A Library in the Anapurnas-Part 2

To build a library and bring books to the Himalayas is a little more complicated than you might imagine. Since no one at HANDS lives in Nepal, we rely on a few very good friends who are a tremendous help, one being my Tibetan son, Kelsang Lodue. Kelsang has made many trip form Kathmandu to Pokhara in our interest, taking photos for us, sending us updates and communicating with the villagers at our project sites. He does all this for the cost of his travel expenses because that is about all we can afford with our small budget. Yet he is happy to do that for us

Having Tea With My Didis

. We also depend on reliable and trustworthy villagers who can clearly understand our expectations and the limits of what we can offer, since once again, we are not UNICEF or any such big NGO. For the villagers out here in the Himalayas, anyone from the West looks like a bank, so we carefully research and make an agreement before we commit to anything. We look for the villages that need the help the most (of which there are endless choices here in the Nepal outback!) but the final decision is often who can we trust and feel our money is helping the best. We work very hard to earn those donations, and some come from very compassionate families who give generously because they believe so much in education, especially in rural poverty-stricken Nepal, one of the poorest countries in the world. 

Kelsang is indispensable to us! 

Getting out to the villages is hard work, and often involves pushing our jeep, or dealing with overloaded buses

We offer so many thank you's and Namastes to all who give to our education programs, from our Board of Directors who volunteer for free, to those who put $5 or $10 in the envelope when weak for help, to bigger donors such as the Dworak family who have financed entire schools. We feel a huge responsibility to those who trust us with their donations, and so part of my time in Nepal is educating those here on how it all works, from our fundraiser dinners to other benefits we do. Believe me, the Nepali people are always deeply grateful for any help.

We feel very strongly that Bishwo and the villagers of Astam are the type of village we find great pleasure in helping. Their gratitude and help in our project with them makes me feel that is what HANDS is all about-not only bringing literacy to a village, but building cultural bridges across the seas, from our country to this tiny village in the Annapurnas. Because of that exchange, any one wanting to volunteer in Astam at the HANDS library, at the Logged On computer center or at the school is most welcome by the good people in Astam. That actually goes for any of the villages we have built in.

 Kelsang will be going back next week to purchase student workbooks as we actually had enough money left over to buy those for the school teacher.  We are so happy we can help some 200 children in this small way.  We aren't UNICEF or even Room To Read, another mega-giant NGO, but we can honestly tell you where every dollar you contribute is spent, and often put you directly in touch with those your money is helping.

                         It's all worth it when you see how much joy the books bring to the children!

Many Namastes!
Jan and the HANDS in Nepal crew

A Library In The Annapurnas-Part One

VILLAGE OF ASTAM WITH ANNAPURNAS IN THE BACKGROUND

Welcome to the Himalayas! It was about noon by the time we arrived in our rented jeep, the back full of our boxes of books and a few extra customers sharing the ride up the steep trail with us. The Annapurnas were temporarily hiding behind a build up of thunder clouds, but I was more excited at seeing the children of Astam village open their boxes of books. I was not disappointed either way-the children were waiting at the foot path to help haul up the boxes of books, and later the clouds parted to reveal the amazing backdrop of the Himalayan mountains.

 CHILDREN NAMASTE FOR THE CAMERA, CATCH THEIR BREATH AND THEN UP THE HILL WE GO WITH A BIG BOX OF BOOKS!

I was told it was the first day of holidays for the children, who would be spread out across the village area in their homes, so I wasn't expecting the usual welcoming committee, but Astam was very excited about their library and so children were lining the walk way with garlands of flowers and many Namastes. A sign hung over the door that said "Supported by HANDS in Nepal"-it was a beautiful sight to see!

 BISHWO, THE VILLAGER WHO HELPED US WITH THIS PROJECT, HIS MOTHER AND JAN AT THE DOORWAY TO THE HANDS LIBRARY IN ASTAM

Inside, we let the children open the boxes and pour over the books. I was amazed at how immediately they began reading aloud. The room was soon full of a rhythmic murmur as little voices in Nepali and English read from their new books (children here learn both languages), and some put their little siblings on their laps and read to them. It was a reading extravaganza!

 After a good hour of reading and looking over every book, the older kids began to organize the library on their own. It was great to see the enthusiasm and care they took to place the books in the new shelves, equipped with sliding glass doors to keep out dust. The solar lights we brought were also displayed inside a glass cupboard, but I did suggest they take them out for reading at night, or distribute to homes so children can do their homework.

Stay tuned for Part 2 and more information about this progressive village, which has started an Eco Village for volunteers to stay at. They even have a recycling program, which is great to see in Nepal.
Until then, many Namastes to our supporters who have made a library happen again in a Himalayan village! I hope you all get to visit and see for yourself how appreciated and grateful the children are for your help.

BUYING BOOKS ONE RUPEE AT A TIME

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TOTALING UP THE BILL SO FAR...

FILLING UP THE BOXES

There is no Barnes and Noble in Kathmandu.  Well, actually there is, but it's a tiny hole-in-the-wall ramshackle shoulder-wide shop that used the name for whatever reason. Finding books for our new library in Astam has been a bit of a challenge. Children's books are usually not that well represented in the small books shops here in Nepal, but there are two I've frequented in trying to stock our HANDS libraries. One is the well-known "Pilgrims"-which never disappoints in its selections of children's books, mostly in English. Finding books in Nepali, hard as it is to believe, is a little more difficult. Even more surprising to me is what one hundred dollars in books looks like. It's not as high a stack as I'd like to see-even though books over here are considerably less than in the States.

I always bring a suitcase of books with me from donations made in the USA. But that 50 lbs. of books is only the start. The prohibitive cost of shipping to the "top of the world" means it's better to shop locally once in Nepal-for everyone-inlcuding the shopkeeper who is all smiles when I show up.

The bottom line is, we are able to bring books up to some very remote areas of Nepal and that in itself makes book-buying a very real and satisfying way to bring the world to their village.

Give These Girls A Hand!

Introducing the Lotus Sky Women's Collective!!

Pema is full of hope and courage about the recently formed women's collective in Kathmandu

As I struggled to keep up with Kelsang Lodue, my faithful helper while in Nepal, a young woman jumped out in front of me to push a leaflet in my hand. "Do you want to help refugees who are trying to start a women's cooperative?" She couldn't have spoken words more dear to my ears. Did I? What was I doing here if not trying to support and help women who were struggling in this difficult and impoverished country to better their lives in a sustainable and positive way? My hesitation in forward movement was all she needed to launch into a quick speech about the Lotus Sky Women's Cooperative: "Where Global Fusion Meets Buddhist Street Chic."!

Joining HANDS with Pema-all they need is a little help from their friends

I was all ears. Her name was Pema and she was one of about 7 or 8 women who are making beaded jewelry, to try and employee Tibetan Refugee Women. Although I had about 7 or 8 of my own things to finish on my "to do" list before my Nepali lesson at 6 p.m., I was curious and excited to see yet another ambitious group of Tibetans who were trying their best to create a way to support themselves. Pema took my arm and escorted me into a side alley with several small shops. There was a large painted sign over a broad doorway displaying a colorful array of necklaces, bracelets and mallas (Buddhist prayer beads). She excitedly told me about the stones and beads used, the women who make
their own designs, and the goal of trying to get tourists to step off the very worn outer stuppa pathway to take a look inside the alley shop. This was going to be their biggest hurdle-the tourists in this area stick to the cobbled walkway that goes around the great stuppa with the choice real estate hosting the busy souvenir and Tibetan art shops that line it. Anyone who has a shop off this path struggles to be seen-as my friend Dilip knows, who runs a fine paper shop off the path but has little business because of his "down a small alley" location.
Pema was full of energy and excitement at the beginnings of this prospective business. I had to actually tell her to calm herself and take a breath as her words tumbled out to express how important, exciting and wonderful this enterprise was for all the women involved. I agreed with everything, and loved her energy and passion. I had some suggestions for their group-getting on the internet (they actually do have a web site: lotus sky.org), creating a flyer that could be pinned up at guest houses in the area, and maybe even trying to give talks at local meetings about what they were trying to do. All was taken in with great seriousness and gratitude. I then bought four of the pretty coral and turquoise Tibetan style bracelets, and wished her luck.
If anyone reading this wants me to buy anything for you from the Lotus Sky Women's Cooperative, I will gladly do so and mail it to you when I get home. The bracelets, which you can see on my right arm in the above picture, were 350 rupees-or about $4, each. They are the stretch "one size fits all" style.
I promised to do my best to spread the word-and hope to interest the Humankind Store in SLO in their products as well. It doesn't get more Fair-Trade then this-a group of ambitious and hard-working Tibetan refugees who had the courage to gather what money they could to rent the space-and then organize their collective talents to create "global fusion and Buddhist street chic"-Go Girl Power!!

A Tale of a Dream and a Sewing Machine

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A new student and her children at the sewing cooperative started by Durga Manali and supported by HANDS in Nepal

  When you first come to Nepal, it can be an overwhelming experience-but nothing stays in your memory more than the poor that fill the streets and sidewalks, doing whatever they can to make it from day to day. Adults trying to peck out a living, scrounging in whatever way they can, is difficult enough to be witness too, but the children forced to live with so little really tugs at the tightest heart strings. 

  Trying to help street children is what brought Danny to Nepal in the first place, and that is when he  meet an amazing woman,  Durga Manali. She began an orphanage for street children many years ago, and has worked since to support upwards of 50 children, spending tireless days soliciting what help and support she can to keep that many fed, clothed and educated.

  Durga has always wanted to extend a hand to women and their children and how to educate them in helping their families stay afloat. Enter the sewing cooperative idea. As I had discovered myself several years ago in Nepal, giving a woman a sewing machine means she can create her own business and therefore come up with a way to support herself and her children. The ultimate benefit is her children then can go to school-this being a land where children often work in poorer families than enjoy the luxury of getting an education. 

  I have been buying sewing machines and giving them to women who needed them-usually found through Nepali friends and through Durga as well, but now Durga was asking me to join her in taking this idea to a new level. Just as the old saying goes, "You can give a man a fish, but teach him to fish and you've given him a livelihood.." or something like that, you can replace man for woman, fish with sewing machine-and well, you get the idea.

                                         We have 5 machines right now for the sewing school

  This trip Durga had a surprise for me. In the past we've talked about buying enough sewing machines and renting a space to have sewing classes. A woman takes a class and then gets the machine. Even better, Durga says, a woman takes the class and gets a micro-loan that she then pays back to earn the keep of her machine-and thus she is motivated to develop her business. 

  Durga has found a place to set up the sewing cooperative-and a sewing teacher as well. The teacher is getting a wage, the rental of the space is about $100 a month. We have supplied two of the machines and will be buying two more from donations. I am very excited and happy to see this dream of mine and Durga's come to fruition. I will have more information in future blogs-there will be more women coming later this week while I am here. But this is exciting news-I have dreamed of this school for sometime and just couldn't put it together with the small funds we have. Now,  with Durga's resources and experience and contacts, we are making it real. As they say in Nepal, Om namaha shivaya! It is happening!

Jan and Durga in the "new" sewing cooperative room-we are looking for more funds to help buy more sewing machines and to pay for the teacher's wage plus rent of the room. Volunteers are also needed, your sewing skills can help women get a start at how to stitch up salable goods at our sewing cooperative! Please leave a comment or contact me at:

jansprage2@gmail.com

NAMASTE!!

2013 Projects: A library, a school and much happiness!

                                            Click on the photo to read the entire blog entry

 2013 is shaping up to be the beginning of some new roads for HANDS in Nepal. We are combining forces, resources and love for learning with Mark Pinoli of Logged On Foundation, a non-profit group dedicated to bringing computers and the internet to remote Nepali villages. In Astam, the village where Mark has been working, outside of Pokhara, Nepal, backdropped by towering Annapurna mountains, there sits a neglected and abandoned building. We are taking that building and turning it into a library, hiring local laborers to rain-and-dust proof the structure, build shelves, reading areas and then bring enough books in Nepali and English, plus solar lights, to stock it for the village children and adults.
  Last year we built from the ground up a library in the village of Phulkharta, and found the response from the villagers to be full of excitement, joy and hope that reading could now be a possibility year-round, not just during school hours. I was particularly touched by the women holding onto the bars of the window, looking from the outside in, as I unpacked boxes of books inside the crowded space. My translator told me they felt the library was not for them, because they had never learned to read. I quickly told him to tell the women they were certainly welcome in the library, and passed out picture books I had found of people from around the world, women caring for children and cookbooks full of photos picked out particularly for the new reader. "In America, our libraries are for everyone," I told them, "and this building is for you as well as the children." I could see our library building would benefit from also holding workshops on how to use a library, but was equally interested in having a community meeting to ask the villagers how they wanted to use their library.

                                                          Women outside the new library

  The building of libraries in remote, isolated areas in poor countries is not a new concept, yet as you trek around Nepal, you would be astonished at how isolated, subsistence existing (as in no supplies or food other than what can be made in the village) and book-poor the villages remain. Long monsoon months mean having little to do but watch the rain.  There is no electricity and little infrastructure to provide anything other than food gathering.  Literacy and reading can open so many doors for the children and their families in these extreme areas. And so we begin 2013 with another library in another area, and look forward to posting here the joy reading brings to the children of Astam.
  But the library will not be the only focus of our year. With generous donations and funds raised through our annual benefit, we are also making a library in a special school on the outskirts of Kathmandu. Please click and read on the post: "Do All Children Deserve To Read?" to find out more about what we are trying to do to make our corner of the world a little better for those children who live there.

www.handsinnepal.org

WELCOME TO THE HANDS BLOGSPOT!
Thank you for reading up on what we've been doing in Nepal. You can scan and click on the photos to get the full-stories. Please leave your comments and questions below-I will happily reply and answer all I can.
Jan
HANDS in Nepal