children fled. It is just crazy. Often children get killed as the ropes get tangled in the vehicles and drag the children. Thank goodness that festival is over for this year. Responsible parents, like Jagat, do not let their children do this.

At the orphanage NEF sponsors 6 children and they are remarkable kids. One boy Prakash is having severe eye problems and his sponsor is helping to pay some medical costs for him. We are trying to find a good private doctor as all the government doctors have not been able to help him. I am trying to locate an eye doctor in Nanaimo, BC who comes here every year to do cataract surgeries and he may be able to put us in touch with a good doctor. If anyone knows who this doctor is please let me know by email nepeducation@yahoo.ca
I will try and get more photos up later as I have to go visiting now. Hopefully the electric will be on later.

I first must tell you how much joy your letters and gifts bring to the children. One girl yesterday said to me "do you have a photo of my sponsor" I said know I did not and her face fell. When I hand out letters the children eyes light up and they rush to their bed to sit and read them. If only you could be me at these moments. Samjhana, downstairs from us, got her first sponsor gift, letter and photos this time as she has a new sponsor. What joy. Her sponsor is an airline pilot with Air Canada and sent his picture beside the airbus he flies dressed in his uniform. You can just imagine what she thought of that. I think it made her feel very, very special and the shirt they sent her she has not taken off since I gave it to her other than to put on her school uniform and she probably has it under that!! Her story and photos I am going put up here tomorrow as she leads a very hard life for a 12 yr. old girl.

Sponsor's visit and Hattiban

2011-02-28T03:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a very busy day doing banking, changing money etc. The highlight of the day was taking sponsor Jeff and Laurel visiting from Nanoose Bay to visit their sponsored child. His name is Prabin. After meeting for tea and introducing them to Mann and Jagat we walked to Prabin's room. Everyone was excited to see Jeff and Laurel especially Prabin. He is quite reserved with me but really opened up to them. The small room was crowded with children and their parents who were all neighbours and wanted to be part of the visit. Prabin's father who sells syringes on the street, these are a stringed Nepali instrument, played and sang to everyone's enjoyment. Prabin showed his sponsors how well he could read English from a dictionary that they bought him. They were very impressed. They stayed for well over an hour and said they had thoroughly enjoyed the experience and were very happy.

Today we visited Hattiban and gave out those colourful tops made by Kirsten and her friends in Duncan. We had a good visit here and sat in the warm sun while the kids enjoyed pop and cookies. I took all their photos and enjoyed a nice chat with them all. How I love Hattiban, the fields were so green and many were coloured yellow with mustard. It is very beautiful. Before the electric goes I am putting up these photos.

Photos are Jeff and Laurel with Prabin and another with some other sponsored children Sunil and Arbin. Sunita with a gift from her sponsor and their photo. Jagat inspecting teeth in Hattiban. We are hoping to do some dentistry here but not by Jagat!! The children in their colourful shirts and Alina and mother. Little Alina was delighted with her sponsor's gift and never let it out of her hand. Samjhana and her little brothers Suman and Sujan. Samjhana had just bathed Sujan. They live downstairs from us. Samjhana is holding a top sent by her sponsor.

Arrived in Nepal

2011-02-25T20:23:00.000-08:00

Well I am here after a long journey that went well. It is my second day and yesterday I did a lot of sleeping and unpacking. I did not even go outside which is very unusual for me. Today it is bright and sunny so will be going for a walk to get some fresh air.
I am putting up these photos of Jagat's daughter Puja with her medals that she won in by being first in her class at exam time and one she won in dance competition. Also one of Lisa, Mann's daughter, in her Dog House Restaurant T-shirt that Rotarian Joe sent for her. Jagat's two other children also won medals in various sports events and all of them are doing well and are lovely children. Lisa, who is two and a half, keeps me amused all the time.

Tomorrow we are meeting sponsors from Nanaimo and taking them to see their sponsored child. Will put up photos of this.

2011-02-23T16:12:00.000-08:00

Loreen Benoit has written a book outlined below and is donating 5% of the proceeds to NEF. Thank you Loreen this is very much appreciated.

THE PAW PAW PROGRAM – A “CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS”APPROACH TO CANCER…..THE WORLD IS ROUND AND CANCER CAN BE TREATED NATURALLY”

Written by local Lorene Benoit, author, consultant and natural health teacher for more than 30 years, the book presents a comprehensive natural program for understanding, preventing and working with Cancer. This book began in April, 2005, when Benoit wrote the script, "A Complementary Approach to Cancer", for a series of cross Canada Health Classes to teach people about Paw Paw, a herb used as part of a natural program for cancer.
The end result is a 286 page book offering a program that works, is affordable, and can be combined with allopathic treatment

Lorene Benoit’s expertise offers a wealth of information about a complete Paw Paw program that has helped many with cancer. The book includes background, research, all instructions, and dietary suggestions about protein, pH, additional supportive supplementation, treatment options, lifestyle suggestions, case studies, success stories, and more. It answers a lot of the questions that have been asked by those following the program the last 5 years! It is professionally done, with charts and illustrations, making it easy to understand.
Lorene Benoit is a Natural Health Consultant and Educator, who founded Benoit & Associates Health Education Services in 1989. Her qualifications are Bachelor of Education in Biology and Physical Education, Masters of Holistic Healing, Certified Herbal Consultant, Iridologist, Contact Reflex Analyst, plus certifications for Live Blood Analysis, Western and Chinese herbs, Nutrition, Massage and Energy Healing.

Benoit has consulted, educated and volunteered extensively in the Cowichan Valley since 1991. She has taught throughout North America, from 5 to 500 people, both practitioners and clients, from workshops to her annual 4 day Herbal Intensive every summer on her herbal acreage on Vancouver Island. She was Canadian Instructor for both Tree of Light Masters of Holistic Health and Certified Herbal Consultant programs for 10 years in Canada.
She has authored for health publications since mid 1980’s, plus written booklets on Muscle Testing, Vaccinations and Chinese Herbs. Benoit has been featured and interviewed on radio and TV programs on a variety of topics.

Her passion is teaching health in everyday language! This book was written to offer help to anyone dealing with cancer, as well as to help understand causes and incorporate preventative lifestyle changes. For practitioners working with Cancer this book is a must to save you time and help your clients understand a natural approach.
For interview, more information and to order, please contact:

Benoit & Associates Health Education

250-748-6802 takethenaturalpath@gmail.com

http://www.naturalpathremedies.com/blog/natural-solutions-for-cancer-the-paw-paw-program/

ISBN 978-1-77084-011-9

Colourful Fleece Vests for the Children in Nepal

2011-02-11T20:21:00.000-08:00

Kirsten Waddell and her three friends at the office got together and made 13 of these colourful vests on their lunch hours. Before I went to Nepal in October they made scarves for the children but now have become more skilled and produced these colourful vests from their Duncan workplace. A great way to help the kids in Nepal stay warm in colourful fleece in Canadian designs. They picked fleece that had Canadian flags and Maple leaves in its design. Thank you to Kirsten and her friends for their efforts, the kids will love them and the bright colours are just what they love in Nepal.

Leaving for Nepal Very Soon

2011-02-06T19:44:00.000-08:00

I just have a little over two weeks before leaving for Nepal on the 22nd of Feb. If you have letters or small gifts please get them to me by next week.
I am still waiting on the last few payments but most of it is in. Thank you everyone for making this the best year ever for the payments being in on time.
I am looking forward to seeing all the women and children in Nepal and of course my Nepal families of Mann and Jagat. We have a sponsor coming a few days after me and our donors from Qatar coming on March 11th. One of our Vancouver donors was just there.
Everything is going well and when I am in Nepal I will update this blog as often as possible. There is only 8 hours of electricity per day and often 4 hours of this is in the night which makes computer work difficult.
I will be matching new sponsors and children and new sponsors and women when I am there. I will also use flickr for photos. www.flickr.com/photos/98411

New Updated Website and Other Things

2011-01-18T14:49:00.000-08:00

We have just had our website re-designed and it looks great, colourful and eye catching and represents NEF's mandate well. Take a look http://www.nepaledfund.ca/ Catfish Web Creations was very kind to us price wise and we thank them for this. The Facebook link is not working yet. I am working on that so that we can have NEF on Facebook.

I leave for Nepal on February 22nd so please get small gifts, if you wish to send one, to me by February 16th and letters to me by Feb. 18th and I will be happy to take them for you.

New children and women will be matched in March when I am there.

Many thanks to all who responded to our plea for more women's sponsors. It was very successful.

Fees Due January 15th

2011-01-13T15:51:00.000-08:00

Just a couple of days left to the payment deadline. Please if you have not sent your payment in we would appreciate receiving it very soon. Thank you to everyone who has sent theirs in. Payments have come in earlier this year than ever before but we still have quite a lot outstanding. If you do not wish to continue sponsoring your child please let us know so we can rematch him or her with a new sponsor.

The Literacy Program is being renamed for my friend's sister who died tragically in Nepal last week. She had wanted to be a teacher in the literacy program but became very unhappy in a recently arranged marriage and took her own life. Sangita had to move to her new husband's village many miles away from her family and live with his family who she did not know. She was 23 years old and to quote from my friend "her leaves were still green and her mind so vivid, she always dressed well and liked to wear jeans". She was indeed a beautiful young woman who I remember as always having a smile. Sangita represents women in the third world and their lack of choice and freedom. This will only be changed by their education as a whole empowering them to make the changes they so need to make to better their lives and their future and that of their daughters' Our program will now be called Sangita Literacy Program for Women. The family is also setting up a bursary in her name to educate girls in her home village. Hopefully NEF can make a donation to this.

Literacy Sponsors Needed

2011-01-06T13:29:00.000-08:00

Our Women's Literacy Program is going very well but we really need more sponsors for them to keep this program running. We have dropped from 45 sponsors to 37 in this last session. We have nearly 80 women.
The cost is $10 per month so $60 for a six month term. Some women only want to attend for six months but other want to continue. $10 is equivalent to 3 to 4 cups of coffee, 2 if they are lattes. It means so much to these women to attend school. If you are interested or know someone who may be please email me at nepeducation@yahoo.ca Please Help us to keep these ladies going to school. There is lots of information and photos of them on this blog.

Two Children have Accidents

2010-12-31T09:45:00.000-08:00

Last week when Mann was in Pokhara and went to monitor our families there he found that two children had been hurt. Sabita, who is sponsored through NEF, had a broken arm that her mother could not afford to have treated. Two days previously she had injured it and it was sore and swollen. Mann gave her the money to take Sabita to the hospital where it was put in a cast.
The other child is not sponsored through us at the moment but his mother is sponsored and in our literacy program. Her son was hit by a bus. The bus was overtaking a car and hit the child and then took off. It was carrying no passengers at the time. The police caught the driver the next day and the bus company has to pay 60% of the medical costs. The child is in the hospital with head injuries, a broken arm and leg. Rita is already suffering financial hardship as her husband went to work in the middle east and while there had a motorcycle accident in which he suffered multiple injuries including a broken leg and so is earning no money and does not have the funds to come home. So now somehow she has to find 40% of the funds to pay for her son's medical care.

Chimkhola

2010-12-30T08:17:00.000-08:00

Recent photos from the village of Chimkhola where Mann visited last

month. A classroom at the village school showing girls studying.

This is the school that the Rotary completely refurbished.

Top left shows a villager digging a hole for the septic for the new latrines

and photo at bottom the villages carrying up benches for the school.

These benches were carried up the steep trail to the village which is at least a

seven to eight hour trek over rough terrain.

2010-12-22T19:55:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to Sandy Crichton and Erin Anderson at Valley Yoga Centre in Duncan for holding a candlelight restorative yoga class on Monday. The class was by donation to NEF and raised $360.00.
They made it a very relaxing evening which everyone enjoyed and made us at NEF very happy by raising this amount of money.

At the Dentist

2010-12-19T20:25:00.000-08:00

Nine children in Nakhipot, Kathmandu went to the dentist yesterday and Mann has just sent these photos of the event. They need lots of fillings and some root canals but thanks to donors they are able to be treated. this is just the start of the Kathmandu program and hopefully we will be able to treat many more children if we continue to get funds.

With Thanks

2010-12-15T12:02:00.000-08:00

We would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy and Prosperous New Year from everyone at Nepal Education Fund. We have enjoyed a very successful year and wish to thank all our sponsors and donors for helping us achieve this. From the education of our children and women to our new libraries, sewing, and dentistry programs, all this has been made possible by your generosity of spirit and caring. It is not only the money, which of course is necessary to run this charity and do this work, but also by your messages of thanks and encouragement.

The Chimkhola village school project is now completed. This was a joint Rotary and NEF project and has resulted in a much improved school which serves four villages. They have a library, science lab, new latrines, new desks, tables, office equipment, teaching aids etc. I hope to have photos on here soon. We are very grateful to Duncan Daybreak and Duncan Noontime clubs for their great support in this project.

We look forward to the new year and the continuation of our work in Nepal.

Dentistry

2010-12-06T08:13:00.000-08:00

Would like to report that our dentristry program is going very well. Through a large donation we are able to complete the program in Simpani, Pokhara. When I was there in late October we had the dental camp and were able to treat 40 children and some women. Now through a donation we are able to finish treating the 25 to 30 children who we could not treat at that time. Also we have enough money to treat all of our Nakhipot children. Then we will work on the Kathmandu children. So thank you to all those who have sent money for dentistry, you have certainly made a difference to these children's health. Hopefully this program can continue for future years.

Photos on Flickr

2010-11-26T20:53:00.001-08:00

I have downloaded all the Nepal Photos from my recent trip which includes lots of children's photos onto Flickr. You may view them at www.flickr.com/photos/98411

Let me know how you like the photos on flickr as this will be much less work for me. So give me some feedback please.

Payments Now Due

2010-11-24T08:22:00.000-08:00

I am back at home now after a very good and productive trip to Nepal. As you can see from this blog we achieved a lot with the dental program, graduation ceremonies and the libraries at two schools. I also saw many children and these photos I will be putting on Flickr in the next couple of days and you can view them and download your child's photo from there. This saves me hours of work.
Payment for children's sponsorships is due now and the deadline is January 15th. Government school is $100 and private school $300. Thank you to those who have already sent it in.
Final amount raised by the marathon is $2,432.00. Still a bit of that money outstanding but hopefully it all comes in.
A reminder that you can buy a gift of a visit to a dentist for a Nepali child for $38 and the receipient will receive a card telling them of their gift. This is a great program as these children never get to visit a dentist and it is so important.

Left Nepal and in Hong Kong

2010-11-14T02:25:00.000-08:00

As usual it was very sad leaving everyone last night. For our last day we went into Kathmandu and Mann's friend who has just opened a Nepali restaurant treated us to a delicious lunch. Yangji, who I mentioned earlier about Mann getting her a job here, waited on us. She is just so happy to have a job. Now she is able to help her Aunty and her little sister with some income. The food was excellent so we really hope the restaurant does well.
Sima cooked us supper before we left and a lot of people came to say goodbye. Leaving never gets any easier even though I hope to be back in a few months.

Photos

2010-11-12T07:14:00.000-08:00

Photos top left and far right new children at Hattiban waiting for sponsors. Centre Hattiban children. Middle left Hattiban children with their new Barbie dolls. Two photos of Tihar celebration at High Mount Principal's house, Tol Prasad, Pokhara. My daughter, Wendy and granddaughter Ali and Tol Prasad's wife who is the vice principal of the government school in Simpani where we have many children. Left our poster child Sunita. She is on our website and brochures. She is doing very well and we enjoyed taking her out for a boat ride on the lake in Pokhara.

Last Day Tomorrow

2010-11-12T05:42:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow evening, Saturday, we leave Nepal for Hong Kong. As always it is hard to leave. We have had a very productive time here and have done a lot in a short time. I have seen some of our college students in the last couple of days and they are doing well. Quite a lot are working as well as going to college so that they can keep themselves. One, Yangji, Mann found a job for her working in a restaurant and we have also just found a sponsor for her little sister. They lost their father a few months ago. I just received an email from her tell me how grateful she is because now she has the responsibility of providing for her little sister and her aunty.
I think we must have seen at least half of our children on this visit and all of our women.
I am going to post some photos later this evening when my battery has recharged.
Our NEF program is going very well here and Mann and Jagat are doing a great job running the charity at this end. I will be sending out photos to sponsors of the children we saw when I get home.

Hattiban

2010-11-09T06:53:00.000-08:00

Today Mann & I visted Hattiban. We saw all but two children who were still away for the holiday. We had them altogether at Rajindra's house and bought them pop and cookies and gave all the girls Barbie dolls and cars for the two boys. We have 16 children there now and 13 are girls. I always love going to Hattiban and we sat in the sun with the children for two hours. We decided that next spring we will have a picnic there. We have two new children there for next spring's registration.
Tomorrow I have to visit some children and do Nepali handicraft shopping to bring home.
Tonight we celebrated both my granddaughter Ali's birthday and Mann's daughter Lisa's birthday. She was 2 and Ali 7. It was truly by candlelight as the electric was out.
Photos of Hattiban tomorrow.

Photos of Phumbi Bhumbi

2010-11-06T08:35:00.001-07:00

See article below about this school. Photo at the top shows a coffee plant and part of the view from the village. Never have I been honoured by so many flowers from the children and school committee. It was very touching and we all enjoyed the visit so much. We provided over 300 books and two brightly painted book cabinets.

Visit to Phumbi Bhumdi

2010-11-05T18:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we visited the village of Phumdi Bhumdi and it was a beautiful place high up with incredible views. We went their to open the school library. The welcome they gave us made us feel like royalty, it was amazing. So many flowers from the children and board members etc. We had provided over 300 books and two bookcases and they were truly grateful. After a few speeches we toured the few classrooms and library room. I was very impressed with this school, they only had 73 students of which most were low caste. Enrollment had been dropping off because the level of teaching in government schools has been declining so they have now added a nursery class and are raising money for better teachers and introducing an English class. To do this they have planted 1000 coffee trees behind the school which will start producing in two years and they already have secured a market in Japan. This board at the school really had vision and our money was well spent here. They gave us lunch at the top of the highest building in the village. This was an enjoyable visit and I hope to return here. The Principal had died 6 days before so we visited his family before leaving.

Picnic & Library Photos

2010-11-05T03:18:00.000-07:00

Picnic

2010-11-04T09:06:00.000-07:00

Today we opened the library in Simpani Government school which was donated by the Qatar Friends of the Wooden Spoon in Doha. The room was not quite ready, still being painted, but all the books were put in the bookcase and we took photos.
Then we went to High Mount School where we had a picnic for the women and children and had nearly 100 people. We fed them samosas, chips, fruit and peanuts and pop which they all enjoyed. Some games were played and we all had fun on a beautiful, warm sunny day beneath the Annurpurna mountain range.
One of our lady students had some piglets, 14 of them, so we took our granddaughter, Ali, to see them. We had some tea and biscuits which I really needed as I was too busy to eat at the picnic. I matched some ladies with new sponsors. A lot of the ladies do not have sponsors and would dearly love to have one. We are going back again tomorrow as my daughter, Wendy as decided to sponsor another one, Rita, and wants her photo taken with her. Also our American friend, Chris, wants to see the piglets. These pigs do not know how popular they are. Tomorrow we are going to open the new library at Bhumdi Bhumdi which is a village about 45 mins from here. Half the marathon money paid for this. Chris also wants to come so we are going to have to squeeze 5 adults and 1 child into a small taxi, believe me it can be done!!
Tonight we had a birthday party for Neera, our dear friend at the Laughing Buddha Restaurant. She really loved that. Our granddaughter, Ali, spends all her spare time working in the restaurant. She always plays waitress at home and now she is doing it for real!! She is having a great time. She fits right in with the sponsored children also.
Well I really tired so going to get some sleep.

Women's Graduations

2010-11-02T05:41:00.000-07:00

Photos of High Mount Literacy program and stone quarrey Literacy program. Children receiving clothes at the quarrey. They could not wait to get them on even if they were too small. It was chaos giving away clothes and toys.

Dental Program

2010-11-01T02:58:00.000-07:00

For the dental money that has been raised we are able to have treatment for 37 children and 3 women. Some of the children had up to 8 fillings needed. The first ten went to the dentist today, some will have to have a few visits to complete the work needed. We now have a second list from the children who had their teeth inspected yesterday. When we get more money these children will have treatment. Remember when it comes to Christmas gifts that you can buy dental treatment for a child for $38 and the recipient will receive a card telling them of your gift. This is a great program for these children and women have never been to a dentist before and without our help would not in the future. I am really satisfied with this. Mann did a great job setting it all up. The dentists, there are two of them, are within walking distance so we do not have to pay out money for transportation. They will also receive instruction on how to brush and care for their teeth.
Tomorrow it is the Women's graduation ceremonies in two different locations.

Dental Camp Photos

2010-10-31T05:52:00.000-07:00

Mina and Sujan having their teeth looked at, group of children and group of everyone seen today. Enjoying tea and biscuits and giving out toothbrushes and paste which every child received.

Dental Program in Pokhara

2010-10-31T05:28:00.000-07:00

Today we had our new dental program at High Mount School in Simpani. Here they call it a dental camp. It was free of charge. Two dentists looked at 65 children and about 8 women. Each person had a form filled out as to what treatment they need. Now Mann is working out with the dentist the cost for the treatment for each child and woman. First prority goes to our 50 children and then our women and if there is any money over some of the others can be treated. The bulk of this money was raised by a local Duncan Rotarian and also some sponsors paid for their children. I think it is an excellent program. Our oldest student, 75 year old Ganga was seen. Seh needs an extraction but she is scared but I think she will have it done.
Some of our Kathmandu children are going to be seen by a dentist there at their sponsor's request. After everyone was seen we provided tea and biscuits for all and the day was quite an event which everyone enjoyed. The dentist told me that dental treatment has only really been available for 5 or 6 years and there are only 300 to 400 dentists in all of Nepal, 700 to 800 have been trained but half have left the country.
Photos above on next post.

A Trip to the Zoo

2010-10-28T04:41:00.000-07:00

Today we took eleven children to the zoo. They all enjoyed it and were very well behaved. The children that came were: Pinky, Binita, Suman, Sujan, Samjhana, Smitri, Abiseka, Deya, Asmita, Sagar and Ali and Mann's little girl Lesa. We went on the bus and came home in two taxis, with adults that was a total of about 15 in two small taxis. Three children, Deya, Asmita and Sagar were newly sponsored last May and the others have been with us for sometime. I really see such a difference in them, they have just blossomed. Smitri and Samjhana are young ladies now and speak quite good English and even the small children were speaking some English and knew the names of the animals in English. We all enjoyed the outing.

Photos are Deya and her mother, she was too shy to come on her own, Samjhana and Binita top left, kids eating ice cream, Pinky, Smitri and Abiseka and group of children, Lesa and me with some of the children

Photos of First Day

2010-10-26T05:33:00.000-07:00

Left Sujan sponsored child who lives next door to us. Above children finding shoes that fit. Above right Chring in a new coat we gave him.

Airport Arrival

2010-10-26T05:12:00.000-07:00

Having trouble with loading pictures so more later.

Arrived in Kathmandu

2010-10-25T18:40:00.000-07:00

We arrived a couple of days ago. Everything is fine and today my granddaughter Ali meets her mother and family. Yesterday we gave out a lot of shoes to children from the orphanage and saw some sponsored children who had gifts to be given. We met an American, Chris, who we met in India last year, in Hong Kong and brought him along with us and he is staying at the apartment with us till tomorrow. Jagat is then taking him trekking. So hopefully today we are feeling more alive after our journey.
I saw Nani and Mann's mother yesterday and she was very upset and it was an emotional visit. Mann and Sima had made the apartment look so nice for us and it was a wonderful welcome.
Weather hot and sunny.

Marathon Completed

2010-10-12T14:12:00.000-07:00

The Marathon was on Sunday and I have to say that it was a tough run. The last ten to twelve km were a challenge but I crossed the finish line in just under five hours, 4:57:42. Not a great time but I am not complaining. It was a great race with good crowd support and support from friends and family along the route which meant so much. There was a lot energy on the course and lots of comaradie from fellow runners.

The amount raised is roughly $1956.00, I still have a couple of cheques coming in. I thank everyone who sponsored me and made this possible. My daughter says it is easier than a garage sale but then she did not run the full marathon!! The money will be used for administration money in Nepal and for a library for a poor school of low caste children near Pokhara. Photos of that later. Meanwhile here are the marathon photos. Coming up to the finish line, post marathon exhaustion! and at home with my medal.