2015/08/11
After breakfast we left Rohit’s wife’s family house. At 7 we were expected to meet at a nearby school which has pupils from the poorest families in Necha. I made a donation to this school when I visited in 2014 and now I was returning to handover a 17 inch laptop that was donated by the family of a good friend in the Netherlands. We downloaded educational videos about nutrition, first aid, hygiene and natural history and the environment on the laptop. We also added an English to Nepali and Nepali to English dictionary.
The school committee and staff organised a ceremony to explain the laptop and demonstrate its use to the community. Rohit and I were given many red tika (red paint marks) on our foreheads and faces and white and yellow scarves, the traditional Nepali way to say thank you. Rohit’s help has been invaluable and without his imagination, enthusiasm and hard work Micro-Care Nepal Foundation would not have been able to achieve all it has.
We got a official letter to say thanks for our support.
After the ceremony our faces were completely covered with red powder; a symbol of gratitude in Nepali culture.
After the ceremony we gave out clothing to those who needed it and took photos of them and group photos with all teachers. We then looked at the old school building which was completely destroyed by the earthquake. It was a sad thing to see but luckily the Himalayan Foundation of Sir Edmund Hillary (who with Tensing Norgay first climbed Mount Everest) had provided two new temporary wooden buildings.
For almost all we had some clothing.
And they all liked it.
What will the future hold for these poor boys? I was glad to help but more needs to be done for them.
Finally we discussed supporting the school by donating rubbish bins and teaching the children not to litter their environment. We made an agreement that the school would buy wooden rubbish containers and that Micro-Care Nepal Foundation would refund the costs after the next field trip, when there is evidence that they are being used.
You can from their expressions how surprised they are.
Rohit after the school ceremony with a child to whom we gave a nice jacket.
Delighted with his new red t-shirt.
Recipients of new clothing. Sadly we didn’t have any clothes to fit the poor boy standing in the middle but we were pleased about the helping the rest of them. More can be done later.
Posing together in front of the old school building. Only the facade is still standing. The next picture shows the view from the other side. Rohit and I are standing in the middle of the back row.
Seeing the collapsed school made me sad. Later the Government of Nepal will provide funding to rebuild this school…At least that's what the community has applied and is hoping for. In the meantime the "Helping Hand Foundation" has built 2 temporary cottages for teaching and one solid building for the school so for the time being the children can continue to receive an education. Micro-Care Nepal Foundation will support the 16 schools in Necha with educational materials and assistance to expand the curriculum to include programmes covering nutrition, hygiene and first-aid.
This is what their school looks like from above after the earthquakes...
Same lady and towel as in the previous photo but both a year older.
Before she posed with her sister.
Rohit handing over a telephone to local man who couldn't afford to buy one. Now he can keep contact with his family and friends in the city or in other remote parts of Nepal.
We gave another phone to an old lady in the same area of Necha.
In the evening we gathered with a few teachers and locals and talked about education and the challenges schools are facing.
In these photos you can see....
How proud people are to pose with their animals.
