Click on this link to view NAFA's Newsletter #3
http://nafa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/NAFA-newsletter-3.pdf
Fundraising for Nepal
Shree Mahakali Secondary School : 27 Nov 2011
check out the latest news on the Sunsuper Dreams website ....
http://sunsuperdreams.com.au/winners/july-kylie-gilbert
http://sunsuperdreams.com.au/winners/july-kylie-gilbert
Shree Mahakali Higher Secondary School : 1 Nov 2011
Today Ross, Helen, Bruce, Manoj Lama & I, NAFA members & supporters, visited Shree Mahakali School to see the progress of the classrooms and to meet the teachers and students.
There are FOUR classrooms, on the second level, currently being built ...
Unfortunately it was a public holiday but the Principal and a group of teachers and students came to meet us and welcome us. The students presented us with beautiful hand made flower malas ... made us feel very special :)
We were so impressed by the Principal, the teachers and the students who were there. The Principal is very dedicated to his school and providing quality education ... he has been Principal for more than 15 years. Over 500 students attend the school from 9 wards and there are 19 teachers in total ... 4 women and 15 men.
There are FOUR classrooms, on the second level, currently being built ...
... (picture above) the TWO on the left (4 windows) have been funded by the District Development Corporation (DDC), a Community/Government organisation, and the TWO on the right, plus the stairwell, have been funded by the $5,000 Grant won in July from Sunsuper (plus extra funds from NAFA).
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| The two Sunsuper/NAFA funded classrooms under construction. |
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| The students who came to welcome us. |
We were so impressed by the Principal, the teachers and the students who were there. The Principal is very dedicated to his school and providing quality education ... he has been Principal for more than 15 years. Over 500 students attend the school from 9 wards and there are 19 teachers in total ... 4 women and 15 men.
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| Five of the Teachers |
There is a Child Club and an Eco Club ... both run entirely by the students and doing great work at the school. There is also a computer room with 18 computers and the school has access to internet as well.
The Principal told us the story of how the school evolved which was really interesting to hear ... pre-classrooms the teachers taught under the big tree in the school yard.
We told them about Sunsuper and the Dream and how NAFA was able to win the Grant for their school with massive support and votes from people all over the world ... they were very happy and very appreciative for the help from Sunsuper and NAFA members and supporters.
The Principal told us the story of how the school evolved which was really interesting to hear ... pre-classrooms the teachers taught under the big tree in the school yard.
We told them about Sunsuper and the Dream and how NAFA was able to win the Grant for their school with massive support and votes from people all over the world ... they were very happy and very appreciative for the help from Sunsuper and NAFA members and supporters.
They are planning to have an opening of the classrooms sometime after February 2012 and NAFA members are hoping to attend.
After our visit to this School, I was even more happy that we were able to win the $5000 Grant to help the School's dream to come true :)
Please click on this link for more photos ...
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| NAFA members, teachers & students infront of the new 2nd level classrooms. |
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150353062611732.352049.675116731&type=1&l=d8e3cc9173
For more information on NAFA please visit ... http://www.nafa.org.au/
and Sunsuper Dreams ... http://sunsuperdreams.com.au/winners/july-kylie-gilbert
For more information on NAFA please visit ... http://www.nafa.org.au/
and Sunsuper Dreams ... http://sunsuperdreams.com.au/winners/july-kylie-gilbert
Shree Mahakali Higher Secondary School : 1 Nov 2011
In July, John Wood, founder of Room to Read, kindly donated over 200 bi-lingual and other library books to the school.
These books had already been received by the school, by the time we arrived, and the students were using them.
"World Change Starts with Educated Children" ... http://www.roomtoread.org/
These books had already been received by the school, by the time we arrived, and the students were using them.
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| Some of the Room to Read books displayed on the 3rd shelf down |
"World Change Starts with Educated Children" ... http://www.roomtoread.org/
Shree Deuper Primary School : 31 Oct 2011
Today Ross, Helen, Bruce, Manoj Lama and I (NAFA members and supporters) hiked to Shree Deuper Primary School in Singe Village (2 1/2 hour hike from Nagarkot) to carry out a NAFA Jumper & Beanie Distribution for Nursery to Class 5 students.
We gave out jumpers and beanies (and pencils) to over 160 children. The kids were so tiny but we managed to find a jumper for everyone and the excitement and smiles on the kids faces said it all. The kids looked so beautiful in the colourful jumpers and beanies, which are lovingly handknitted by up to 100 amazing women in Australia, the NAFA Knitters, for underprivileged children living in remote areas of Nepal. These jumpers are then bagged and taken over to Nepal by supporters of Nepal and NAFA as excess baggage.
Click on http://www.nafa.org.au/ for more information on NAFA and how you can get involved.
We gave out jumpers and beanies (and pencils) to over 160 children. The kids were so tiny but we managed to find a jumper for everyone and the excitement and smiles on the kids faces said it all. The kids looked so beautiful in the colourful jumpers and beanies, which are lovingly handknitted by up to 100 amazing women in Australia, the NAFA Knitters, for underprivileged children living in remote areas of Nepal. These jumpers are then bagged and taken over to Nepal by supporters of Nepal and NAFA as excess baggage.
For more photos of the happy kids, click on ...
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150354062721732.352288.675116731&type=1&l=8f0b8478b4
It's amazing and humbling that something as simple as a new jumper/beanie can mean so much to these children ... it's such a huge privilege to be involved in these jumper distributions.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150354062721732.352288.675116731&type=1&l=8f0b8478b4
It's amazing and humbling that something as simple as a new jumper/beanie can mean so much to these children ... it's such a huge privilege to be involved in these jumper distributions.
Click on http://www.nafa.org.au/ for more information on NAFA and how you can get involved.
Nepal Health Mega Marathon : 19 Sept 2011
****************************************************
Click on this link for more photos ... Micro Surgical Eye Camp 2011
http://www.nafa.org.au/
http://www.joy.org.np/
http://www.nafa.org.au/
http://www.joy.org.np/
Shree Mahakali Higher Secondary School : 23 Aug 2011
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| Suman and me at Singe Village |
Accountant turned action hero
Published on 23/8/2011 by Anastasia Karalis of Our World Today
Because of the open-hearted, gentle people of Nepal, with their magical smiles and incredibly happy, positive and grateful attitudes to life, when each and every day is a huge struggle, I found meaning in my life.”Kylie Gilbert, a tax accountant from the Sunshine Coast, surrendered a ‘normal’ existence when she discovered her purpose in life - to better the lives of those less fortunate in Nepal.
An experienced traveller, Ms Gilbert has visited many countries around the world, but she said no place has stolen her heart quite like Nepal.
“There are millions of people in hundreds of countries all over the world that need assistance, but for me personally it is all about Nepal,” she writes in her blog A Hand for Nepal.
After her first trekking holiday to Nepal, she said she fell in love with the country and its people.
“I was deeply moved by the Nepalese people, particularly the children and the fact they have very little yet are so happy and so grateful for the little that they do have” she said.
What makes Ms Gilberts’ story unique is that she once ‘had it all’.
In order to keep visiting the country, she sold her Queensland property and “bailed out of normal life” to work short stints when not living in Nepal.
Historically, there has been prolonged political instability in Nepal, a country working to recover from a ten-year conflict between a Maoist insurgency and the State that killed an estimated 13,000 people. A peace agreement was signed in 2006, but bouts of violence and riots continue, along with a legacy of political manipulation and human rights abuses.
Another challenge to aid organisations is that most of Nepal’s population live in rural areas where there is little access to clean water, healthcare and infrastructure. In terms of education, government schools are often inadequate, overcrowded and extremely underfunded.
Since June 2009, the former full-time accountant has worked (volunteered) as a Promotions Officer with the Nepal Australia Friendship Association (NAFA) to raise funds for individuals and communities in Nepal.
As part of the SunSuper Dreams competition, Ms Gilbert won a $5,000 grant for her dream to build two new classrooms for an impoverished school in a remote rural area of Nepal.
Currently Shree Mahakali Secondary School, in the Kavre district of Nepal, has facilities only up to year eight.
Two new classrooms would mean that the school can also cater for year nines, with a vision to provide quality education up to year ten - the final year before college.
So why Shree Mahakali Secondary School? The school, which caters for 500 students from eight surrounding villages, applied to NAFA for the grant.
“Shree Mahakali School operates with many challenges - it receives very little government funding and the students who attend are from very poor farming families,” Gilbert wrote in her submission.
“[The] majority of these students walk over two hours a day to attend Shree Mahakali School, but they do it happily and willingly in every season as they love learning.”
One particular student, 12-year-old Suman Tamang (pictured above), is sponsored by Ms Gilbert through NAFA.
Suman is one of five children from a poor farming family who Ms Gilbert describes as her “family in Nepal”.
Suman is currently in year eight and will be one of the first students to use the new year nine facilities.
Proceeds from the grant will go towards the materials and skilled labour for the project. However, the main labour force will consist of community volunteers; a task that NAFA believes empowers the community with a sense of pride and ownership, rather than just a mere handout.
Ms Gilbert will be returning to Nepal in early November and will visit Shree Mahakali to observe the progress of the school’s new classrooms.
In developing countries, Ms Gilbert said education is the greatest chance for children to achieve a brighter future and projects like these help bring hope and meaning to those less fortunate.
“The meaning of life is to give life meaning,” she said.
If you would like to find out more about NAFA or how you can help, visit the website at http://www.nafa.org.au/
Shree Mahakali Higher Secondary School : 1 August 2011
sunsuperdreams.com.au
The Sunsuper winners of $5,000 have been chosen - see their dreams and read how they will make the world a better place.
Shree Mahakali Higher Secondary School : 30 July 2011
This past week has been amazing on the Sunsuper Dream Site ... we have had over 600 votes and have pushed confidently to the front. With only 40 hours to go we are 667 votes in the lead!! The support received from everyone not only in Australia and Nepal but who knows where else in the world has been fantastic. Bring on midnight Sunday night :)) to make our dream come true !!
Shree Mahakali Higher Secondary School : 19 July 2011
sunsuperdreams.com.au
I've submitted a dream on Sunsuper Dreams and have a chance to win $5,000 to make it come true.
Shree Mahakali Higher Secondary School : 18 July 2011
Room to Read : World Change Starts with Educated Children !!
www.roomtoread.org Room to Read partners with local communities throughout the developing world to establish libraries, create local language children's literature, construct schools, and provide education to girls.
Shree Mahakali Higher Secondary School (Sunsuper Dream) : 1st - 31st July 2011
VOTE for TWO CLASSROOMS in a POOR Rural Area of NEPAL
Hi Everyone,
Please give just a few minutes of your time and vote to help make “the dream come true” for a school in a poor rural area of Nepal.
Shree Mahakali Secondary School in the Kavre District has applied to NAFA (Nepal Australia Friendship Association (Qld) Inc) for funding to build TWO Grade 9 classrooms and I need your kind support to win a $5,000 GRANT from Sunsuper Superannuation Fund to make these classrooms no longer a dream … but a reality for its 23 teachers and 500 students! (Shree Mahakali currently only has facilities to Grade 8).
Shree Mahakali Secondary School is very special to me as I have met many of the children who WILL, DO and HAVE attend/ed this school in my trips to Nepal in the past couple of years. The children who attend Shree Deuper Primary School, in a neighbouring village, will eventually attend Shree Mahakali to further their education past Grade 5. Last year NAFA funded a water tap for, Shree Deuper and I have privately raised money for this school (last year the funds were used to purchase Room to Read library books, a cupboard, to house these books, and sporting equipment).
We are hoping to visit Shree Mahakali Secondary School in November this year as well as Shree Deuper Primary School.
We are hoping to visit Shree Mahakali Secondary School in November this year as well as Shree Deuper Primary School.
Voting is quick and easy so please click on the link above.
Voting starts on 1st July and finishes on 31st July.
YOUR VOTE is VERY important, so please give just a few minutes of your time J
Maybe your friends and family would also be keen to support my dream and help build these two classrooms in rural Nepal, so please ask them to vote by emailing this blog or sharing on facebook ... see the icons below.
Thanks everyone for your continued support … it is always very much appreciated by NAFA and myself.
Kind regards,
Kylie Gilbert
Supporter of NAFA and Nepal
www.nafa.org.au
“HELP Build TWO Classrooms in RURAL NEPAL”
My dream is to help make the dream of the 23 teachers and 500 students of Shree Mahakali Secondary School, in a poor rural area of Nepal, come true! - to build two classrooms and provide a learning environment for Grade 9 students.
Shree Mahakali School operates with many challenges; it receives very little Government funding and the students who attend are from very poor farming families. The school currently only has facilities to Grade 8; so a $5,000 grant will not only provide two Grade 9 classrooms, which will allow the children to have continuity in their most important schooling years, but will also save the students walking time to another school further away. Majority of these students now walk over 2 hours a day to attend Shree Mahakali School; but they do it happily and willingly in every season, as they love learning.
The teachers of this school are very passionate and they have a vision; to create a model school by providing quality education and support to their students (eventually up to Grade 10, the last and most important year for students before College), training for teachers, and new technology for children living in this poor rural area who would normally not have access to education. The school is very forward thinking in that they have an ECO club, scouts group, library, small computer room and nursery. The teachers are dedicated and work hard to bring these poor rural students up to the same standard as city students, who have many more opportunities.
I truly admire these teachers as I know how difficult it is for Nepalese children to receive an education. My dream is to help support these teachers in their vision to give these children a quality education, and as a result, a brighter future!!
The $5,000 grant would be donated to the Nepal Australia Friendship Association (Qld) Inc (NAFA). It would be spent on materials and skilled labour to build the two classrooms while the community would donate the many hours of unskilled labour. NAFA (21 years strong), a very dedicated group of people, tirelessly raises funds to assist remote communites in Nepal in the areas of health, education and water infrastructure. NAFA members visited Shree Mahakali school in early 2011 and would return later this year to monitor the building of the two classrooms.
Education for Nepali Children : May/June 2011
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| Market Stall at my old workplace |
Thanks to everyone who supported my stalls ... and these children!
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| Suman ready to walk the hour to his school (Shree Mahakali Secondary School) |
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| Binu (in pink shirt) with her friends at school |
Sadly many children in Nepal are disadvantaged when it comes to education. Quality education in Nepal should be a right not a privilege.
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| Children at Shree Deupur Primary School |
NAFA Newsletter # 2 : May 2011
http://nafa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/NAFA-Newsletter-2.pdf
click on the link to view NAFA newsletter #2
click on the link to view NAFA newsletter #2
Shree Deupur Primary School, Singe Village : 7 April 2011
Today Manoj Tamang and I visited Shree Deupur School. It is school holidays so sadly we didn't see all the children but 5 of the teachers were there marking exams.
I had put together a photo album with all the photos from my 4 previous visits and also a teaching resource for the English Teacher (a scrabble set made from 100 water bottle tops and a list of other games that the children can play with the bottle tops to practice their english vocabulary) ... the teachers were very happy and it was so nice to see them again ... it has been 2 months since our visit with NAFA members back in February.
The NAFA funded water tap is working well and the new toilet block (funded by the VDC) has a new security gate on the front. Also the lockable cupboard purchased with the money raised at my market stall May last year was full of the Room to Read books and other teaching resources.
The next time we visit the school will hopefully be in November to take in NAFA knitted jumpers and beanies for the children.
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| Teachers at School |
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| Cupboard to hold the Room to Read library books and other teaching resources. |
The next time we visit the school will hopefully be in November to take in NAFA knitted jumpers and beanies for the children.
Nepal Health Mega Marathon : 22 March 2011
Allocation of the funds raised from the Nepal Health Mega Marathon
Total funds raised : $12,692
50% of NAFA funding for remote cataract surgery eye clinic 2010 conducted by Tilganga Eye Centre |
50% of NAFA funding for HearingNepal Program in 2010 (purchase of hearing aids for distribution to people in Thimi and remote village of Tawal) |
Small solar-compatible refrigeration (camping size) for the Tawal Health Clinic to enable storage of vaccinations and medicines (Dec 2010) |
First ever held 5 day primary ear screening clinic in Tawal January 2011 – Covering transport, accommodation and food costs of two Nepalese hearing care health workers and medicine costs to hold clinic |
1 steel framed hospital bed with Intravenous pole, mattress & pillow for Tawal health clinic (2011) |
First ever held 5-6 day eye screening clinic in Tawal to be held 24 November – 1 December 2011: covering transport, accommodation and food costs of a volunteer German eye doctor and an assistant/translator from Kopan Monastery |
50% of application from Khagendra New Life Home disability service for a music system, TV, inverter/battery to ensure lighting during load-shedding (no electricity) and books April 2011 |
50% of NAFA funding for remote cataract surgery eye clinic 2011 conducted by Tilganga Eye Centre |
Children's Home in Kathmandu : 3 Mar 2011
Today Ujeli took Manoj and I to visit the children at a home in Bhatbhateni, Kathmandu. Ujeli is a young Nepali woman who has been volunteering at the Home for over a year. We took with us beanies and clothes made by friends' mums in Australia ... the beanies were knitted by Val Fullford and the clothes made by Brenda Farrow.
Click on this link for photos ... https://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=278324&id=675116731&l=f56640a35f
These beanies and clothes gave these kids some happiness.
Click on this link for photos ... https://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=278324&id=675116731&l=f56640a35f
These beanies and clothes gave these kids some happiness.
Nepal Health Mega Marathon : 28 Feb 2011
Email sent to Sponsors & Supporters ...
Thanks again for supporting us ... Ray Baker, Kylie Gilbert, Jeff Dunn and Suzanne Chambers ... last year in the Nepal Health Mega Marathon ... 100kms in 24 hours!
A total of $12,692 was raised due to the many generous sponsorships ... this money was donated in full to the Nepal Australia Friendship Association (Qld) Inc (www.nafa.org.au) to support Health Projects in Nepal.
Some of the funds raised went towards -
* a Remote Area Cataract Eye Surgery Clinic in December 2010 in the remote village of Jalbire (partly funded)
* the 2011 Hearing Nepal Program, which included a Primary Ear Care Clinic at Tawal in January 2011 (partly funded)
* the purchase of a hospital bed with an IV post and a waeco fridge for the Tawal Health Clinic.
The Remote Area Cataract Eye Surgery Clinic was held on the 28 & 29 December 2010 in the remote village of Jalbire. It was conducted in the school building of Shree Ananda Higher Secondary School. Over the two days, a total of 608 adults and children had their eyes checked and 104 surgeries were carried out. This eye clinic was held in association with NAFA, Joy Foundation Nepal, NAFA's main partner in Nepal (www.joy.org.np), and Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology (www.tilganga.org).
"The World Health Organisation estimates that 45 million people worldwide are blind; 90 percent of them are in developing nations. Many of these cases may be easily preventable or treatable. Nearly half could be helped by a procedure that’s become routine in many nations – cataract surgery. In Nepal the rate to cure blindness through cataract surgery is one of the highest worldwide, according to National Geographic.
The importance of eye camps is based on the fact that loss of vision as a result of cataract is impacting people’s lives drastically. Esp. in remote areas, where the people live far from hospitals, it is important to find a way to reach them. Cataract has increased, it is said that two third of the cases regarding blindness in Nepal are results of cataract. In cases with serious visual impairment, the standard treatment is surgical removal of the lens.
This is a process that takes only about 4 to 5 minutes. These short procedures can change an individual’s life forever." (from www.joy.org.np/category/joys-projects)
Thanks again for supporting us ... Ray Baker, Kylie Gilbert, Jeff Dunn and Suzanne Chambers ... last year in the Nepal Health Mega Marathon ... 100kms in 24 hours!
A total of $12,692 was raised due to the many generous sponsorships ... this money was donated in full to the Nepal Australia Friendship Association (Qld) Inc (www.nafa.org.au) to support Health Projects in Nepal.
Some of the funds raised went towards -
* a Remote Area Cataract Eye Surgery Clinic in December 2010 in the remote village of Jalbire (partly funded)
* the 2011 Hearing Nepal Program, which included a Primary Ear Care Clinic at Tawal in January 2011 (partly funded)
* the purchase of a hospital bed with an IV post and a waeco fridge for the Tawal Health Clinic.
Remaining funds are earmarked for other NAFA health care projects in 2011.
See below for further information on the Eye Clinic at Jalbire and the Primary Ear Care Clinic at Tawal.
Kind regards,
Kylie Gilbert
**********
The Remote Area Cataract Eye Surgery Clinic was held on the 28 & 29 December 2010 in the remote village of Jalbire. It was conducted in the school building of Shree Ananda Higher Secondary School. Over the two days, a total of 608 adults and children had their eyes checked and 104 surgeries were carried out. This eye clinic was held in association with NAFA, Joy Foundation Nepal, NAFA's main partner in Nepal (www.joy.org.np), and Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology (www.tilganga.org).
Click on this link for more photos ... https://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=277770&id=675116731&l=585133b583
"The World Health Organisation estimates that 45 million people worldwide are blind; 90 percent of them are in developing nations. Many of these cases may be easily preventable or treatable. Nearly half could be helped by a procedure that’s become routine in many nations – cataract surgery. In Nepal the rate to cure blindness through cataract surgery is one of the highest worldwide, according to National Geographic.
The importance of eye camps is based on the fact that loss of vision as a result of cataract is impacting people’s lives drastically. Esp. in remote areas, where the people live far from hospitals, it is important to find a way to reach them. Cataract has increased, it is said that two third of the cases regarding blindness in Nepal are results of cataract. In cases with serious visual impairment, the standard treatment is surgical removal of the lens.
This is a process that takes only about 4 to 5 minutes. These short procedures can change an individual’s life forever." (from www.joy.org.np/category/joys-projects)
The Hearing Nepal Program was conducted at Tawal in January 2011 by NAFA members, Sue and Lew Tuck in association with Keshab Dangol of Nepal Association of the Hard of Hearing (NAHOH www.nahoh.org.np), Tashi Sherpa from Kopan Monastery and Jade Frederiksen, a volunteer audiologist from Australia.
A Primary Ear Care clinic, staffed by Keshab and Tashi (two Nepalese men who volunteered their time to the project), was set up in the multipurpose room at the school. The ears of 509 school children and adults from Tawal and surrounding villages were checked over the 5 days and NAFA funded medication was dispensed to those with ear infections. Any audiological referrals were made to Sue and Jade; this allowed audiological reports to be provided to those where ENT referral was recommended. These referrals will be facilitated through NAHOH in Kathmandu.
Keshab advised that there were similar outcomes to other ear camps held in Nepal, with only the foreign bodies being different … (apart from a lot of wax) the foreign bodies included a cockroach, stones, wire, bits of feather and straw and a grain of rice!
The Hearing Program at Tawal was a great success and NAFA is very happy to be associated with NAHOH to promote Primary Ear Care in remote Nepal.
Shree Deupur Primary School, Singe Village : 3 February 2011
Link to more photos ...
https://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=277773&id=675116731&l=1d4b8a3fe4
Today Manoj Tamang and I took NAFA members to visit Shree Deupur School and officially open the NAFA funded water tap.
After the school welcome and program we were treated to a home made meal of Dal Baht and then walked the 2 1/2 hours back out to Nagarkot. It was a beautiful day and the views were fantastic on the walk in and out of Singe Village.
https://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=277773&id=675116731&l=1d4b8a3fe4
Today Manoj Tamang and I took NAFA members to visit Shree Deupur School and officially open the NAFA funded water tap.
We were very warmly welcomed with malas and tika by the students and teachers. Many people from the community also came along to celebrate the new water tap. All the children were very excited to see us.
There were many speeches by Rod, President of NAFA, and myself and also the school and committee members.
My Speech...
Namaste & Lasso,
Thank you to everyone for the very warm welcome. I’m very happy to be visiting your school again with my friend Manoj Tamang and my friends from Australia and NAFA, Nepal Australia Friendship Association. It's very nice to see all the teachers, students, committee members and community here today.
The water tap and toilet block look "ekdam raamro"! It was very exciting for me to see the children using the water tap last time I visited and to see it now finished. Thank you very much for the dedication to NAFA on the water tap. This makes us very proud.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the people concerned for doing the labour on this water tap. Without this community labour the water tap would not be a reality.
So many thanks to Mr Bahadur Sing Tamang, Mr Sainla Tamang, Mr Uttar Bahadur Tamang, Mr Bhim Bahadur Tamang, Mr Bir Bahadur Tamang, Mr Hari Bahadur Tamang, Mr Nor Bahadur Tamang and all the other villagers who volunteered some time to this project. There would be many hours of labour invested into laying the 1 ½ kms of water pipe but we can see it has been 100% worth the effort for the difference it will make to the children and staff’s daily life at school, not just for drinking water but also for managing the new toilet block.
NAFA is very happy to help your school with the funding for the water tap. NAFA aims to provide funding to rural and remote schools and villages to help in projects. This funding is to cover raw materials and skilled labour only and the communities are encouraged to provide volunteer unskilled labour. This is to give the communities a sense of pride and ownership in the projects so they will be 100% valued by the communities and as a result unite the communities. NAFA is very keen to help villages who invest time and energy into their own communities.
I hope for a successful association between NAFA and your school in the future ... this is my hope.
Thank you again for welcoming us into your school and we hope to be able to visit again one day soon.
Climb for Children of Nepal : 27 Dec 10 to 8 Jan 11
For more photos click on this link ...
https://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=261870&id=675116731&l=6dfc5a7e4d
G'day & Namaste from Nepal J
https://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=261870&id=675116731&l=6dfc5a7e4d
G'day & Namaste from Nepal J
We (Ross and Brenda, Secretary and Vice-President of NAFA and I) have recently arrived back to Kathmandu from the 12 day NAFA trek to the lower Solu Khumbu (Everest) region of Nepal.
We re-visited the three schools that have been helped by the funds raised (over $11,000 AUD) from the "Climb for Children of Nepal" challenge in September 2009 - Kophu (two classrooms, skylights, whiteboards & Room to Read library books), Lumsa (library fit out with shelving, tables & benches, skylights, whiteboards & classroom desks/benches) and Patale (toilet block & skylights).
At Kophu School the two classrooms have been completed and the school is looking very nice. The nursery class has moved into one classroom and the other one just has a couple of minor things yet to be done inside and then it will be used as well. A plaque has been attached to the outside of the classrooms ... “This building was constructed with funds from NAFA Nepal Australia Friendship Association February 2010” … we were very proud and we all had our photo taken next to the plaque J We did a tour of the older classrooms and the skylights and whiteboards are making a huge difference for the students in these classes.
The students and teachers of Kophu gave us a really warm welcome with masses of Katas and flowers and the students danced and sang and there was also a martial arts demonstration. We all made speeches and we each received a special gift of a Traditional Rai shirt along with thank you letters from the school.
We were at Lumsa School New Years Day, which was also the first day of Nepal Tourism Year 2011, so this made the day even more special. The students & teachers of Lumsa School put on a day long program for us with singing and dancing and we were treated to the Sherpa women of the village doing the traditional Sherpa dance & song. This is mesmerising and you just don’t want it to end!!
We received masses of Katas and flowers again ... this is the best part of the school programs for me as it shows how appreciative and excited the students and teachers are for the help. NAFA also donated hand knitted jumpers and beanies to all the students so we had fun handing these out to all the kids. At the end of the program we were presented with a Happy New Year cake … Brenda cut the cake and every child (there were over 100 kids) had a little piece of cake … and then we ALL danced to celebrate J … our Nepali dance steps are not so good!
During the program, I had the honour of cutting the ribbon to officially open the school library. WOW what a library … beautiful shelving and the desks had “NAFA” painted on them. Room to Read had donated a set of books for the library … we displayed these on the shelves and Brenda did a quick lesson with the students on how to enjoy these colourful bi-lingual picture books. We did a quick tour of the other classrooms to have a look at the skylights and whiteboards. They had painted a dedication to NAFA at the bottom of each whiteboard which again showed their huge appreciation for the help.
Patale is one of my favourite villages in lower Solu Khumbu. We arrived at the school early (9am) so there weren’t many students/teachers there but they had decorated the school yard so beautifully for our visit. They put on a short program and the students danced and sang. The toilet block is finished and looks great … the school did not have a toilet at all previously and the students and teachers have had to use the surrounding bush so it’s easy to imagine how much better daily life at school will be! We checked out the skylights in the older classrooms ... they have made the rooms a lot lighter and brighter.
We were only able to stay at the school for a couple of hours and we were absolutely mobbed by the students with Katas and flowers when we were leaving … made it very hard to leave L but really looking forward to visiting again one day!
Well this is the end of the Climb for Children of Nepal fundraiser … it has been so much fun and a privilege to visit the schools (in Feb'10 and just recently) with the NAFA Executive to see where the money raised has been spent and how it has helped so many students and teachers in these remote villages of lower Solu Khumbu. They all understand where the money has come from and they greatly appreciate the support from all the overseas sponsors. There are a lot of VERY happy kids living in Kophu, Patale and Lumsa!
Thanks from the bottom of my heart J for everyone’s support, financially and in other ways, to make the Climb for Children of Nepal fundraiser such a huge success.
My Speech at Kophu School
Namaste. We are very happy to be here and thank you for the wonderful program and heartfelt welcome. It is very exciting to see the finished classrooms and we look forward to having a tour of the classrooms and seeing the whiteboards, skylights and library books. Thanks to all the teachers, parents, community and students for the hard work which was put into the building of the classrooms.
On behalf of NAFA, we are very happy to help and very proud to be part of the classroom project. When I get back to Kathmandu I will email the sponsors and let them know of the finished classrooms and of the wonderful program & welcome and how nice your school is.
I would like to say sorry that my Mum and I couldn’t visit back in April but unfortunately there was a problem with the flights. I hope one day to bring my Mum for a visit to your school as she would very much like to meet all the teachers and students.
Thank you again for having us in your school today ... it is a huge privilege to be here.
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