Sponsorship

Monday 8th October 2012

I am allergic to dust mites so I woke up with a terrible sneezing fit.  Shila boiled water so I could take a pot wash and I felt ready for the hectic day ahead.  Hectic because I sponsor several kids in Gorkha and needed to visit them all!  Shila had taken the day off work to help me (bless her!) so we set off first to Gorkha Crown Resort run by Gokul Aryal, son of Babu Ram Aryal who was the headteacher of the Old Capital School when I taught there in 1998-9 with my co-volunteer Sara, from Aberdeen. We nicknamed Babu Ram Aryal "Nepali James Bond" because nothing fazes him. I was delighted to find Baby Ram had stopped in to see his son and we all had a catch up over a cup of coffee. 

Me and Babu Ram Aryal

Next stop was the Old Capital School where I worked as teacher 14 years ago! I always go back to say "hi" to students and eat some food in the little canteen there served by Nirmala and Bhagat, the same couple I used to buy my lunch from all those years ago, whose four children all study at the school. I tasted several curries and pakora (fried snacks) as I showed them my wedding photos from the portable album I brought with me from the UK - it's proved to be a godsend as after all "Pictures tell a thousand words" and nepalese people LOVE looking at pics :D 

With Nirmala and Bhagat in the canteen

We took a bus down the hill to Laxmi Bazaar, a small village a couple of kilometres away, to Shree Maya Laxmi School.  I have sponsored four children there for the last few years, but during the past year two of them had graduated from school so I had two places available. Lal Prasad Shresta, Principal of the school and owner of the house where we stayed in 1998-9, brought three more students to the office and told me to "Choose two for sponsorship". Of course I couldn't leave one out so I took on three new students, Soni Bishwa Karma and brothers little Jivan and Sujan Rana. All three students had been selected because they are orphaned and very poor, Jivan didn't even have a uniform or shoes. I will provide their school books, stationery and uniform for the coming year, I can't wait to see how they get on. The other two students I look after are Achut Thapa and Jit Bahadur Rana who are both in higher classes and studying well.  I had a soft drink and catch up with the teachers (the wedding photo book was passed around!) and then it was time to head back up to Gorkha....two teachers drove Shila and I on motorcycles! 

Soni, Jivan, Sujan and Lal Prasad Shrestha

We headed to the hardware store of successful local businessman Saroj Pokharel who has been helping with the sponsorship of a family we look after for the last six years. In Nepal there is a caste system whereby certain people are considered higher and more "pure" and certain people lower and "untouchable". This caste system is slowly dying out, especially under the new Maoist government which actively discourages it, but old habits die hard and Gorkha still has some people who abide by it. The Kami family we help are from the blacksmith caste and have had a terrible time of things. Their dad died several years ago, their mother suffers from terrible asthma which makes it very hard for her to work and she had six children to look after. The two eldest girls were married off (in nepali culture once a woman marries she lives with the husband's family) and the eldest boy Sitaram and his two younger sisters and one brother we have supported through school. Sitaram passed his School Leaving Certificate (the first boy in the village and a source of great pride to us) two years ago and has actually taken a job in the middle east now, like many nepali people he has headed off in the hope of earning a reasonable salary (approx £150 per month) but we still support the other three. Saroj keeps brilliant accounts and has been very helpful so it was nice to sit down and talk about their progress with him.

With Saroj in his hardware store

Up the hill again to the Gorkha Inn which opened in 1998 and served as a base for revelry amongst our group of volunteers; we would meet there regularly for meals and drinks and often stay over in a room they would provide at a fantastic rate!  I bought snacks and drinks for Chijamaya and Deepak, brother and sister from a small village near the bazaar who have had an equally tough time of things. Their father was killed in a truck accident when they were tiny and their mother became an alcoholic. Alcoholism is a huge problem in the villages, especially amongst poor communities where the work is very hard and they depend on a cup of the local strong rice wine ('Rakshi') to get them through the day. Nowadays we provide sponsorship for the educational needs and the nutritional needs of Chija and Deepak and they are trying their best to complete their studies. We are helped in our quest by Krishna Sir, a teacher from the school where they study who is very kind and communicates well with us to keep us updated on their progress. We were joined in our little party by Sitaram's family who came to receive the gifts I give to all my friends in Gorkha and catch us up on their news. We were served by Bishnu and Durbar who have been at the hotel since we used to party there and are always there to greet us each year.  It is always a happy reunion! 

Me with Sitaram's family outside the Gorkha Inn

With the reception staff at the Gorkha Inn

By the time we finished our meeting it was almost 8pm and there was a power cut, so walking back to Shila's was a challenge, the road is very steep! Her lovely husband had cooked us curry and rice so we dined by candlelight and had more tea before lights out.