Bipana

Today we visited Bipana who is one of our college students.  She was not looking very good as she said she had been sick but she had also had lost a lot of weight.  This is a very poor family and food is in very short supply.  She told me she wishes to become a teacher.  Her English is very good and I think she has a good chance of realizing her dream.  She also has a very good sponsor.

Pilgrims was a landmark in Thamel, Kathmandu.  It was a famous bookstore with many floors and a restaurant which was called "Feed and Read" which Bob and I always enjoyed..  The store had great ambiance and was loved by everyone who visited it.  We bought a lot of books foe schools here.  Unfortunately it burned to the ground last May with all books lost and the insurance had run out.  Today I took this photo of our missing book shop that used to have a special feeling when you walked in the door

Arrived in Nepal

We arrived in Nepal yesterday after a holiday in Sri Lanka and three days in Mumbai.  While in Mumbai we visited Dharvari which is Asia's largest slum.  It was a world within a world with its own industries, schools and communities.  It was a experience I shall not forget.  The working conditions were dismal and the pollution extreme.  No photos were allowed for obvious reasons.  I cannot stop thinking about it but we were pleased we went.  The poor living there worked long hours for little pay, they ask for nothing from outside and each industry supports each other.  Our young guide grew up there and still lives there with his family.  This year he graduates as a pharmacist.  So with education and determination anything is possible.  One million people living in one and a half square kilometres.
Today in Nepal is a strike day, the election takes place next week and so there maybe more strikes.  We were able to get out and see some children who live close by.  They were so happy with their letters.  A couple of sponsors have sent photos of the children that I had sent them. This is a great idea and the children loved it and their parents also.  Photos below of Asmitia and Rabina with their letters.  Also Rajesh and his mother and sister.  This family I wrote about here in the spring as I found them in bad condition and Rajesh not in school.  The new sponsor helped them and today they are much improved and the mother looked happy and Rajesh much healthier.
I will try posting the photos tomorrow as I have been trying for half an hour now with no luck.  Usual Internet problems.

Sponsors Visiting their Students

Two different sponsors visited their children last month.  First Nisha and her husband Keith visited Deepa who Nisha has sponsored for seven years.  This is a second visit of Nisha visiting Deepa.  Nisha was on her honeymoon visiting her birth country with her husband.
Adrian followed visiting Abeseka who he also has sponsored for 6 or 7 years.  Adrian had his grown Canadian family with him.
Photos include one of Nisha at our office with Mann and Sima.  Two more sponsors are visiting next month.  These are always exciting visits for both sponsor and child.

Daumaya

As you will remember and from the posts earlier in this blog, Daumaya has been very sick with cancer and spent many months away from her children while undergoing treatment at the cancer hospital in the south of Nepal.  She returned home a few weeks ago and is looking very well and is even doing sewing work.  She had to return to the cancer hospital this week for a check up but hopefully  everything is okay.  The family is so happy to be together again and the girls have their mother back.
A big thank you to the sponsors who helped pay for her treatment and as you can see it has been so worthwhile.

I am returning to Nepal in November for a short time.  I am leaving mid October and can only take letters on this trip as we are going to another destination first.  If you wish to send a letter please get it to me asap.  I will be visiting NEF projects, the literacy class and some of the children while we are there.

Paul Harris Fellow Award

Today both Dr. Jeffery Phillips and I were awarded Paul Harris Fellows by Duncan Noontime Rotary and Duncan Daybreak Rotary.  This award was to recognize our humanitarian work with the Nepal Education Fund in Nepal.  Jeff was recognized for the excellent dental work he did in Nepal in dental camps and with NEF children.  This is a great honour for both of us and we wish to thank both Rotary Clubs for their support.  We look forward to continuing our work with them in the years to come.  Photo with Duncan Noontime President Michael Lee, President Elect Howard Goodridge, Past President of Duncan Daybreak Joe Simpson, Jeff and myself.

Students Pass Exams

Last month our students had the results of the School Leaving Certificate Exams.  We had 3 pass and 2 have to retake one exam this month.  So we will have 5 more students starting college.  This is good news.
Update on Daumaya B.K. who has the cancer and her four girls living at home alone.  She is nearly finished the treatment and will soon be going home to her children.  It has been a long and worrying ordeal.  Let us hope she will soon be well.  Many thanks to those who contributed funds for her treatment and helped with food and rent for the children.

Our garage also took place last week and we made approx $1,200.00.   This goes to our administration costs.  Thank you to those who donated items and to those who helped with the sale. 

Gunjara School

When I first saw the Gunjara village school two years ago it was in terrible condition with a roof that was full of  holes.  The children could not go to school when it rained as it was so bad.

Gunjara School

Desks provided by NEF

Carol and Me with the wonderful women of Gunjara

The desks were non exsistant or the few that they had were falling apart.  NEF provided some new desks and I took our Qatar sponsors there to have a look.  They immediately decided to take on the project to replace the roof.  This was completed last year only to have one of the walls crumble and fall down.  The construction of the roof was too much for the old walls.  Carol and Keith and their friends then paid to have the wall re-constructed and for the school to be painted.  When we all visited in March we were very happy to see the newly renovated school.  It is a huge improvement over what was there before.

The villagers are very happy.  Jeff hosted a dental clinic there also that day and he was so impressed at the good condition of the children's teeth and said that it was the result of having no sugar.  The village is remote and poor with no store, so no candy.  In the villages closer to town the children had lots of cavities because they had more sugar in their diets.