Exciting Plans for 2008!

I mentioned in a previous entry that we are planning some activities for a group of girls from MLC Burwood (a private girls’ school in Sydney) to do when they visit Nepal next year. Well, their trip is now booked and we are getting down to the nitty gritty of sorting things out! There are about 30 people coming in total so it is sure to be a fantastic experience for all involved. The first week the group will be doing some trekking and the second week will be spent with us on various Foundation projects.

Bhaktapur

We are going to spend one morning visiting the historic town of Bhaktapur, just outside of Kathmandu. Bhaktapur has many beautifully restored temples and buildings and is an excellent living example of traditional Nepalese architecture and design. We have been helping the Muscular Dystrophy Centre there so we are going to work with them to do a treasure hunt weaving through the alleys and laneways of the town. We will divide the group up into teams and each team will include a couple of boys from the centre. This will be an amazing day for these boys as they rarely ‘get out’ and are not allowed to go to school because of their disability – it really will be a once in a lifetime experience for them!



The program will conclude with a lunch in a traditional Newari (one of the main castes in Nepalese society and the major influence on the architecture and culture of Bhaktapur) house. The house we have in mind has been renovated recently after it fell into disrepair and became a chicken shed! The restoration work is spectacular and has even received an award from UNESCO.

Phulbari

One day will be spent visiting a school the Foundation is working closely with in Phulbari. This is a small village in the hills just outside of the Kathmandu Valley. Reaching the school will involve a small trek as the bus can only get us so far!

At the school the MLC girls will be divided into groups to work on a number of different activities including:

1. Teaching an art class with a view to the Nepali students preparing some works that can be auctioned in Australia as a fundraising exercise;
2. Painting a mural on one of the outside walls of the school building; and
3. Delivering library bags that the girls will have prepared in Sydney before the trip.

Teaching – Model School

Two of the days will be scheduled for teaching programs in the model school, another project the Foundation is working on at present. Some of the activities we are working on doing with the girls include:

1. Teacher training programs in which the girls from MLC provide examples of the different methods of teaching that could be used to teach a straightforward class such as Maths or Geography;
2. Starting the 100 VIEWS project, a teaching project focused around students doing creative works based on places/things of significance in their school’s area (more information can be found at http://www.100views.com.au/); and
3. Preparing a musical/dance item to perform for the school. The idea here is that the Nepali students will also perform a traditional Nepalese dance and then each group can teach the other their dance, no doubt leading to loads of fun and laughter!


These are just a few of the things we are working on at the moment and it already looks as though it is going to be an amazing experience. The plan is for MLC to introduce this trip as a regular activity for the girls each year which means they will be able to develop ongoing relationships with the places they visit and the people they meet.

We want to give our heartfelt thanks to Rosemary King and Judy Tenzing, both of whom originally approached us with this idea. Rosemary is a teacher at MLC and is the chief organiser within the school, Judy teaches at another school and is a good friend of Rosemary’s and most importantly is responsible for organising all of the travel logistics for the trip! Judy has a longstanding association with Nepal and she shares our passion for its people and culture. We are really excited to be working with her on this initiative.

It is so rewarding to be able to work on a project that creates more direct involvement with people from Australia and hopefully it is only the start of something that will become much bigger!

Just some thoughts...

Well I'm back in Shanghai after a fantastic trip to Australia, successful both as a holiday for Bec and I but also for some of the really positive and exciting meetings we had for the Foundation.

I have just finished reading "The End of Poverty" by Jeffrey Sachs and I have to say it is well worth the read. He gives some amazing examples of ways that developing countries have been able to move forward and he also sets out exactly how achievable initiatives such as the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) are. It is also interesting to read about the apparent disconnect between the rhetoric of developed countries and their real actions, and the fact that we all have a responsibility to call them out on this.

I then also happened across a little article in the Nepali Times recently which suggests that at the current rate the MDGs with regard to education will not be achieved. It also reveals that almost 700,000 Nepalese children are still without access to education. You can access the article by clicking here. I was shocked by this figure but not surprised.

All of this reading has led me to two thoughts:

1. How worthwhile and critical the work of the Foundation is in helping the children of Nepal to create opportunities and the means to end their struggle with poverty; and
2. How easy it is for all of us to make a difference. Contributing does not always have to involve giving money, there are many other things all of us can do such as -

• becoming more informed about situations of particular interest
• promoting awareness of these issues
• volunteering time and skills
• joining groups of likeminded people to share ideas and work together on larger projects

I know it often seems as though there are too many problems in the world and so there is no point doing anything. I also know from first hand experience that very small acts of kindness and generosity can change the lives of people in unimagineable ways.

We all have a choice, what will yours be?

Travelling Again!

Namaste again and apologies for the gap on posting lately! I returned to Shanghai from Kathmandu on Tuesday (5th June) after a very productive and rewarding trip. I barely had time to wash my clothes and detox myself before Bec and I were on a plane to Sydney the next Saturday (9th June).

Our time in Sydney has been extremely hectic in terms of catching up with friends and family but most importantly we have also had the opportunity to get some work done for the Foundation. We met with the board of directors in Sydney and spent a few hours discussing my recent trip to Kathmandu as well as plans for many of the projects to move forward. Some simple little things that we have worked out include adding PayPal to the website for easier donation/sponsorship payment, adding a subscribe button to this blog so we can spread the Mitrataa story further more easily, and making plans for more regular fundraising ideas for Sydney.

At the rather inhumane time of 7:30am on Tuesday (12th June) we visited MLC Burwood (a private girls' school in Sydney) to discuss Nepal and plans for a group of girls to visit next year. This is a really exciting project that now has around 28 people booked in to attend. They will travel to Nepal in April 2008, spend one week trekking and seeing the sights, and then the second week will be spent working on various projects for the Foundation. It was awesome, as always, to have the opportunity to speak to a group of people about our experiences in Nepal and share some of our passion and enthusiasm for doing work there. As plans become more concrete we will post details on our website - http://www.mitrataa.org/.

We also had the good fortune of being able to give a presentation about the Foundation to one of the Sydney district Rotary Clubs. This was organised through one of our good friends and directors, Sarah Johnstone. Again, we were more than happy to have the opportunity to speak about Nepal and we are hoping that we may be able to work with the Club on some initiatives in the new fiscal year.

That's all for now, Bec and I are spending this week in Bendigo having a bit of a retreat and catching up on some work that inevitably arises from all of this travel!

More Smiling Faces, More Sad Stories

Yesterday was a similarly exhausting but invigorating day as the day before. This time I set off early from Kathmandu for the cultural city of Bhaktapur. Famous for its beautiful examples of Newari architecture, the wonderfully preserved/restored temples and buildings shone magnificently in the morning sunlight. I was in Bhaktapur to meet our friend Rabindra, who is responsible for managing around 30 of the scholarships that have been granted this year.

After a quick breakfast and update on our news, we prepared to leave to visit the first school. My first surprise came at Rabindra’s office where he revealed that he and a couple of his dedicated staff had managed to source some backpacks full of school supplies, uniform and shoes for each of the girls receiving scholarships to be given. They had also managed to have ‘Mitrataa Foundation’ stitched across the front of each pack! I was so touched as this was particularly unexpected. It is always fantastic to be able to work with people equally as dedicated to our cause!

We set off for the small village of Phulbari which is in the hills on the edge of the Kathmandu Valley. For people who know Nepal, it is near to Dhulikhel and Namo Buddha. Rabindra luckily has a 4WD otherwise it would be a long trek along some very rough roads and tracks! It is always nice to get out of the cities and up into the countryside and yesterday was no exception.

After about 1½ hours driving we reached our destination. Rabindra is already somewhat of a celebrity in this village as he raised the funds to build a brand new school building to replace the old tin sheds that were being used previously. He is also helping to restore some of the traditional style homes and other buildings in the area. As we rounded the final bend and walked down the track that leads into the school I was stunned to find the entire school lining the path clapping and cheering. There must have been around 300 people there – I think half the village had joined in too! I really don’t like to make a big deal out of the work we do and I find these displays a little embarrassing but I have come to learn that it is as much for the children’s pleasure as it is to show appreciation.

After walking through our welcome tunnel and meeting the school’s principal we were seated at the front of the school with all the students sitting and standing before us. After a couple of short speeches I presented one of the new backpacks to each of the scholarship girls. Of course they were very shy and humble when in front of everyone receiving their bags but I spied a number of them quickly racing away to the side to look at what was inside! Once the presentation was finished Rabindra and I had some tea and chatted with the teachers for a while. When it was time to leave we were greeted with the sight of all the girls in their brand new uniforms asking for another photo! No matter how often you see it this amount of enthusiasm is so contagious.

So after another small photo shoot we left for our next stop on the trip – the town of Panauti, which is half way back towards Bhaktapur and Kathmandu. We were just briefly going to meet a few of the girls that had received scholarships here. Again some terrible stories of poverty and struggle unfolded. The first girl we met had 5 sisters, basically because the parents kept trying for a son. Eventually they gave up but are now ‘stuck’ with 6 girls to feed – and in traditional Nepali culture that is pretty much the attitude towards having girls. To add to the families problems the father has basically drunk himself into brain damage and spends his days roaming around the town shouting at nothing and mumbling to himself. The mother and grandmother both work as labourers to try and earn enough for rent and to feed everyone. The most heartening news to come from this story is that the daughter with the scholarship is actually coming first in her class, she takes her studies very seriously and she also really enjoys it!

The second girl we met had 7 sisters, including 2 sets of twins! Their situation is similar to the one above in that basically the father is useless and the mother is left to struggle to take care of all of the girls. It is easy to detect the slight bitterness in her voice when she tells the story – she knew they should stop having children after 2 or 3, but her husband wanted a son so she basically was forced to keep churning out the kids. Of course she is now especially frustrated that it is she that is left to try and take care of them as the husband blames her for not giving him a son. In his eyes she caused this problem so she can deal with it!

The final girl we met in Panauti was in many ways in the most dire situation. Her father died a few years ago and not long after her mother was diagnosed with cancer. Her mother sold all of their property and possessions to pay for her medical treatment which worked initially. But at the beginning of the year she relapsed and is now in hospital with not long to live. The girl has one older sister who attends college in the morning and works in people’s houses washing clothes and dishes in the afternoons to make enough money take care of her and her sister. Tragically, the little girl was all too aware that soon it would only be her and her sister left in the world.

By the time I returned to Kathmandu in the early evening I was once again relieved to be able to lie down and contemplate the day’s events. Such joy and sorrow in equal measures, it really reminds me how lucky we are.

I probably won’t be visiting any more children on this trip, and this morning I was greeted with the news that today is another strike! So, I must now try to find some creative ways to still finish all the meetings I had planned before I leave next Monday!

Smiling Faces, Sad Stories

Yesterday (Wednesday) was a long but very exciting day. It was the first time on this trip that I had the opportunity to meet some of the girls that have been given scholarships by the Foundation to attend school.

First thing in the morning I travelled to the office of an organisation we are working with (CWISH) to meet 11 of the girls. All of the girls we sitting very quietly in a circle around the periphery of the room when I came in with the director of CWISH, Milan. Milan explained that they were very meek and shy as each of them came from a bonded labourer background. This is still a disturbingly common practice in Kathmandu, wealthy families basically buying children from village families to work as little more than slaves in their homes. The transaction is often a loan, with the girl handed over as collateral. This is a sign of the desperate situation many Nepalese people face living in remote areas outside the conveniences and infrastructure of Kathmandu. In fairness some girls are treated very well, are given an education they otherwise would not have had, have a clean and safe place to live, and do not have to worry about where their next meal will come from.

A number of the girls in this room told heart wrenching stories of such extreme poverty living with their families in the villages that coming to Kathmandu seemed like a blessing. Imagine the confusion and feeling of isolation and abandonment when some of them were then thrust into a household in which they have to eat off the floor, sleep on the floor, go to the toilet in a patch of dirt outside, and are verbally and physically abused. Fortunately most girls are not treated this way.

However my heart still broke a little when 2 of the girls shared particularly sad stories. The first girl was 12 years old and said that she had been washing dishes for as long as she could remember. She wanted to apologise to us for her uniform being dirty because she had not had time to wash it as she had too many chores to do for her master. Also, she explained that to wash her clothes meant walking around 600 metres to fetch water from the nearest supply as she was not allowed to use the home’s water for her needs. She was almost crying as she told this which was so unbelievably difficult to watch. The second of the 2 said that whilst her home situation was quite good, she was not allowed to have any of the break times at school. At morning tea/recess and also at lunch she had to immediately return to the home to clean and do chores, such as making cups of tea, for her master. This meant she was not eating for the entire school day most times and she was also struggling to be allowed the time to complete her homework. Nonetheless, she was determined to continue her studies as she knew it was her only chance of a better future. It was amazingly uplifting for her to tell us that she wanted to become a teacher when she grew up, and she wanted to focus purely on helping children in similar situations to her.

As always, Nepal is a country of extremes. In the same instant as hearing a new case of extreme poverty and struggle you also hear a new story of determination that leaves you invigorated and inspired.

That afternoon I travelled to another CWISH location in Lalitpur, just south of Kathmandu. I met another 12 of the girls that have been given scholarships and heard many similar stories to the ones mentioned above. Despite all of this it never ceases to amaze me how happy and eager for learning these girls still are – it is a true triumph of the human spirit.

Back in my hotel room that night I collapsed on the bed and just kept thinking about all the poor young girls out there in the big opulent homes of the Kathmandu upper class – washing dishes, scrubbing floors, being shouted at. The day proved to be a very sobering and exhausting experience but one thing kept pushing its way to the front of my mind, “at least we are trying to do something”. I guess its fair to say if everyone that could do something to help someone or some cause, did actually do that something, then imagine how different the world would be. It may sound trite, clichéd, whatever, but its working toward that goal and vision that makes doing this possible.

Small Project Success!

Yesterday turned out to be a very productive day thanks to a chance encounter with Bagman the evening before. I found him and his wife manning their little stall out the front of Centremart in the middle of Thamel as always. We chatted for a while about the latest happenings and I was particularly relieved to hear that his first grand daughter, born very prematurely when we were in Kathmandu in January, had finally gained enough strength to be released from hospital. Now she is a smiling little bundle of joy and Bagman could not contain his relief and pride. I do recall that during the ordeal it took a great toll on the family as he wanted to be with his son and daughter-in-law in the hospital but also had to run his stall to make the money to cover the enormous medical expenses. It is just another example of how much more difficult life is for the average people in this country.

Anyway, I was happy to see Bagman again because I had a small business proposal for him. We wanted him to make around 100 small cloth bags, similar to library bags, that we could use to distribute materials for our training courses and other projects. I explained the basic design and dimensions to him, we discussed fabric type and colour, and he confirmed it would be no problem. He asked me to visit his house (room) the next morning and he would show me the sample. I was a little surprised that he would have it ready so soon and began to wonder if he had understood my description!

So I arrived at his place the next morning (Tuesday) and was stunned to find he had produced exactly what I had asked for. I was really excited and so asked him if he could stitch ‘Mitrataa Foundation’ on the outside of the bag and he confirmed this would be no problem as well. He would have it ready by this afternoon! We agreed on quantity and price and I left him some money to go and buy fabric. He was obviously very excited by this project and I guessed it wasn’t often he had the opportunity to make such a large lump sum of money.

I returned that afternoon to find that he had completed the stitching perfectly to spec as well! He also informed me that he would have 130 bags completed by Sunday, in time for me to take them back to Shanghai with me! I stressed to him that there was no hurry and he must eat and sleep but he insisted that this blessing was sent from God and he was excited and honoured to do it. This also presented another interesting fact about Bagman and his family, they are Christian. I don’t know the figures but almost everyone in Nepal is Hindu (maybe 80%) or Buddhist (maybe 19%) and all other religions each make up less than 1%. Bagman had previously told us the sad tale of his being alcoholic which eventually led to some brain damage which is why his speech is somewhat impaired. He was shunned as a monster and mutant by his village, strictly Hindu, and so escaped to Kathmandu where he found a small Christian church that helped him and his family get back on their feet. I had never heard of such a story like this in Nepal, its quite amazing.

Anyway, the day ended with two missions accomplished – I had given Bagman some much need work and I had found someone to make our bags for us!

Strikes - What's New?!

Ok, so it hasn’t taken long for the usual challenges of life in Kathmandu to rear their ugly heads! Yesterday (Sunday) I was greeted at breakfast with the news that “today is strike”. In typical Nepali fashion there was no warning of this coming but it means the entire valley goes into shutdown. Most shops and businesses are closed, and there is no public transport, including taxis. As I had planned a number of meetings that involved me travelling to various places around the city my schedule was immediately thrown into disarray!

But, as they say in Nepal, “ke garne”! (“What to do!”)

I therefore spent most of yesterday making phone calls to rearrange meetings which was somewhat frustrating. However the upside was that I was able to spend the rest of the day leisurely sitting in a garden café drinking tea and reading. I guess when I put it that way its pretty hard to claim I was hard done by!

Today I had the great fortune of meeting our old friend ‘the bagman’. He was standing by his stall, in the same position as he always is, and gave me an enormous smile and greeting as he always does. I was particularly glad to meet him as I am hoping he will be able to sew some lightweight bags to be used for carrying notebooks etc. We will then use these for the various teacher training courses and other programs that we run outside of typical school programs. I figure it also gives him a good piece of business that he would probably not otherwise get. He tells me on average at the moment, when tourism volume is quite high, that he sells around 10 small bags and maybe 20 purses a day. This really is nowhere near enough for his family to get by and it is frustrating to think that he probably takes home less each day when he is trying to do something to earn money than the beggars in other parts of Thamel who make money by irritating people to the point that they pay them to go away. Anyway, that’s my little rant for the day!

So, tomorrow brings some (rescheduled) meetings and probably lots of typically unexpected things as is always the case in this crazy place! The good news is this means there will no doubt be lots more for me to write about in the days to come!