Letters from Nepal XV


Friday, July 18, 2014

Today at the school many of the special kids were not there.  Attendance is not always a priority it seems.

It rained for the first half of the day which limited painting.  Instead we cleared the area of land where the play area will be.  This took a great portion of the morning to do.  Some items we found were broken bottles, glass, porcelain, shoes, plastic, tin and many, many rocks.  This area will be tamped down and filled first with gravel, then sand. We will be putting a concrete pad down for the ladder and the rest of the perimeter will be filled. A tarp will cover the sand at night to prevent animals from using it as a waste area.

We were to start on concrete work but due to the rain have to wait for a different day.  Julie was helping in one of the classrooms where much of the English taught is done by rote.  She has found friends in two little people who are on each side of her during class.

The local salary for a teacher is about 2,000 rupees a month or $200.00. We have found our money goes a long way here as compared with Nepal. For the majority of people, life is a daily struggle. There are no government programs that help with any social programs so very hard for people to make any headway.

The younger generation has a higher rate of literacy at 68%. They do not necessarily follow the customs of their parents but seem on the brink of change. In Nepal, the dress is conservative. No bare shoulders, arms or midriffs, and no shorts that show the knees. It is always amazing to see tourists who have not taken the time to read about the culture and offend either through dress, speech or actions.

We have been somewhat discouraged with how things are done here. Bunty, the director has not been working with kids on a one to one basis as she had told us. If she did this every day, the kids would progress at a much greater speed. Between all of us, we each share strengths that could improve the program at the school. We will continue to share our ideas but also are aware there is a fine line between offering this and coming across as arrogant.

One example is Nikitta.  Nikitta has Spina Bifida and is paralyzed to some degree along her spine.  We think it is very low as her legs do not seem to be atrophied. She can also sit as we do and with her hands cross her legs. Her mother is always busy and therefore does not show up for Friday parent meetings. The mother goes to the beauty parlour each Friday instead of spending time to attend the needs of her daughter.

Nikitta has no bladder or bowel routine. She is put into Pampers at home, which she has outgrown as she is 12, and when she feels her bottom and it is wet, she knows she needs to be changed.  She has suffered from bladder infections as well as kidney failure. There is a hospital which has offered to put together a program for Nikitta as she could learn how to do self-catheterization and bowel management. The mother has refused. We are trying to initiate this program again before we leave and get it started, otherwise the future for Nikitta will be very short. She is a bright girl but has all the strikes against herself. She was born female, disabled and in Nepal.

The iPads we have brought have been used for story time and singing and next week will be introduced to specific children for learning.  It has been decided that they will be kept here where we are staying at the Home-stay which is also where some of the staff stays. This way they can also be used at some of the other schools as a teaching device. It would be unfortunate for them to be misused so this is a good solution.  Bunty and staff need to be trained on how to use the different programs.  So far the iPad has kept the kids’ attention and the results we have seen in this short time is really satisfying. Kids who have had a horrid time focusing will sit for long periods of time. Once the teachers understand the basics of the iPads, the other programs specific to learning will be introduced.

We have another volunteer here who is from Northern Ireland called Anita. She will be starting with us next week and her specialty back home is a special needs teacher.  She will be here for 5 more weeks so we are hoping she will be able to get a daily routine going with some of the kids and if Bunty sees the improvement in such a short period of time, Bunty will also be on board.

We went and purchased shovels and a wheelbarrow.  The one that the school had provided for clearing the dirt had a 2-1/2 foot handle and the pick handle was even shorter at 1 ft.  Unfortunately it came apart so for safety reasons, new equipment was in order.

This weekend we have off.  We are planning on going to the peace pagoda which is on top of a high hill on an island. Our plans will depend upon the rain. When it rains the leeches, which are abundant in the vegetation, drop like flies.  Some of us have been bitten and/or stung by ants already and that was enough for one day.

Sunday will be a fascinating day as we venture to the Tibetan refugee camps. Tonight we met with our guide so he could give us a very informative cultural history lesson on the refugees here in Nepal. He just got back from a 14 day puja, or holy ceremony, with the Dali Lama so should be a very informative day which starts at 4:30 a.m.

The power has been off for a couple of hours and the humidity and heat is really building in our rooms. We have spotted the odd cockroach which is really just a very large flying beetle. Not tiny like those in Canada. Our rooms are basic but clean and quite comfortable. They can be noisy with dogs barking but more annoying is the cawing of ravens.

Some of us are going to cook Sunday for the group to give a bit of change of pace to our Dahl batt.  It is always a challenge to cook with little equipment … they expect something Canadian?

Will see what a new day brings and what experiences will come our way. Week one is done with GVI and we can see the progress our short time has made. We do feel we have made a small difference, not only here but also within. Compassion, generosity of spirit and overcoming adversity are all qualities we have seen displayed not only within ourselves but each other.