Nepal Project Report

 

During the Easter vacation of 2010 a small group from Aiglon, including staff, students and parents, made a reconnaissance visit to Nepal and the Nepal Orphan’s Homes (NOH) based near Kathmandu. As a result of that visit a project developed with the long-term aim of making a positive difference to the children at the homes, many of whom have been rescued from a form of slavery known in Nepal as the Kamlari system, one which can result in young girls, often as young as six years, being sold into the sex trade.

Over the Easter vacation of 2011 a group of seven students led by Mr and Mrs O’Connor, the Houseparents of Belvedere, returned to Kathmandu. Our project had two main objectives: The first was to buy and install computers in three of the NOH and to train children to use them so that a Long Distance Learning Programme between Aiglon and the children in the homes can be established. This was achieved, despite power blackouts hindering our progress. Our future aim will be to provide small kerosene generators to provide power and light in the homes! We were also able to serve the children by teaching spelling and reading and organising a highly successful sports day. We were also able to spend part of our time in Kathmandu visiting the World Heritage and pilgrimage sites of Bodhanath, Pashupati, Swayambu, Patan and Kathmandu’s glorious Dhurbar Square.

The second phase of the project was an eight day trek through the foothills of the Himalaya to visit Health Posts and Schools set up through the charity, ‘Community Action Nepal.’ In the course of this strenuous trek we visited Tamang, Gurung and Sherpa communities and were able to share and in part gain an insight into their culture and lifestyles. Our aim was for Aiglon to adopt a Community Action Project and through our service activities help a rural community establish school in a remote village. With the groundwork having been done we visited the Sherpa village of Milarepa in the Helambu district of Nepal where we were entertained by the whole community who explained how their school had been washed away during the previous monsoon. With the agreement and support of the whole community we were able to underwrite, at the cost of $3000, the building of a new school, to be complete by the end of this year’s monsoon (September). It will have three classrooms and three government paid teachers, an office, storeroom and toilet block and will provide education for almost 140 children.

Special thanks to the students on the project who spent their Easter vacation in Nepal: Maria Rybak, Dominique Meyer, Moritz von Lippe, Vera Smirnova, Andrew Okolokulak, Edoardo Achenza and Varun Shroff and all those at Aiglon, both staff and students, for their charitable giving. Further thanks to Mr and Mrs Rybak for their generous donation to the project, which allowed us to realise all we set out to achieve in Nepal.

Bill O’Connor
Belvedere Housemaster