Our children are now used to with Chitwan village
life. Mimgma loves village setting and felt like her village. Tengin is very
happy to be in Chitwan then Kathmandu. Kathmandu water is very cold but here is
not cold said Tengin.
Sarita
is very happy to have many new friends in Ganganagar Happy Home. Sanjaya think
he is very lucky to come to Happy Home and see his future bright. I have never
thought to continue my study staying at my home as all of my 3 brother and
sister could not continue their study because of the economy situation of my
parents but now I can study said Sanjaya. Sanjaya is at our Happy home with his
little sister. Sanjaya is brother of Sanjita whom we had 3 years before at happy
home in Kathmandu. At le`ast two of my brother and sister are getting good
education in my family said Sanjita with her lovely smile.
As Tengin had an accident by school bus and he has
lost his Toy but now he is getting batter. A lot of thanks go to our volunteer
Melita who is fully taking care of Tengin in Chitwan Happy Home.
New Happy Home Kathmandu:
We have very good news for this month as we have
moved to our new happy home in Kathmandu. It was a bit sad to say good bye to
old happy home as we had a lot of good memory with this house. But now we are
very happy to move to our own home and felt like we are at home and safe.
My Visit to Germany:
My German visit went very successful as we had a
partner Organization who is sending more volunteers to us. It was very
knowledgeable to see Berlin city and try to feel about the quick development in
the city. The memorial Church can tell how the 2nd world war was. It also tells
you that how developed was Germany before 2nd world war. Accept my
loosing bag every things was great experience for me to visit Germany.
I would like to thanks to Silvia who was
supporting for me to get Visa. We are looking forward for Bicky’s visit to
Holland in March 2008 and out comes from his visit.
Yours
Asim
Recent Volunteer’s Experience Michelle Ferrer - UK
15th Sept
2007
I arrived in Nepal knowing that my time here would at
times be very challenging. I also hoped it would be very rewarding. It has
been both.
After my weeks training, I had 7 weeks volunteering. I
started in Syabru Besi (one of its many different spellings) in the Langtang
Region but was not sure if I'd spend my full time there.
The town is at the end of the bus route so although
it's in the mountains, it's not completely remote. There is also an internet
café there but if you go there be prepared for it to be very slow and
expensive.
When I first started there was another volunteer
already there, which was a big help. I had no real teaching experience and
it was nice to get an idea of what was going on and get eased into it gently
before being left on my own.
Our main role there was to teach English in the library
at the entrance to the town. We had a really good group of 4-7 kids aged
around 12 that came before school. Their English was already pretty good and
we were able to do some really good activities with them. There was meant to
be an adult lesson during the day and up until the day before I arrived Mary
had been teaching a couple of women and a man but during my time there I
only ever had Ammar come. He was a soldier and I think was mostly
self-taught so although his knowledge of the language was pretty good he
needed conversation practice. For this it was good that there was just the
one of him.
In the afternoon there was a mixed and varied crowd of
kids. Apparently the week before I arrived there were a lot less. I'm not
sure if word had spread that a new volunteer was coming or if it was just
coincidence but my first day there were lots of kids that Mary had never
seen before and they just kept on coming. Their English was very poor and I
couldn’t even work out if they spoke Nepali or Tamang. It was very hard to
keep them occupied for long and it was a great relief there were two of us.
As well as the teaching in the library there is a
secondary school across the river
that has had computers for just over a year. I was asked to help with the
lessons but what I found was the loosest use of the work 'lesson' I have
ever seen. The kids would run in and sit down in front of the machines then
just do whatever they wanted. They were pretty much allowed to do anything
apart from play games so during my first proper session I went round with
the Windows CD and uninstalled the games but made sure Paint was installed.
There was a typing tutor program to use or they used Word or Paint. If they
didn’t feel like using these they would just randomly click on anything they
found. So you would have lots of unwanted files, icons, shortcuts, copies of
shortcuts etc. Between lessons I'd go round and tidy up the desktops. They
did have a teacher but the only thing I ever saw her actually show them how
to do was draw a house in Paint (not exactly a useful lifeskill). It also
didn't help that her English wasn't very good so I found it hard to
communicate with her. I'd spend most morning at the school then head back
at their 1pm break fro the adult lesson at 2.
It would be a great help if someone had the time,
knowledge and commitment to actually start proper lessons in the school. It
would need to be properly planned with both the headmaster and the computer
teacher being involved.
They have a great resource there that is currently
being wasted.
After Mary left, things got more hectic in the
afternoon classes, even though I had spent a lot of time planning (I really
didn't dare to venture into these classes unprepared). The first week I was
on my own was a real struggle. The group continued to get more varied with
more of the very local children coming. There English was better as some of
them went to the better primary school. Numbers still fluctuated.
I didn't know if I'd last the full 7 weeks up there but
I was determined to not just quit when things got difficult. I'm glad I
stuck it out for as long as I did. After nearly 2 weeks on my own Andrew
arrived to join me.
Things were ok, carrying on as they had been, while
there were two of us but, knowing we were having another volunteer come to
join us and they would be left on there own, we decided to split the
afternoon group into 2 classes. This worked surprisingly well on the first
day but then numbers started dropping a lot and we sort of unofficially made
it one group again. I think the numbers changing were partly due to exams
coming up.
I decided that although I'd enjoyed my time there I'd
like a change of scenery and get away from pure teaching. So I headed back
to Kathandu at the same time as Andrew to move to the orphanage in Pokhara.
I
came back from the mountains and after spending a couple of nights back in
Kathmandu I went to Pokhara to work in one of the cities many orphanages.
There are about 28 children there, with ages ranging from 4-13 (I think). 8
of these children go to school, including the 4 girls. There is a couple who
live there with them and another woman that comes to cook for them.
The day I arrived was the first day of an English
lesson for teenagers that was being started in the orphanage so I got stuck
in and tried to establish what sort of level we would need to teach at.
As well as these teaching sessions at 4pm every day the
routine consisted of teaching the children that aren't sponsored to go to
school. They have a lesson at 10.10 and then another at 11.45, with a Nepali
lesson in between. Then we were free from 12.30 while they had science and
maths lessons.
My most enjoyable and rewarding time spent at the
orphanage was outside of these classes. There were a few English story books
there and I tried to get some of them reading them. With only classes in big
groups and at very different levels, the children are not getting a lot of
reading help. We also played out in the yard and generally gave the kids the
affection they are not getting from other adults.
The orphanage has not been up and running for very long
but hopefully we will continue to see improvements, both in the behavior and
English of the kids, and in the property itself. The rooms get quite damp
and the roof leaks and also makes the rooms very hot in the sun.
I wish I had had more time to really try to make a
difference there but I'm also quite glad in a way that I 'm not there long
term. It was hard enough leaving and having to say goodbye to the kids after
only 2 weeks. I'm sure it would be a lot harder after a few months. They
really are a great bunch.
Naomi and Damunda - Australia
27th Oct 2007
Our volunteer period of three weeks began with
three days of Nepali language classes, about 3 hours a day. The language
classes were informative, and Krishna our teacher was excellent and
endlessly patient. Realistically however three days of classes in no way
prepares you to converse in Nepali and assist in teaching English.
During this time, we also spent two days at a village just outside
Kathmandu. This gave us a solid introduction into village life, and it
was interesting to have our language lessons in the village and being
able to use the Nepali – no matter if our host family could not
understand a word we said due to our poor pronunciation!|
From here, we were on the bus to Pokhara to our
permanent placement in Nirmil Pokhari, a village about one – two hours
(depending on conditions) bus rides from Pokhara. In Pokhara, due to the
remoteness of the village, we had to wait about 4 hours for a bus to the
village and finally arrived at about 7pm at night. It was a grueling 13
hours of travel and waiting around, but our family welcomed us with
kindness and a hot meal.
Nirmil Pokhari is a beautiful village situated
above the Pokhara valley. Our day
consisted of waking up at about 6.00am
to be at the resource center, about a ten-minute walk up a steep hill,
at 7.00am. We taught between 5 – 20 kids, ageing from about two to
eleven years old, for an hour and half. This was often a challenging
experience, especially since we have had no prior teaching experience,
and we were often grateful that there were two of us, since controlling
and teaching children of varied ages and capabilities would have been
otherwise impossible. Some children were responsive and genuinely
interested in learning, while others were just there to play around.
Although we came to teach English, we found in many cases it was a
difficult task because we could not speak enough Nepali to properly
instruct or convey what we meant in terms of activities and tasks.
Nevertheless, we found the children were enthusiastic about the centre
and loved coming there, which made opening the centre every morning
worthwhile, especially when there would be kids waiting every morning
without fail at the top of the hill for us.
During the day, we spent our time teaching English
at the local government secondary school. Teaching at the school was an
impossible task - the children were not at all interested in anything we
had to say, and generally, if the teachers did not feel like teaching
they would send us to their class. Often they would ask us to teach
subjects such as Social Science; even though we explained numerous times
that, we were unable to speak Nepali. Making the task harder was the
outdated English textbooks, which contained numerous spelling and
grammatical errors, and inaccurate information about different
countries. Something INFO could consider is providing this school with
more appropriate textbooks (we found some really interesting and
colorful textbooks for about 65 Indian Rupees). We often left the
school feeling frustrated because we were achieving little to nothing
there and as were not provided with anything else to do during the day
it was our only option to return there each day.
Our afternoons were spent 5 – 6.30pm at the
Resource center again. This was by far the most productive part of our
day. Only three students came each session, but they had excellent
English skills, and this ability to properly communicate meant that we
were able to teach them about more complex and advanced topics. The kids
that attended this session were also two of the children from next door.
Jeevan and Pradip made our experience in the village - they provided us
with so much information, company, fun, and a real desire to learn and
we will never ever forget them.
Our host family was also very kind, Laxman was
always willing to help, and Sita provided us with delicious Dahl baht
constantly.
One thing we would suggest if you go to this
placement is take a mosquito net and maybe insect spray because we had a
few problems with the world's largest spiders.
Overall, the placement in Nirmil Pokhari has its
ups and downs. Leaving the resource centre, which will now stay closed
until another volunteer arrives is disappointing, as the children do not
have any continuity in their learning. The centre is well stocked with
books – however they are aimed at kids with a far more advanced grasp of
English. A great benefit would be to provide some simple children's
books that would help them develop their English.
Natalia Pratt - USA
15th Oct 2007
Wow! What an experience. I arrived in Katmandu, and
instantly started exploring the city-which is busy with cars,
motorcycles, people, cows, bicycles, and horns. Katmandu never sleeps it
seems.
One of the first nights, all the volunteers were welcomed into Happy
Home, where we ate Dal Bhaat for the first time, eating it
traditionally, forming balls of rice and dal with our hands, and
scooping it into our mouths. A little awkward for someone who has grown
up being told not to eat with your hands-right? We all danced and had
fun getting to know each other, and also got some insight on what the
program, which we had signed up with to volunteer for, was really about.
Everyone was so warm and welcoming.
We spent the first week learning all
the Nepali that we could in the class with Rama, and practicing all that
we could in the streets and at restaurants with the locals. It was so
fun to be able to say even just one sentence correctly in a restaurant,
at a roadside shop, or in our hotel at Cosmic. After this week, we were
off to training in Dhulikhel.
Dhulikhel was amazing! INFO arranged us
to meet up with a young man named Pashupati -what a character! He warmly
welcomed us to his village, showed us around, and inquired about our
lives. My buddy and I stayed in different houses, getting to experience
2 families. My family was great-so open to getting to know you, teach
you about their culture and let you witness their everyday lives. I had
2 sisters, 1 brother, and a mom and dad. We all sat in one room and ate
Dal Bhaat on the dirt floors, and then I shared pictures of my home and
family with them, all while trying my best to use the Nepali I had
learned. They really appreciate when try to speak their language-even if
it is not perfect-and even if you only remember 2 words. Training left a
great impression on me, and I was ready to be placed in a village to do
my volunteering and to meet some more amazing people.
I was placed for one month in Shyabrubensi, which is north of Kathmandu, in the Lang Tang region. The
bus ride out there was killer, but once we got there and met our family,
everything was great. We volunteered in a children's resource center,
where kids came before school and after school to learn English and to
play. We had the older kids in the mornings from 7-9am, and the younger
kids in the evening from 4-6pm. We learned that we could do educational
activities in the morning, which the older kids enjoyed and understood.
However, in the evenings, there was too wide of a range in ages and
abilities to have a "formal" educational lesson be successful. With this
group, we adopted a more casual way of teaching and had a lot of fun
teaching them things through activities and games. The kids are great,
so alive and full of energy, eager to learn and show you their progress.
It is crazy to think that these kids get up, at their own will, 3 hours
before they have to go to school, just to get an extra 2 hour a day to
learn something more. What dedication and respect they have for their
education. I will definitely never forget what I felt while I was in
Shyabrubensi, nor what I learned from this experience.
The people who I met in the streets, at
restaurants, in the village, at the resource center, on a hike, or just
those who I exchanged a warm "Namaste!" with, will leave a print on my
heart forever.
My Volunteer Experience.
Sarah Cooke, Australia.
Nirmal Pokhari
15th Nov 2007
My experience in Nepal with INFO
has been absolutely amazing. I arrived by myself but four other
volunteers arrived at the same time so we became friends and met
often during my time in Nepal. We
started with sight seeing around Kathmandu and a Nepali language
course. Rama, my Nepali teacher, was fantastic. Not only did she
teach us some basic Nepali she also gave us some much needed
cultural knowledge. We then spent one night at a training village. I
stayed with a very poor family so it was confronting and eye
opening, a once in a lifetime experience. I then headed to Pokhara
with the other volunteers. We had some free time there to relax and
explore. Unfortunately, Saskia, the volunteer I was paired up with,
and I became ill with food poisoning. We visited a great doctor,
received anti-biotics and soon recovered. We then headed to our
placement at Nirmal Pokhari. Nirmal Pokhari is a stunningly
beautiful village at the top of a mountain. It has breathtaking
views on the Pokhara valley and the Himalaya. The villagers are all
very welcoming and respectful; we were greeted with cheerful 'namaste!'s
wherever we ventured. The host family there were hospitable and
loving. Sita, the host mother, is a fantastic cook and she makes
sure you do not go hungry! There were approximately 25 students who
frequented the resource centre for our lessons. They were energetic
and enthusiastic! Saskia and I also taught at the local secondary
school for a few hours most days. The teachers are very grateful to
have volunteers come to help with their own, and the students,
English pronunciation. The students were very curious and sometimes
we felt like animals in the zoo, always observed with great
interest. Overall the experience was fantastic. I recommend INFO
Nepal to all travelers who have a passion for new, and sometimes
challenging, experiences. What I have learnt and experienced here
will stay with me forever.
This was an amazing month, so many different things to experience and learn.
This trip has definitely surpassed my expectations, Ya'll have been so helpful
and friendly
Sarita
is very happy to have many new friends in Ganganagar Happy Home. Sanjaya think
he is very lucky to come to Happy Home and see his future bright. I have never
thought to continue my study staying at my home as all of my 3 brother and
sister could not continue their study because of the economy situation of my
parents but now I can study said Sanjaya. Sanjaya is at our Happy home with his
little sister. Sanjaya is brother of Sanjita whom we had 3 years before at happy
home in Kathmandu. At le`ast two of my brother and sister are getting good
education in my family said Sanjita with her lovely smile.
that has had computers for just over a year. I was asked to help with the
lessons but what I found was the loosest use of the work 'lesson' I have
ever seen. The kids would run in and sit down in front of the machines then
just do whatever they wanted. They were pretty much allowed to do anything
apart from play games so during my first proper session I went round with
the Windows CD and uninstalled the games but made sure Paint was installed.
There was a typing tutor program to use or they used Word or Paint. If they
didn’t feel like using these they would just randomly click on anything they
found. So you would have lots of unwanted files, icons, shortcuts, copies of
shortcuts etc. Between lessons I'd go round and tidy up the desktops. They
did have a teacher but the only thing I ever saw her actually show them how
to do was draw a house in Paint (not exactly a useful lifeskill). It also
didn't help that her English wasn't very good so I found it hard to
communicate with her. I'd spend most morning at the school then head back
at their 1pm break fro the adult lesson at 2.
I
came back from the mountains and after spending a couple of nights back in
Kathmandu I went to Pokhara to work in one of the cities many orphanages.
There are about 28 children there, with ages ranging from 4-13 (I think). 8
of these children go to school, including the 4 girls. There is a couple who
live there with them and another woman that comes to cook for them.
consisted of waking up at about 6.00am
to be at the resource center, about a ten-minute walk up a steep hill,
at 7.00am. We taught between 5 – 20 kids, ageing from about two to
eleven years old, for an hour and half. This was often a challenging
experience, especially since we have had no prior teaching experience,
and we were often grateful that there were two of us, since controlling
and teaching children of varied ages and capabilities would have been
otherwise impossible. Some children were responsive and genuinely
interested in learning, while others were just there to play around.
Although we came to teach English, we found in many cases it was a
difficult task because we could not speak enough Nepali to properly
instruct or convey what we meant in terms of activities and tasks.
Nevertheless, we found the children were enthusiastic about the centre
and loved coming there, which made opening the centre every morning
worthwhile, especially when there would be kids waiting every morning
without fail at the top of the hill for us. 
local secondary
school for a few hours most days. The teachers are very grateful to
have volunteers come to help with their own, and the students,
English pronunciation. The students were very curious and sometimes
we felt like animals in the zoo, always observed with great
interest. Overall the experience was fantastic. I recommend INFO
Nepal to all travelers who have a passion for new, and sometimes
challenging, experiences. What I have learnt and experienced here
will stay with me forever.
