I Would Like To Thank..the HANDS Family!

We had a great slideshow recently at the Porch Cafe in Santa Margarita, with a hearty turnout of friends and those who read the recent article in New Times (NT May 20, 2010 "Classrooms In The Clouds," by Kathy Johnston). Don and I poured over his hundreds of photos taken from his recent trip to Nepal to help with the school project along with more photos supplied by Danny's friend Nate Abate, who had also gone over to Nepal to check out the school project. We edited and deleted our selection so as to provide maximum insight into the culture and beauty of the area, along with photos showing the school going up stone by stone. We tried our best not to make it a "And here I am at the Temple of Shiva" and "Here I am eating my mo'mo's.." type of vacation wrap-up-a vacation for Don it was not, and some people came to see where their donations were going, others to see if the project was legitimate, and some just curious and wondering if they could help.

Don and I saw the program as a brief overview of the country of Nepal, including its remoteness and poverty, as well as the culture and people, ever fascinating, warm-hearted, generous and kind. And then there's the political situation of late-lots of protests, "bhandas"-strikes, and politicians struggling to rebuild a (fill-in blank):democratic, communist, socialist constitution after hundreds of years of monarchy rule. We hoped to enlighten, share our experiences and tried to explain why we feel so strongly that building a school, in a remote village in the Dhading district, will help future Nepalis make the best decisions for their country and further spread peace in the world.

What I realized in hind-sight was that there just wasn't enough time or space in the cozy Porch to say all we wanted to say, to thank all we truly are grateful for and want to thank, as our little school gets it's tin roof as I write this, and Danny hopefully is celebrating with villagers that HANDS did it-the school is nearly finished!

I can't tell all of you (does anyone really read this blog??!!) how much Don, Danny and I appreciate from the depths of our hearts all your support and love and kindness in helping us build this little school. It all began as a dreamy vision when our son Danny expressed a desire to run his own NGO, and taking the lead from Greg Mortenson, who wrote 3 Cups of Tea and built a school in Pakistan, that maybe he could help his Nepali friends by doing the same. His contact with a young owner of a trekking company in Kathmandu, Rajan Simkahada, led to the finding of Dharka, a village in the foothills of the Ganesh Himalayas, a terraced and remote village where Rajan had grown up. A school was needed and he was excited to help us procure land and lay the groundwork for building it, "all" we needed to do was raise the money-an NGO was born. Close friends were brought into the dream-an acronym came to light, HANDS, meaning Humanitarian Acts in Nepal Developing Schools. It seemed a natural fit and Danny's NGO was soon born. Don suggested Danny take a semester off from his full-load at Naropa University, where he was a Peace major student. The money saved from supporting him in one semester could help cover travel and living abroad expenses while he worked on the school. Next was how to raise the money-didn't it take thousands to build a school? We investigated web sites of other such organizations, such as Room To Read. It was a little discouraging to read their web site say a Nepali school cost them about $40,000 to build. Fortunately, we had a village with land donated and villagers eager to volunteer labor too. Our materials for Dharka would be rock and stone from the village itself, and so costs would be much lower-in fact Rajan projected about $6-7,000.000 USD.

We had a name, and a date for Danny to fly over to Nepal to begin construction during "dry season"-Jan-May. Now we needed the funds. Danny was head over heals involved with finals and finishing his Fall semester at Naropa. So we turned to family and friends to help us raise the funds. Stacy Chinander came up with a beautiful logo for HANDS, plus put together a web page for giving information about our mission. She took photos I had sent her of my trip with Danny to the village that summer and put together a slideshow and posted it on You Tube. She then made and sent us business cards-it was beginning to feel like we really were a legitimate NGO! Of course, we were, having to file and process all our NGO IRS legal paperwork.

Over the next months, we held a major dinner to raise money, with lots of donated items for a silent auction, and then the funds began to trickle in. First, from family (many thanks to my Sibs! Jim, Sandy, Katy, Patty!!) Brother Jim decided to make an effort by being HANDS Ambassador on the island of Kauai where he lives, to help spread the word about the school to tourists and locals alike. Good friends from work, including Don's clients, and our village of Margarita, (so many I am afraid to mention names for fear of leaving someone out!) Many stepped up to help by soliciting donations for us, as their passion in education and working to remove illiteracy matched our vision-many new friends came into the fold. My friend Danielle held a bake sale at her school and raised hundreds for us, ny friend Susan Silva sold Nepali items to help raise money, as did Sandra Bates in Colorado, my sister signed up for a Rubio's Fish Taco benefit for HANDS, my friend Julee Bauer created a wonderful cultural exchange with her third graders and Nepali students, raising money for hackey sack balls and donating to the school effort. In fact many teachers at Mary Buren Elementary School, where I teach, have been so supportive in our school building through one means or another. My good friends at North County White Heron Sangha donated money, food for benefits and help with fundraising and spreading the word, and two outstanding restaurants in our area-The Range and Thai Elephant were endlessly generous in donating food for fundraiser dinners. Santa Margarita Coffee House, The Porch gave coffee at a dinner and then use of their cafe for the slideshow, Kathy and Eric Schwartz made us brochures AND paid to ship 8 boxes of donated books to Kathmandu for the school. Don's parents wrote out a generous check and the Lutheran Church in Owatonna, Minnesota, gave $2,000.00 to HANDS after Stacy went to their board and did a presentation.

When Danny went to Nepal earlier this year to begin the building, he knew there would lots of obstacles. Nothing is easy in a country with a shaky infrastructure and political messes. But he had the backing of many, many people who believed in his NGO and in education as a key to world peace. People say, "You must be so proud of Danny," and of course I am. But I am also so proud of the human race. We make so many messes in the world, yet we try so hard to clean up what mistakes have been made and try harder to be better people. The United States is going through a difficult time, financially, morally and with the endless war in the Middle East, you would think people would be discouraged and despondent. But I've found open-hearts on this path, encouragement, inspiration and people who are so excited to be part of the project in any way they can. They offer advice, talents in areas where they are experts, and money from $1.00 to many dollars. To say it's been uplifting and life confirming to us seems trite, it almost goes beyond words, the feeling of so many believing in the power of a little school in the Himalayas.

As many friends and family know, Don, Danny and I went through a terrible tragedy 10 years ago when our son Sean fell at Bishop's Peak and died. Danny has always sought a way to honor the memory of his brother's 22 years of life, and we all have lived with Sean's strong desire to capture and use every moment of life to its fullest. We know in our hearts he is part this latest journey, we feel his spirit and vibes pushing us to help others and do good. When you lose something as great as a child, a son, a brother, a precious human being, you begin to live life as the Dalai Lama once said "as if your hair is on fire." There is not a precious minute to be lost or squandered, and so much good to do out there. There really are no excuses. One dollar is 72 rubees in Nepal is a couple of booklets and pencils is the means to go to school for one more day for a child. It's not about how big your house is, how new your Pottery Barn furniture or making your presence known at the next big social function. I truly believe in joining my sons-Danny and Sean-on this mission, I've found the secret to a happy life. Live as if you are so fortunate to have waken up today, expand your heart out to others and that your life here is to benefit others as much as possible. And maybe that's just saying a little prayer for children everywhere to have the means to pick up a book and read, and through their education can help the future of their country, not through bombs, but through books. You do make a difference, and all those who have joined us in our HANDS project have made this mission a reality. We are so thankful to see it happen! We feel so blessed by everyone of you! We include you all in our family and send you many Namastes (as the Nepali's would say, bowing with hands clapsed at the heart) and Tashi Deleks (as our Tibetan friends would say, hands clapsed and to the head)-Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! From the heart-Jan

As I sit here tapping away at my laptop keys, sipping coffee, I wonder if Danny is doing the same at a funky internet cafe, sipping chai, in India. Since the Maoist invasion of Kathmandu and the following unsettling of the government there, he has been across the border in a more "secure' country politically, for now. It is difficult to know the right thing to do in this unexpected turn of events. Because the Nepal Communist party, known in Nepal as "Maoists" is flexing muscle and demanding radical changes in the Nepal government, Don and I have asked Danny to leave the country and stay in India a few weeks. Last summer he and I traveled in Northern India to Dharamsala, among other places, and enjoyed tutoring and working with Tibetan refugees there. They literally walk out of Tibet, fleeing Chinese persecution, to join the Tibetan Government in Exhile in Mcleod Ganj, a small hamlet in the steep hills above the larger city of Dharamsala. It's a cool and refreshing change of the usual hot and steamy Indian scenery, with Tibetan prayer flags strung from tree tops and rooftops, red-clad monks walking up and down steep roads to temple and who knows where, and good Tibetan women making and selling their mo-mo's-a type of dumpling-at the entrance to the Dalai Lama's residence. Cows amble peacefully up the middle of the road and children fill schools there run by the Dalai Lama's sister, filling the air with their singing. It's an delightful atmosphere and Danny had no problem agreeing to head up to Dharamsala and Mcleod Ganj to see what he could do while we all wait and watch the Nepali news.

Lately there has been in the US papers a story about a young Colorado girl, who is Danny's age, and has gone missing in the Himalayas after leaving Kathmandu to trek alone. Alone? Anyone who has been in this area knows how extremely rough and isolated it is. It was one of my fears in Danny building a school in so remote a village. No electricity, no internet cafes to email home, no cell phone service-how would we know if he needed help or was in danger of any type? Our hearts go out to the parents, who of course are beyond worry. I want to volunteer to go help search for this adventurous young lady, and honestly feel she is being taken care of by one of the many kind-hearted Tibetan people who run tea houses along the trekking trails.

Of course, as the Dalai Lama says many times, if a problem has a solution, no worries, if a problem has no solution, no worries. Easier said then put into practice, especially when it involves our children. We had a solution, take Danny out of Nepal for now. The school is still being built by the villagers and we are in touch with our good friend Rajan. He grew up there and can make contact with people who know the progress and in fact had good news in a recent email-the school is nearly complete and roofing material being brought in! A celebration to bless the school and officially open will follow, but hopefully not without Danny and I. We so much want to be part of that celebration!

Video & Audio | The Office of His Holiness The Dalai Lama

Video & Audio | The Office of His Holiness The Dalai Lama

Home is where the Dalai Lama is

Danny made it to India, more precisely, staying at Pink House in McLoud Ganj, the upper village of the larger hillside town of Dharamsala. He made it two days ago, after flying out of Nepal and into Delhi, taking a taxi to the Tibetan Colony and getting an overnight bus from there to Dharamsala. From the bus stop there, you get a taxi, usually with as many other tourists as you can squeeze in to share the fare, and tires squealing from the exertion of gripping broken pavement on an impossible steep grade, putter up to Mcloud-we were here last summer and felt right at home with the Tibetan settlement, the ringing of temple bells, the monks clad in red walking always to somewhere, and the funky guest houses perched on the hillsides, prayer flags fluttering. The really great thing is, it's the home of the 14th Dalai Lama, who was allowed ot settle here after China invaded his country in 1959. It is now known as the home of the Tibetan Government in Exhile, and the amazing Tibetans have somehow recreated their new version of Lhasa, with places named after places that used to exist in Tibet. Buddhist artwork and statuary, giant prayer wheels, huge Thangkas and ancient scrolls have made their way to the new Lhasa, where the Tibetan community keep a steady practice of their compassion and loving-kindness philosophy in time with the spinning of their hand-held prayer wheels and mala mantras. Danny is happy to have landed here, his emails are upbeat and filled with hope of connecting with friends made last year. There is much to do to keep him occupied, such as working with the Tibet Hope Project, tutoring Tibetan refugees in English and helping monks at the Dalai Lama's temple study their English composition. As the days unfold, it remains to be seen what will happen in Nepal and if Danny can go back any time soon. Our school is fine, Don says a good amount of material is on site, enough for the villagers to continue the construction until Danny makes it back. We hear a little from our friend Rajan. He runs a trekking company, and so is having to deal with taking care of the tourists caught there in this political turmoil despite having no transportation or accessibility to other services for tourists. The Maoists will retaliate if anyone tries to operate a business during this time. So far, credit must be given to all the Nepalis who have restrained from violence during this coup. There seems to be a great amount of patience on both sides, but that is no doubt a result of the past 12 years of bloody warfare with the Maoists, and neither side seems to want to do there again. So for now, we must show the same patience, and Danny will be fine in the land of the Dalai Lama. We think of Nepal and our friends there every day, and pray for peace for all.

How do you feed 300,00 Maoists?

Don has made it home! The long flight from Kathmandu was a little exhausting, and then there's the culture shock-no cows chewing cud in the middle of the highway, forcing motor traffic to divert to left or right around the sacred beast, no trash piled by the road, no wandering sahdus covered in nothing but ash carrying their milk pail for rubees, no tiny rickshaws overly decorated with fringe balls and garish paintings of the god Shiva-the-destroyer, cobra snake around his neck, Ganges River pouring from the top his dreads, and most obvious-no tens of thousands of Maoists! So Don arrived a little worn looking from his days in Nepal, a lot leaner, muscular from walking up and down, and hairy, gray beard covering most of face. Good to have him back.

After much research on the 'net, a few very expensive phone calls to Danny in Nepal and consulting Ganesh, the remover of obstacles, Danny agreed to get out of Nepal while it's still possible and go at least next door to India. There, he will head to the Tibetan Colony on the outskirts of Delhi, find a Tibetan guest house and consulate a Tibetan about how best to get up to Dharamsala from there-the home of the Dalai Lama Tibetan Gov't. in Exhile. Once settled into our favorite guest house in Mcloud Ganj, Pink House, (obviously it's painted pink! A wonderful establishment run by two brothers from Kashmir) he will look into teaching English to Tibetan refugees and study Buddhist philosophy at the Tibetan Library located there, which has lots of classes for those seeking such knowledge. Lots to occupy one's time in this area of the Indian Himalayas while waiting for the drama in Nepal to be played out, and at least the area is peaceful-right now. We were there last summer, so I feel better knowing Danny is comfortable with people he knows, and how much better can it be then to be so close to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama!

We will keep contacting our friends in Kathamandu, the Karma Thubten family, doing what we can to help during this stand-off between the gov't of Nepal and the rebel Maoists. Don says Karma's house is currently well-stocked with rice, so they can hold out for awhile while stores are kept closed by the strike. If mail service is still allowed, we can send money to help them, but I wonder how and what they can use it for if stores are not allowed to do business! How do the Maoists eat?? Who is buying and preparing food for the some 300,000 I have heard are now taking up residence in parks and schools of Kathmandu? They are patrolling the streets making sure people are honoring the strike, and must be working up an appetite. How much dahl bhat can be made in a country where no one is allowed to sell or go to market? I have heard they have taken up residence in schools and some other public buildings, and patrol the streets to make sure everyone is honoring the strike. They must have a source of food but the usual chai stands and tea stalls that serve food are not operating. As they say in Nepal, "Que Karne?" What to do? and If anyone knows the answer, please let me know!

Road obstacles and bhandas

A bhanda is the word for strike in Nepal, and they happen periodically, as they do in most developing countries, and even "developed" ones, like France, where they seem to be the 'soup d jour'. Right now, half way around the world in the tiny country of Nepal, an important political drama is being played out-between Nepal's communist party and the other political parties in Nepal, of which there are many! Here is a very short and I hope accurate account of politics in Nepal which I hope will give readers a little insight into the current situation with the Maoists pouring into the Kathmandu streets in the tens of thousands.

Nepal has been one of the poorest countries on the face of this earth for a long time. Limited resources, and an ancient civilization built on a land mostly up and down as dictated by the Himalayan Mountain Range-you can imagine what a difficult place to etch out a living. Kathmandu is a valley, and attracts most people to live and work in Nepal-so it is very overpopulated-,everyone competing for a piece of the pie, doing what bartering, trading, growing and exporting they can. The people of Nepal are amazenly resourceful, generous, giving, and are on the most part deeply religious and spiritual, dutifully paying homage to their Hindi gods and goddess, laying offerings at the feet of shrines and in temples, ringing bells, chants, sweet incense smoke mingling with the diesel and trash -it is a fascinating country like no other I've ever visited.

But poverty riddled, and especially so in the mountain areas, where villagers live simply and much as they have for hundreds of years, most with no electricity, or any "modern" conveniences that we Americans take so much for granted, like a flushing toilet and a spicket with running water, or even a road to their hamlets, so much walking and portering.

The people work hard-very hard, and labor intensely and often at a sacrifice of education. Children are expected to help with the workload, and often are in the fields, side by side with adults, or carrying heavy loads of feed or food in baskets on their backs with a trump line around the head. I tried and cannot do the work of an 8 year old, nor could my 6'6" son carry the same load of corn up a steep trail that a Nepali youth half his age and size was carrying.

Nepal has been a Hindu Kingdom, in fact, only in the past few decades was its borders opened to outsiders. It was called "The Kingdom of Nepal." The Hindu King was thought to be the reincarnation of a Hindu god and his line a sacred line of rulers. The next-to-last King of Nepal was killed in a bloody massacre of the royal family, I believe this was about 10 years ago, and his brother became the successor. Corruption was said to follow that and the government received heavy criticism that they hoarded their money for the top echelon of society and neglected the poor and especially the villagers, who were asking for schools to be built in their villages, and other public services that they felt entitled to as Nepal citizens, and were not getting. And so conditions became ripe for the Communist party to come in, and organize the poor and rural folk, who gladly accepted the help of a group who seemed to be working in their best interest, not the interest of the rich only. It is the same dynamics that I have seen in other poor countries where the rural people are basically sick and tired of doing back-breaking work to enable a few at the top to live in luxury. There seems to a breaking point for all people in countries where this pattern happens, and one need only to look at Cuba, Nicaragua, and now Thailand to see what the disadvantage become the majority.

So the Nepal Communist party, or the Maoists, came to be. No, they are not Chinese or from another country as some have asked me, as in "What are Chinese Maoists doing in Nepal?" They have named themselves, obviously, after Chairman Mao. But on the other hand, rumor has it China is supporting this movement, and why should that be a surprise? Look at all the puppet governments the US has helped to install. Superpowers seem to have a need to support those who agree with their adgenda. The Nepal Maoists ran a campaign in Nepal for many years, and there was much fighting that happened between the Maoists and the Nepal gov't. Thousands of lives were lost on both sides. Bombs were detonated and many children filled orphanages, such as the one we help out in Kathmandu, Buddhist Child Home. But a few years ago, the Maoists and the other Nepal parties agreed to a peace treaty of sorts, and the Maoists participated in elections and won the majority of seats in their Congress. The King was asked to leave the country and he did. No more Nepal Monarchy-no more calling it"the Kingdom of Nepal."It is now "Nepal." Maoist have had majority seats in the Congress now and yet the competing parties that seek to rule Nepal cannot agree on what kind of government to have. The past year has seen heightened arguing and general disagreement among many of the parties and no constitution can be voted on with agreement from all. So that brings us up to today.

The Maoist party in Nepal has been saying for awhile that they are tired of dealing with the other leaders, including the current prime minister, who's name happens to be Prime Minister Nepal. They are majority party, holding the most seats in their Congress, and they feel they have not been allowed to create the constitution as they would like it. PM Nepal says Nepal will be a democracy, not a communist state, and that is what the people want. Maoists feel otherwise and so the conflict has reached a head.

As in all Govern. disputes, it is a complicated situation and I encourage anyone interested in finding out more to go online and look at all the past and much better written articles on Nepal's Maoists. National Geographic did a very comprehensive article on the "civil war" a few years ago and had a young female Nepali Maoist solider on the cover. Women in the villages have embraced this movement as their rights have always been as second class citizen under past regimes. The Communists promise education for all, including girls, an honest government and jobs. You can see why the poor cling to these promises and hope the Maoist can help them have a better quality life then the past.

Our school construction has come to a standstill as Don and Danny were whisked away by friend Rajan, who felt it safer for them to return to the city of Kathmandu and their safe haven with the Karma family. "The air is electric with the energy of the Nepalis pouring into the city for the big protest and I can smell the potential for strikes and riots in the air" says Danny in a recent email. "Today we watched, from the top of Karma's house, a long line of hundreds of Maoist in red shirts, every fifth one carry a large red flag with the hammer and sickle symbol. They were quiet and orderly as they march below us, bringing all traffic flow to a standstill." As the Maoists pour into Kathmandu, they are taking over schools to live there and stopping traffic with their marches and "parades." It is political postering to show their force in number right now, but can easily explode if the political leaders give the word on either side. The Nepal gov't has the army on standby and Danny reports that solders and police in riot gear are everywhere, giving the city a false sense of control and tense watchfulness from all.

Right now, the world is a witness to a new Nepal going through a precarious dance to determine its future-and furthers my feeling that education is the most powerful weapon of all. Educating people and helping them become literate means they can read, study and learn of other countries and attempts at democracy -and it is a reason we are a NGO-as the "N" for NON-government-what do we know about who is right and what government is best for a country and its unique culture, people and resources (or lack thereof). But I can stand firmly behind education and feel more strongly then ever that building a school in the village of Darhka is the right thing to do no matter the outcome of Nepal's struggle to recreate a better way of governing themselves. Meanwhile, Don may have to walk to the airport if traffic is halted by the strikes, but he is determined to fly out tomorrow, May 2, the day the Maoist promise to flex their muscle and show the world they are to be taken seriously. Om Nama Shiv vaya OM!