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“…how fortunate we volunteers are to be welcomed into the lives of children who have so much to teach us, when we set out initially to try to make a small difference in their lives. When teaching grammar structures, we see the students’ efforts to learn and master a new language (challenge) without complaint. During a school field trip we have the opportunity to share and experience the students’ culture outside the classroom. During lunch break we have an opportunity to see the older students taking responsibility to look after the younger students’ needs before their own, and their selfless cooperation to ensure no one is overlooked. Meeting students in the village, seeing where they live, and being greeted with overwhelming enthusiasms reminds us that acceptance and friendship are the foundations of being humane. The value of living with and getting to know the host family provides an opportunity for volunteers to form lasting friendships and step outside themselves.

Saying good-bye, after such a short time at a school, is more difficult than I would have imaged. Looking back, one has a deep appreciation for how fortunate we, volunteers, are to be in a position in life to be able to volunteer … to be able to give up our time and resources, when so many people are struggling to live each day with modest humility.

I can only thank HELP for the challenging and lasting opportunity to grow.” (David MacEachern, Gamru Village School, Himachal Pradesh, 2011)

If you use a British SIM card, here is an easy and fun way to make a donation to HELP:

Just text EHLP19 plus the sum you want to doante and send it to 70070. So, for example, if you want to donate £10, all you have to do is to text EHLP19 £10, and £10 will wing its way to HELP.

(Please note that JustTextGiving only accepts 6 amounts from donors. These are £1, £2, £3, £4, £5, and £10. A donation of £4.50, £7 or £20 for example will not go through.)

(HELP is a) very well organised, ethically sound organisation. I would certainly not hesitate in recommending this organisation to others. (Ananda Hall, J.N. Memorial primary school, West Bengal: 2011)

The HELP representative in Gangtok has sent me the following update on the aftermath of the recent earthquake (I quote him verbatim):

“The earthquake was devastating in North Sikkim, where there are several Hydro power projects are coming up. It is believe that the destruction is due to the construction of tunnel boring across the hills to channelize the water for the project. There are reports that whole villages were swept away by the land slide as it was raining for 48 hours before getting the tremors. Yesterday two buildings were collapsed on the way to Zulu’s (his brother’s) place. This morning one Building collapsed near Singtam. People are scared and lost. Most family in North Sikkim are affected. Some places are cut off as kilometers of roads are washed up.”

We have now heard that the schools we support in Sikkim have suffered minor damage, but no-one was harmed. However, I am told that the press reports of the numbers killed greatly under-estimate the true numbers which could amount to thousands. Villages in the north have still not been reached by rescue parties.

The following report comes from the Zeenews Bureau:-

Sikkim Mangan/Gangtok: Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling on Wednesday said that the relief and rescue operation in the earthquake-affected parts of Sikkim will be completed in the next two to three days.

Addressing a press conference in the capital Gangtok, Chamling said, “The massive earthquake that his state and other regions in northeastern India and Nepal had caused great loss of life and property.”

“The estimated losses suffered due to the quake are at Rs one lakh crore,” Chamling said, adding, “A full estimate of the losses incurred due to the tremor will be made soon and a report in this regard will be sent to Centre seeking financial assistance.”

The Sikkim Chief Minister, while assuring that the relief and rescue operations are in full swing, confirmed the death of at least 68 people in his state alone.

He told reporters that at least 200 houses including government buildings have been severely damaged. At least nine villages in north Sikkim are still unreachable due to landslides and unpleasant weather conditions, he added.

He further told that at least 300 hundred people have been rescued by the rescue teams and treated at Army and government hospitals.

“Our rescue teams have saved at least 55 tourists and efforts are on to provide all sort of help to them,” he said.

The Sikkim leader concluded by thanking the Central government, various agencies and local administration involved in the relief and rescue operations there.

Earlier, thirty-five tourists, including two from Norway, were airlifted by the Army from Lachung village, one of the worst-hit quake areas in Sikkim.

Also airlifted were 16 people injured in the quake, Army sources said. The tourists, some of whom were wounded, were airlifted from Ringzim helipad here.

Paljor Lachungpa, who is coordinating the evacuation, said Lachen was still cut off and more tourists could be airlifted from Chungthang later in the day. The tourists were in a state of shock.

Army, NDRF and disaster management personnel walked to Tung, between quake epi-centre Mangan and worst-hit Chungthang and rescued the people in the bus last night, the sources said.

Rescue teams are yet to reach Chungthang which is in the mountains.

Villagers of Dikchu Valley were very worried in the absence of any communication from their menfolk who work in the Teesta project at Chungthang, which is about 12 km away, since the calamity struck.

A large number of houses had either collapsed or were badly damaged by Sunday’s temblor and at least 10 major cracks were seen on the Singtam-Dikchu road.

Most of the people in Dikchu are staying in open areas for fear of aftershocks.

The earthquake that centered on Sikkim a few days ago has killed around 50 people in Sikkim and another 30 or so in the adjacent Darjeeling district, and also Nepal.

Fortunately, we have had no reports of deaths or damage in the schools we support in the area.

The Himalayas are an earthquake zone, and most of the buildings are not earthquake proof.

A very good organisation, which is very personable and helpful with lots of good connections in Nepal.(Guy Hodgson, Shree Lali Gurans primary school Chitre, Nepal: 2011)

The following report on the new political settlement in the hill areas of West Bengal comes from Daijiworld.com

By Pradipta Tapadar

Sukna (West Bengal), July 18 (IANS)Sukna (West Bengal), July 18 (IANS) An elated Roshan Gurung, 60, who runs a teashop, was Monday looking forward to peace, development and that crucial stamp of “identity” ahead of a historic tripartite agreement for the Darjeeling hills.

“We are very happy about the agreement. We suffer from identity crisis. I hope this treaty will bring peace and development in the hills,” said Gurung, a Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) supporter in Darjeeling district.

However, he and many others wished the demarcation of Gorkha majority areas in the Terai plains and Dooars region - which are also part of Darjeeling, besides the hills - had been carried out before the treaty was signed here between the GJM, the West Bengal government and New Delhi.

Gorkhas are the dominant ethnic community in the Darjeeling hills where a lot of people were euphoric Monday, hoping the treaty would solve their problems of unemployment, underdevelopment and poverty.

“We are happy because this treaty means more development and employment. There has been no basic teacher recruitment since 2000. We are unemployed even after receiving teacher’s training,” said B.M. Bariely, president of the Unemployed Trained Basic Teacher’s Association.

“We want better education for our children. This agreement is key to that dream. We don’t want tension in the hills. We want peace and a better future,” said Binod Rai.

At the core of the Darjeeling agreement is the formation of a new autonomous elected Hill Council Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA), which is armed with more powers compared to its predecessor Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) formed in the late 1980s.

A nine-member high powered committee, comprising four members each from GJM and the state government and one from the central government, will be formed to study the GJM’s demand on demarcating Gorkha majority areas in the Terai (the plains of Darjeeling district) and Dooars (foothills covering parts of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts) for inclusion in the council.

“What if they (state and central governments) don’t give us any area after the demarcation committee in case of a report against area demarcation? The treaty should have been signed after area demarcation was done,” said Sujan Rai, an ex-serviceman.

He took active part in the agitation for a separate state of Gorkhaland to be carved out of Darjeeling and parts of neighbouring Jalpaiguri district.

The Darjeeling hills have periodically been on the boil for about three decades after the demand for Gorkhaland covering parts of northern Bengal gained momentum during the 1980s.

“We want nothing less than Gorkhaland. This treaty is a temporary solution. We want our own identity. We are not outsiders. We are Indians. Only a separate state will solve the problem,” said Ramesh Rai, a small-time businessman in the Darjeeling district hills that comprises the three sub-divisions of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong.

But by and large there was a sense of hope. The GJM leadership seemed very happy.

“I am certain this agreement will have a positive impact in the region. The DGHC (Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council) had no functional powers but this body will fulfil the demand of greater autonomy to the region,” said Urmila Rumaba, core committee member of the GJM’s Nari Morcha.

The Gorkhaland movement took off under the leadership of Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) supremo Subash Ghising. But the reins of the movement were taken over by the Bimal Gurung-led GJM, which forced Ghising out of the hills.

The three-decade long anti-government protests have witnessed killings, police crackdowns, long shutdowns which severely impacted the hill’ economic mainstays - tea, timber and tourism. The people are hoping this will be reversed.

“We want development of the hills, both in terms of the tourism business and tea gardens. We are happy that this agreement will usher in the long pending development of the hills,” said Romila Thapa, a resident of the area.

Here are just a few of the delicious slogans painted onto the rocks on the side of the roads in the Indian Himalayas. They come courtesy of the Border Road Oragnisation (BRO), who presumably have a team of script-writers working hard to secure the safety and moral upliftment of drivers. (I have resisted the temptation to correct the English):

-Peep! Peep! Don’t sleep.

-If you are married to speed, divorce it!

-Drive like hell, and you’ll be there!

-Fast drive. Last drive.

-We are like you but not your speed (sic)

-Be soft on my curves.

-Safety bring cheers. Speed bring tears.

-Speed thrills but kills.

-This is a highway not a runway.

-Either drink or drive.

-If you are sleeping your family is weeping.

-The journey of life is long and the path unknown.

-No race. No rally. Enjoy the valley.

-Better to late than early to heaven (sic)

-Hug your children at home, but belt them in the car.

-Alert
Avoid
 Accident

-The hills are barren, lovely and steep and I have ,miles to go before I sleep.

-Tell them when you go home
That we greened the hills today
For your tomorrow

And the best of all:
-Be mister late, not late mister.

I felt comfortable with the organisation. I like the “tailor made” aspect and the fact that I didn’t give vast amounts of money to cover obscure admin costs (as is the case with many other gap year/volunteer organisations). I liked the way I was able to build my own trip and to volunteer my skills in an area which means alot to me.(Chris Olney, Gyan Jyoti school, West Bengal: 2011)