Hi Everyone
I wanted to update you all on my latest plans.
Please take a look at my blog to see my most recent adventures in Nepal:
www.himalayanaculturalconservation.org/blog
I’ve been home for two months now. But work in the Himalayan area of Lamjung is continuing with Binod, Hi Cap’s project manager, making two visits to our villages to progress check our work. He’s returned with so many inspirational stories about the way Hi-Cap’s work is changing lives. One of them being the joy of a small village called Old Jagot where we decided to increase our support. Our intention is to support the whole community. Suman, one of the children we fund, comes from Old Jagot. This child had a major operation to straighten his feet. We managed to raise money to support his medical treatment. We then ensured that he received good education in Kathmandu and Besishahar. We have recently after much discussion between us and his parents returned him to his village. He is now receiving education at the local school in Chamchye with his sister. We will support both children in schooling expenses.
Hi-Cap’s changing not just one child’s life but whole communities. From my first meeting with Suman’s father and the villagers of Old Jagot the improvement in the families’ quality of life has been miraculous. At first, there was no enthusiasm for living a healthy life or desire to help themselves. This has changed so much since our involvement. When we took Suman and gave him a better chance, his father just forged forward and so did the villagers. He got a job and started looking after the rest of his family the village started to pull together and work together. The community spirit has become joyous. Hi-Cap UK brought this to this village. You see we don’t just make a difference to a child when we take them and help them we make a difference to a family and eventually a whole community. They trust us and have faith in us. We have many plans of how to improve the lives of these villagers. Old Jagot is close to my heart and I believe that we can really make a difference to the 18 families that live there.
Over the next few weeks we are arranging the have a watermill built for the families of this village. This will enable them to become self-sufficient. They will be able to grind their maize locally, this will help them to earn a living. For those of you that are not sure what maize is it is corn (as in sweetcorn) dried and ground, it is vital in the mountainous areas. It is used as a flour once ground to make bread, as corn, and corn oil. There is also an old mill in this village that we repaired about 2 years ago. It keeps breaking down we could have just repaired it again, but I have decided that a new mill would be the best way forward plus repairing the old mill would really make a difference in this village. This would give the opportunity of a productive industry. As others close to this area will come to use it and pay a few hundred rupees (£1.50) each to the villagers. This would really help this village to prosper.
Sumam’s father by the Old Watermill
We now fund the education of 73 children. We plan to increase this support to 103 children by the end of the year.
Binod delivered uniforms to 48 children on his last visit. All had been measured and made by a local tailor in Besishahar. Each child received one shirt, a pair of trousers, shoes, and a pair of socks. It is more cost-effective to have the garments made by the tailor. The tailor visited the remote school in Chamchye and measured each child. He is really a good person; I met him when I was living in Besishahar during 2012 and spoke with him on my last visit. He made the odd items for some of our supported children. This was a big order for him, and he proved to be very reliable. All 73 children have received stationery and school bags. We are working through the rest of the children’s uniform provision.
Tailor overrun with School shirts
There are many projects we wish to begin this year.
* A remote school Simpai is in dire need of a residential block. The foundations have been laid, from funding of A-Cap (an organisation that helps remote protected areas) they gave about £1500. The community managed to collect a £1000. This has now been left for 2 years. When speaking to the headmaster and the English teacher I was so overwhelmed by their concern for the children who had trekked for two hours to school every morning and home in the evening. They were amazing caring teachers. As time went on I spoke to a teacher from Bhu Pu school where I had taught the previous year. He told me that he went to Simapani school and how wonderful and dedicated the teachers are there. During my visit I was able to gift science and sports equipment. More recently when Binod visited the school again he was able to present them with a microscope.
There is so much work that we would like to do in 2013, of course we could not do this without the wonderful help of all our supporters and give thanks to them all.
We ask all of you however small to donate and help us continue this tremendous outstanding work that we are doing in the Lamjung District of Nepal. We really are making a difference.
On the 30th May it is make a difference day throughout the UK. Please remember Hi-Cap UK on that day.
For just £5 a month you can support a child in their schooling needs
Please be aware that there are many ways to help us, tell your friends about us and the work that we do. Spread our word we need to get known and we need you to help us.
I give thanks to those that have been donating and sharing our information.
A special thanks to www.futuresforkids.org.uk
Please continue to support us we need you. There are many ways you can help.
To donate go to our website it just takes a few minutes to change a child’s life which we have shown can change a whole communities. I asked Binod recently how we could share how we feel about what we do, because it is so rewarding. He said “ it is difficult because we are there and we can really see the change, because we have worked there for so long” Yes it is difficult for me to relay to you just how I feel, I ask you to try to feel it with me and believe in the work we do.