INFO Nepal - Monthly Newsletter
January 2008

Happy New Year 2008 to all of our friends. We would like to thanks to all of our friends and past volunteers for their generous support of our work. The Happy Home in Kathmandu is now completed and Chitwan Happy Home is running very well. The year 2006 and 2007 were very successful years for INFO. In addition to the two Happy homes, we have completed four other Children's Resource Centers.  We started working with two new orphanages and one Street Children's home in Pokhara. Additionally, we had six past volunteers return back to help us. Andres is expanding his craft business in Chile and Wayne is continuing work on his his motor's parts and education business here in Nepal now. Spela and Emily are  fundraising for our children of Chitwan. We would like to give many thanks to our past volunteers acting as our childrens' sponsors. Thanks a lot to Alan, Emily, Panna, and Jana who are supporting the Happy Home children.  Thanks as well to Silvia and Johanna for the sponsorship of the Sauraha children.  

We wish you and your loved ones all the success and happiness in the new year. 

Warmly,

Asim

Alana and Kristy - 3 Youll Street, Wallsend 2298, NSW,AUSTRALIA
Our Volunteering in Nepal - Chitwan Happy Home  - Dec 2007

We arrived in Kathmandu 26th Nov 2007, the Airport was an experience in itself. We were hassled by many taxi drivers and guest house owners, but once we saw the INFO sign there was a sense of relief. Bicky was there to greet us and we made our way to the Happy Home in Kathmandu (where Asim and his family lives). The family was very welcoming. During our first 2 days we had Nepali language lessons with Krishna. She was fantastic and taught us so much. We also were able to explore the streets and shops during our spare time. The surrounds are very overwhelming and it took time to get used to the pollution, chaotic traffic and the busy streets and markets. Day 3 led us to a village (Sanga) in the mountains. The views as we trekked was amazing and the host family so inviting. There were goats and cows in a room in the house! But it made our time here even more memorable. To experience how village people live is amazing.

 After our training we moved to our placement (Chitwan Happy Home). The 6hr bus trip from Kathmandu to Chitwan was so beautiful - with the river following the winding road. Our lack of experience led us into the Chitwan Jungle – we didn’t get off at the correct stop! Asim managed to track us down and send a driver to take us to the Happy Home. If it wasn't for him we would still be stuck in Chitwan jungle!

 Our first day at the placement was welcoming. Three previous volunteers were finishing up but it was good to be able to hear their stories and carry on from where they had left off. We spent our mornings organizing the kids for school – helping to prepare their breakfast, pack their school lunches, hand out their medication, bathe them and dress them ready for school. It was hectic with 13 kids but so much fun! During our days we washed their clothes, cleaned their rooms and bathrooms as well as organizing the evenings activities. After school we played outside with the kids and bonded well with them all. We also occupied them with lots of games, coloring in and craft – all of which they loved! The kids really made the experience worthwhile. It was very rewarding to see them happy, healthy and safe. On our departure we threw a mini party with fizzy drink chocolates and presents! Seeing the kids appreciate the simplest things topped off the week (we were very emotional!)

Saraha  Looney –  UK - Volunteer in Nepal - Dec 2007
I arrived in Sauraha in the afternoon after a relatively uneventful bus journey – it was only about an hour late! The previous volunteer was staying with the host family till the next day so I spent the night in a 'tower' in the jungle which was great!  We were woken up in the middle of the night as there was a rhino mother and baby grazing underneath the tower!  The next day I went to the host families house and was immediately made to feel welcome by one of their daughters who showed me round and told me about their family, including that their mum spoke Tharu not Napali so we had to try and learn a bit as well as trying to get to grips with Nepali. In the afternoon the other volunteer who was had been their for a few days already (who I already knew) took me to the resource centre, we only had one bike so we had to go Nepali and I went on the back- the first time he managed to tip me onto the floor in front of al the kids which they found very funny but after a bit of practice we had it sorted.  He introduced me to the classes, they were great so enthusiastic asking loads of questions.  Over the next few weeks the routine continues teaching from 6-8.30 am and then having the days to prepare and free time and then in the afternoons teaching from 4.30 – 6 pm. One of the challenges we faced was the fact that their was no electricity so we had to teach by candlelight at the beginning and end of the day which was an experience!  The teaching was great fun, the children were very motivated to learn and loved playing games – they also often wanted to stay even after their class had finished and sometimes a few of the older ones stayed to help out with the younger ones, who at times could be very hard work.  This was really helpful especially in the last couple of weeks when I was at the centre by myself.  I also had a great time with the host family they really made me feel at home one of the highlights was going to a huge family picnic with about 40 of us in the back of a tractor and making fires and cooking a huge meal, singing, dancing, paddling in a river which we had seen crocodiles in, it was a real experience- one which I will not forget – very different to a picnic at home.  All in all my time in Nepal has been one of t

 The only downside to the adventure was the cold showers and frequent power cuts – but again this is what made the trip so memorable! We have learnt to expect the unexpected in Nepal!

Roland Trauer - 4 Avon Road, North Ryde ,NSW 2113, Australia -
Email : flexicom1@bigpond.com
 Working with Orphan Children at Ganganagar Happy Home - Chitwan - Dec 2007

On my arrival in Kathmandu I spend my first week sightseeing, language classes and a couple of days in ‘Boot camp’, with all the above being a real eye-opener for someone who has never visited a 3rd world country before. Having taking it all in and still trying to making sense of it all I was posted to an Orphanage in Chitwan, with Helen, a Volunteer from Scotland and Anu from Germany.

Our task was to set up 14 children in this new Happy Home, which included medical check ups, new school uniforms and supplying the children with basic items for day to day living. Most children needed attention for lice, boils and various other ailments. Personal hygiene was high on the agender and it was good to see that the children took on their new routine quite easily. The children really seemed to enjoy the recreational activities such as fishing, walks and playing in the ‘backyard’ which they probably never had before.

On leaving Chitwan, it was clear to me that a foundation had been laid and with the next Volunteers continuing our work and financial support from ‘Infonepal’ the children would have a safe and secure future ahead of them.  

Apart from the stifling heat and millions of mosquitoes, I enjoyed watching the progress the children made health wise and starting to settle into their new lifes.

There was also time for the obligatory Elephant bathing/safari and Rhino spotting in Chitwan Nation Park, which was truly amazing.

My remaining time in Nepal was spent in the ‘Rainbow Children’s Home’ in Pokhara, where everything was already in place and up and running. Time there was spent doing administration/fundraising work with some maintenance around the home.

It was less demanding time wise than Chitwan, with more opportunity to enjoy the People and natural beauty of Nepal. 

All in all it was probably my best ‘Holiday’ I’ve had for a long time and I can recommend it to anyone who is interested in doing Volunteer work abroad.

I think the advertising slogan for the Nepali tourism industry says it all:

‘You may leave Nepal, but you will never forget it’.

 Best wishes to you all, keep up the good work. Missing you guys and Nepal already. Until next time.

Darrell Halim - 724 Forest Rd, Peakhurst NSW 2210, Australia
E-mail: darrellhalim@hotmail.com
 My time in Sauraha Resource Center - Dec 2007

I believe that traveling around Nepal for two weeks before commencing my volunteer placement was beneficial. It allowed me to get a taste of the local culture, the local food, the local language and the general vibe of the country.
Having already experienced Sauraha as a tourist a week prior to being sent back there for my placement by INFO Nepal, something told me that I would enjoy revisiting the warmer weather, relative peacefulness and relaxed vibe of the town and the locals.
I didn't have to wait long before my love for Sauraha was confirmed, as both my host family and the children at my placement made me feel more at home than I could ever have hoped to feel.
 The INFO Nepal Resource Centre was a 15-minute bike ride or 25-minute walk from my host family's home at Sauraha and I strongly believe that team-teaching with Sarah (another INFO volunteer) was extremely beneficial, as it allowed us to branch off to help individual students or break up into two groups if we needed to. The genuine willingness to learn shown by the majority of the children at the INFO Nepal Resource Centre at Sauraha, especially the Grade 5s, 6/7s and 8/9/10s, was inspiring to me as was the fact that, for many of these kids, they were turning up to their designated classes voluntarily.
The one main issue we had at the Resource Centre was the lack of electricity. I was told that power to the building had been cut a few days before I arrived and that it was in the process of being sorted out. Two weeks later and there was still no electricity. Therefore, for the whole period of my placement, we were without light and, considering morning classes began at 6am and evening classes finished at 6:30pm when the sun had yet to rise or had already set, this proved a challenge. Torches and candles were used, but these were not the greatest substitutes for lights.
Although we as volunteers were their English teachers and hopefully taught the local students at least a little bit, I feel like the children taught me a lot about making the most of what you have and to appreciate the opportunities that you are provided with.
My host family were the second major reason why my two weeks as a volunteer was as wonderful as it was. I was made to feel right at home as soon as I walked into my host family's home and, from the very first night with no power and a single candle lighting up the living room, I believe their hospitality and care towards me was beyond their call of duty as a host family. They went beyond providing me with a bed and food - they also provided me with a home and a family. The time spent in their home will stay with me forever and, like the children at the Resource Centre, I hope to be able to visit them again in the future.
My host family were also very willing to share their mother-tongue, Tharu, with Sarah and I, which created a lot of laughter both in and outside the home as words were often mispronounced and confused with other words to create much confusion at times. One day when I was meeting one of their cousins for the first time, I said "Your name is alcohol, I am a monkey," when I was trying to say "My name is Darrell, I am a monkey."... I was given a number of nicknames by the two girls, my sisters, in the host family. They not only taught me a bit of Tharu, they also taught me a bit about life.
Between teaching the local children some English, being given the opportunity to stay with the most beautiful host family, and enjoying my time and having fun with everyone I met during my stay, I cannot say enough positive things about my two-week placement in Sauraha.