Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

VOA News reports (6 September 2010) the following story:

‘Many people in Nepal defecate in open fields or along riverbanks, contaminating both ground and surface water used for drinking and cooking. Diarrhea, intestinal worms and gastritis are rampant.

Development groups have tried for years to draw the connection between open defecation, poor health and low productivity. But posters and preaching do not always work. Shame, on the other hand, is proving highly effective.

Children are being recruited across the country to whistle at offenders, said Namaste Lal Shrestra from the United Nation’s children agency in Nepal.

“When early in the morning, they go to the bank of the river or open place where people defecate. They go there and they whistle there. I mean they irritate the people who are open defecating” Lal Shrestra said.

The children travel to patrol the streets and riverbanks in groups to feel more confident. The subjects of the whistling? Not so confident.

“This is very interesting thing. People, they feel sad, but the thing is they have to feel they are doing the wrong things,” said Lal Shrestra. “Some people react also but later they realize children are doing the good things.”

Lal Shrestra said the children also plant flags in open-defecation areas, like marking fields booby-trapped with landmines.

“They want to show the people where people usually defecate and how much dirty in that areas,” he said.

One group in Siddhipur village is using shock tactics by telling people they are eating two kilograms of feces a year from improperly washed hands or unsanitary water containers. Another organization in Darechowk, near Kurintar, is actually paying people to use toilets. Signs posted on the highway advertise “Take a Pee and Get One Rupee.”

The investments are slowly paying off. Kabir Rajbhandari, the program manager of WaterAid in Nepal, said from January to June this year, more than 78 communities WaterAid works in have been declared free of open defecation. And more local governments are setting goals to wipe out public defication.

“I can not exactly say it is political,” he said. “But because of the people’s commitment and the pressure they’re putting on the municipalities and some of the areas where there’s been a public health disaster last year and this year.”

But even if the people want to change, they do not always have the facilities to do so. Public toilets are often so mismanaged that they are too dirty and smelly to approach. And the country lacks sewers and sanitation systems, according to Rajbhandari.

“If you look at the capital of Nepal itself, the treatment efficiency is quite poor. We can find evidence of [contamination], which the government tries to say that is treated water,” said Rajbhandari. “So in Kathmandu area there is no liability in terms of the water supply they are providing.”

Rajbhandari said the Nepalese government has improved in the past two years by sketching out a national plan to tackle the problem and allocating a separate budget for sanitation.

But the political uncertainty that has plagued the country since Nepal’s civil war ended in 2006 has also undermined those plans.’

Our volunteer in Phyang, a village that was badly affected by the flash flood, has sent us the following report:

”..some parts of the village are very badly affected: 3 houses have been completely washed away in a part below the monastery. Also at the top of the village there has been some severe damage. IThe heavy rain only lastet for one hour, but apparently it was a cloud burst, so that there hardly has been any warning. The night before it …… rained and thundered heavily, so that my guest family and I moved to their old house which is just below the monastery located at a hill.
We only had rain coming in through the roof which wasn’t a real problem. Unfortunately in the incident 16 people died in my village.
The school itself was in good condition, it just rained in thorugh the roof so that all the carpets were full with mud. Also, the school was closed for aout 5 days, as the children were involved in prayers for the dead people. I had to be quite proactive to initiate the cleaning of the school so that the lessons could be restarted soon. Until today the carpets are lying outside the school because I am told that it is too difficult to get a car to drive to the river and clean them…
Yesterday both teachers were not at the school, as the one visited his family and the other had to visit the school in Shey …. The morning was fine and I had all the 5 classes under control. …..
As ever so often there were tourists coming to visit the gonpa I have started to lead them though the school, let them take pictures of the kids (which they always really enjoy) and was able to convince them of my project to buy a photocpying machine for the school. They were generous with donations, and so far I have been able to collect about 13500INR. Unfortunately there does not seem to be an opportunity to buy printers in Leh, so it has probably be bought in Dehli. I am sure we will find a solution for that.
Also I found out, when I was staying with the children in the monastery after the flooding, that they hardly ever brush their teeth and some did not even have a toothbrush. Thus, I bought new toothbruhes and toothpaste and the students now have to brush their teeth in the morning before school, after lunch and after dinner. The small kids especially seem to enjoy it:) Unfortunately the children do not seem to have anything to play with in their freetime so I will try to buy a football etc. for them.

Concerning your offer for new books or for affected families: Most of the children’s families live very far away so I assume they are ok, also the children’s families in Phyang seem to be ok but I will doublecheck. Most of the studying material is in good condition so there is no need for new books.

It is unfortunate to know that once I will leave Tashi will often be the only teacher there for all the 5 classes, he has told me that another teacher would only cost 6000 to 10000 INR per month, which they unfortunately do not have.”

One of our volunteers in Ladakh has sent us the following update:

“Just to let you know that it has been confirmed that one of the junior school teachers at the school has died. School has been cancelled this week as a lot of people have been affected by the floods or have family that have died or lost their homes.
I am spending my time volunteering in the local vaillages doing relief work. We have been digging mud out of the houses and also entertaining the children in the villages who have now found themselves homeless. It is all very sad. There is a march tonight in honour of the people who have died which I will go on and I have also donated some clothes and supplies to the villages so I am trying to do my part.
I am hoping that the roads will open again soon. I think people are starting to worry about food and water supplies but hopefully it will all be okay. I went back to my guest house last night and although it rained during the night the water levels in the river didn’t rise which was a good sign.

Hopefully everything will be fine by September. It would be great to meet you when you come over. Keep me posted on your plans.

I will email again once I have some more news and will let you know how everything is going.”

Dear friends of HELP,

This is to let you know that I am going on a trek in the state of Uttarkhand, in north west India, this October (2nd-10th October) and would like to invite you, readers of this blog, to join me. Here is the itinerary:

KUARI PASS ( CURZON’S TRAIL)

Popularly known as Curzon’s trail after Lord Curzon’s trek to this region in 1905, this trek still remains amongst the most popular in Garhwal. Passing through dense forests of oak, pine, rhododendron, deodar, bugyals – wide open meadows with flowers which are typical of this region. Enroute , we also get to see the high snow clad Himalayan peaks of Trishul, Kedarnath, Kamet, Chaukhamba being among a few and of course the famous NandaDevi is viewed clearly after crossing Kuari pass.

Day 01: Arrive Haridwar early morning from Delhi by overnight train. Meet with vehicles and drive to Ghat ( 6 hrs) stopping at Rishikesh and enroute Meet with trek team. O/N Camp

Day 02: Ramni ( 1982m): A fairly easy walking day of about 5 ½ to 6 hrs through deodar forests and Bhotia villages. Camp is near the village school at Ramni. O/N camp

Day 03: Begin with a steep climb through a rocky path up to the meadows from where it is a more gradual climb to the top of Ramni pass (3080m) from where we can look north towards Kuari pass . We may see many shepherds with their flocks of sheep on either side of the pass. From the pass it is a steep descent through forests with some small clearings to Semkhar from where we continue further to camp following an up and down path to camp in the small village of Jhenjipani ( 2075m) – 6 – 7hrs.

Day 04: We descend from camp to the suspension bridge across the Birehi ganga river which we cross to make a steep zig zag climb out of the narrow valley to a ridge at 2300m. The path levels out and it contours around to camp above the village of Pana (2700m) – 4 to 5hrs. The afternoon is spent enjoying the surrounding views.

Day 05: Climbing further on a gradual trail we follow the ridge through forest for about an hour and a half before descending to another valley from where we can get a glimpse of Kuari pass which we cross tomorrow. The trail opens to the Siyartoli meadow where we descend to a stream before climbing steeply on a good zig zag path just above the treeline and camp before the pass at Dhakwani ( 4 / 5 hrs).

Day 06: We leave early to get clear morning views. The steep path gets for about an hour and a half to a col at 3650m from where the panoramic views dramatically unfold. To the east you can see the Nandadevi sanctuary and to the west the peaks of Kedarnath and Badrinath. The views from the Col are indeed stunning but you still have to continue for another 40 minutes to Kuari pass ( 3650m) to see what Eric Shipton said “ One of the grandest mountain views in the world” – a truly awesome sight as you see an amphitheatre of the Himalayan peaks of Dunagiri, Changabang, Hathi Parbat, Gori Parbat , Chaukhamba, Nilkhant, Kamet and Trisul. You still have to descend further to feast our eyes on the grandeur of Nandadevi. Its an easy descent to camp just below the treeline in the meadows of Chitrakanta ( 3200m). 6 hrs

Day 07: The breathtaking views remain as we descend on a fairly narrow trail which traverses the hill side with superb views of Nandadevi. The trail then quickly opens up to wide meadows carpeted with flowers as we reach the ski slopes of Gorsain and then through forests to the scenic ski resort of Auli , a lovely place to end this wonderful trek. ( 5 – 6hrs. We will drive 3 hrs to Pipalkoti

Day 08: Drive to Haridwar ( 7 hrs). It’s a very scenic drive as you pass through the pilgrimage towns of Nandprayag, Karanprayag, Rudraprayag, Devprayag . Take the overnight train to Delhi.

Day 09: Arrive Delhi very early in the morning.

Cost: US$900/- per person (including $140 donation to HELP)

The price includes: train fares, hotel in Pipalkoti with all meals, camping with full trek services – tent on twin sharing, foam mattress, dining tent, toilet tent, kitchen tent, all meals, cook, guide, ponies to carry luggage. It also includes a $140 donation to HELP in support of its educational projects in the region. You should be able to raise this amount easily by asking a few of your friends and family to sponsor you.

The price does not include: meals en route, services in Delhi, items of any personal nature such as drinks, tips, etc.

If you are interested in joining me in this walk in the Himalayas, please contact me through the ‘contact’ page of this website.

Even if you can’t make the trek, would you be willing to sponsor me? Any amount would be gratefully received. Just go to the ‘donations’ page of our website: http://www.help-education.org/donations.html to make your payment.

Jim Coleman

Director

Anyone thinking of adopting a Nepalese child should think twice. There are plenty of unscrupulous agents trafficking children for profit, and it is difficult to tell the crooks from the reputable operators. Have a look at this recent AFP report:

“The United States has warned its citizens against adopting children in Nepal, saying it has “grave concerns” about the reliability of that country’s adoption system.

The government urged prospective adoptive parents to choose another country, citing the case of a young Nepalese girl placed in the custody of an American couple without the consent of her biological mother and father.

“The US Department of State strongly discourages prospective adoptive parents from choosing Nepal as a country from which to adopt due to grave concerns about the reliability of Nepal?s adoption system,” it said in a statement on its website dated March 4.

Nepal introduced new adoption legislation in 2008 following reports of widespread abuses of the system by unscrupulous agents who were effectively trafficking children overseas for profit.

Twenty Nepalese children have been adopted by foreign parents since the system restarted last year, seven of whom are in the US, but experts say little has changed since the new rules came into force.

The State Department said that in one of the first cases processed by the Nepal government, the US embassy in Kathmandu found the birth parents of the adopted child were actively searching for her.

The US government warning follows a recommendation last month from a team of international legal experts based in The Hague that international adoptions of Nepalese children be suspended.

They said their investigations found documents were routinely falsified and children’s homes were largely unregulated, with the interests of the child often not considered at all.

Germany moved to suspend adoptions from Nepal after the findings of The Hague team’s investigations were made public, and 14 embassies in Kathmandu issued a statement urging the Nepalese government to tighten controls.”

17 year old Khagendra Thapa Magar, from Nepal,  has been recognised by the Guiness Book of Records as the world’s shortest man. According to the Guinness verification team, Khagendra is 56 cm tall and weighs just 5 kg.

Staff of some organizations in Dolpa [Karnali Zone, western Nepal] will lose their job if they do not construct a toilet in their house by the end of this fiscal year in mid-July 2009.

This follows a request by the District Drinking Water Office to all offices, schools and organizations to construct toilets to make the district an open defecation free zone.

Fewer than 12 percent of the population in Dolpa use a toilet.

On my trek in Ladakh last September, I joined a group of villagers having a tea-break in the fields where they had been harvesting the wheat. They were debating whether to buy a tractor or not. Some argued that it didn’t make sense because they already had cattle which could be used to do the threshing in the traditional way for no extra cost. The tractor not only costs money to buy, but you also need to buy petrol. One of the older men said that he would love to use a tractor before he died!

Another issue was how to respond to a letter received from a tourist agency inviting the villagers to serve as porters for foreign trekkers. Some of the younger men were keen to go to earn some cash, but others argued that it was harvest time, and the women couldn’t do it on their own. In the end, the decision was to stay and do the harvesting. There was, in fact, no great urgency to leave the village since my guide informed me that the villagers get paid (by an NGO I believe) to stay put and help preserve the environment for the endangered snow leopards.

If you would like to add a comment, please feel free to do so. You may have listened into a similar debate, or have views about the impact of new technolgies on traditional cultures.

The dates of Hindu holidays of Dussera and Diwali in 2008 are as follows:

Dussera: 6-10 October

Diwali: 28-31 October

Most schools in India and Nepal will be closed at these times.

Real Free Websites has just revamped our website, making it a lot fresher and more modern-looking, and even easier to find your way around.

They are a really good outfit, so if you are wanting a website, then I can highly recommend them. They can design you a simple one for free, and host it, if you want them to, for only $6 a month.