Hey, I've never been on a field trip like this!

Namaste Friends,

Back in October, my colleague Alycia Lee and her cousin Harumi Guiberson went to Nepal to do some trekking in the Annapurna Sanctuary. Alycia had asked me about volunteer opportunities as they had a few free days in Kathmandu after their trek. I suggested they visit DHC New Life Centre, which they did. They spent three days there and on their last day there, they took the kids on a field trip to Namo Buddha Retreat Center and Monastic College. According to the center's website, "Namo Buddha is a supreme sacred place located in the mountains about 2 ½ hours from Kathmandu. It is one of the most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Nepal and one of the holiest in the world. It is known as the place where the Buddha, in a previous life as a prince, gave his body to a starving tigress and her cubs."

Below is Harumi's guest post about her and Alycia's visit to DHC New Life Centre and their visit to Namo Buddha. Harumi stated in an email to me "I was a little hesitant about staying three days and two nights at the Centre but after a few hours it was pure joy." Enjoy!

Our Visit to DHC New Life Centre, by Harumi Guiberson  (19 Nov 2011)

We spent the first afternoon playing games all in English.  Thankfully the kids go to private school in which most of the classes are conducted in English, because our Nepali was limited to a couple of words!  The next day we asked the kids to help us find an ATM, internet access and a market for snacks.  Eight of kids joined us and we walked and literally dodged Kathmandu traffic for a couple of hours before settling down in a restaurant for lunch and a break before shopping for fruit, chocolate and snacks.  In the restaurant it was great fun to watch the kids drink out of the community water pitcher without spilling a drop.  Once we were back at the Centre the kids systematically went through the snacks to "fair" share with the others who stayed behind.  On our final day we all piled into a van at 6:00 am to visit the Namo Buddha Monastic Retreat Centre (one of the holiest Buddhist sites) and the world's tallest Shiva (Hindu deity) statue which the kids had heard about but never visited.  The sites were impressive but what would have taken less than a hour here took several hours on the rough and often unpaved Nepal roads.  We topped the trip off with a visit to a local ice cream stand near the Centre.  After dinner we had a sad farewell and left for the airport to return home.  

It's been almost three weeks since we returned from Nepal and the happy times and faces of the children of the Centre are still in my thoughts and heart.  The Nepalese sit on top of the world in a land-locked country squeezed between two giant nations, so it's easy to understand why poverty and illiteracy are so endemic in Nepal.  Yet with so little, Nepal has still been the home to thousands of refugees from Tibet and Bhutan.  Life must be very difficult for the hard-working Nepalese and especially for these differently-abled* kids who I found to be the most sharing, caring and upbeat kids I've ever met.  Beneath their happy, go lucky spirit belies their concern and efforts to get an education and live a productive life.  I'm sure Amrit must keep the goal of living a responsible life foremost in their minds.  Thank you for recommending a visit to the DHC New Life Centre.  A truly rewarding "real" life experience in Nepal.  Namaste.

Harumi Guiberson 

*an expression I heard from Amrit and it really says it all!

PS:  Tourist slogan for Nepal is "once is not enough."  Here, here!  Same can be said for the DHC New Life Center, right?

 Harumi with a couple of the girls**

 Alycia with SP and needlepoint gift made by SP.

 Looking for an ATM

Field trip to Namo Buddha Monastic Retreat Centre

 

 The girls with their house mom

 World's tallest statue of Shiva

 Yum! Ice Cream after a fun outing!

 Amrit (top right) with Harumi, and a couple of the teens. 

To learn more about Namo Buddha click here
YouTube video about Namo Buddha 

**Note: Names of the children not published for privacy purposes. Photos used with permission from DHC New Life Centre.

Are you bored already?

Guess what I did this past Friday night? No, I didn't go out Bollywood dancing - that's usually held on Saturday nights. No, I didn't go on a date with my husband, he was out with a friend (hmmm... he was out on a Friday night just a few weeks ago without me!). No, I didn't sit on the couch watching TV.  Okay, I won't keep you in suspense - I attended a board meeting. Yes, I've heard all the usual questions when I tell folks I attended a board meeting - "were you 'bored'?"or "Oh, you were in the 'bored' room". I must admit that it doesn't sound like a fun thing to do on a Friday night, but it was, trust me, it was!

It was the first meeting I attended as a board member for The Rose International Fund for Children. If you've read my blog before, you're already familiar with the organization. If not, we are an organization whose primary mission is to improve the lives of children in Nepal, particularly those with disabilities.  I must say, it felt like being home with long-time friends. We met at our Executive Director's home, had a wonderful Nepali meal, and got down to business. We even had our board members from Nepal on Skype with us! For the last few years, I have been working towards finding an organization to become sponsors of my Nepal projects. When I found TRIFC, I knew they were it! After over a year of working closely with Rob and Gina Rose, I get to be a part of their organization and I am deeply honored. What a great bunch of people!

So what's it mean to be on a board? In general, it means that you collectively make decisions on how the organization runs, what programs to fund, how you will fundraise and you also monitor progress of your programs. Okay, perhaps that doesn't sound too exciting, but I must say, when you are surrounded by people who are passionate about the organization and its mission, you can't help but feel excited about doing the work, and believe me, it is work! Rob currently spends a large number of volunteer hours each week running TRIFC, in addition to running his business. His wife Gina is also tireless in her efforts. I'm not sure I'll be able to keep up with them, but I'll try!

Now here's something else to get excited about - below are some recent photos taken by my colleague Alycia and her cousin Harumi, of the kids at DHC New Life! They and the children at DRC are what keeps me going! I promised you last time that I will blog about DHC New Life's field trip with Alycia and Harumi. I still plan on doing that, so stay tuned.  Enjoy the photos! There will be more to come!

Enjoying a game of Scrabble - a gift from my colleague Alycia on her recent trip to Nepal.

A fun game of basketball!

Harumi with the girls as they jam to some iPod tunes

Playing a word memory game that Alycia created

Namaste,
Jackie

"Early to bed, Early to rise...

...makes a man or woman miss out on the nightlife."  That's some of the lyrics sung by the band Morphine who I just finished listening to on our stereo.  I chuckled to myself thinking "I didn't go to bed early and I'm still missing out on the nightlife", but am I really? Maybe a little since I'm not out with Doug and his pal, but I'm home, comfortable, and warm. What could I possibly missing out on? Then it got me thinking about the kids I spent time with in Nepal, especially as I read emails tonight from friends supporting various causes which benefit children and young women in Nepal. It made me wonder if the kids feel like they are missing out on something regardless of the time of day. 

When I was there in 2006, I never got that feeling from them. Some of the children were disabled and had some difficulty getting around, yet it didn't seem they felt that way save for one of them who could not go to school because of her disability. Imagine that, missing out on school was a major bummer to those who could not attend! I don't ever remember being too sad about not being able to go to school. Can you? But perhaps my time with them was too brief to know for sure, or perhaps that concept of 'missing out' was not yet in their young minds, despite having every reason to believe that they may be missing out on something.

Over the years, I've remained in touch with them via Amrit. He'd tell me about the various outings that volunteers would treat them to and I realized that because of their circumstances whether physical or economic, they did sort of miss out on what others without these limitations were experiencing.  Again, I don't know if they saw it that way, but one thing for sure, they loved being out and about! They enjoyed the moment.  They treasured it! And being at their care homes, the kids do have the opportunity to experience outings, experience going to school, experience friendships. How great is that!

So, stay tuned, as one of my work colleagues has just returned from a trip to Nepal where she and her cousin volunteered at DHC New Life Centre for a few days and treated the kids to a wonderful outing! I'll fill you in on the details and hopefully will have photos to share as well!!! One thing for sure, I know I missed out on that one!


Thanks for the visit and hanging out!
-Jackie

It's Fall and I'm not in Nepal! The 'Job I Love' reprise.

Namaste Friends,

Back in May, I blogged about the "Job I Love" and was keeping my fingers crossed to get a chunk of time off to visit Nepal in the Fall. It didn't happen, not because I couldn't get the time off, but because of projects at my day job. Yes, my day job trumped the "Job I Love".  Why? Because for the most part, I actually 'like' most aspects of my day job, I like the people I work with, and I really did not want to miss out on the implementation of those projects. And now, after reading some of Jon Acuff's book "Quitters", I realize more completely that without my day job, I would not be able to fund the "Job I Love".  I would not be able to donate to causes I feel passionate about or purchase the computer that I use to write my blog. Granted, if I didn't have my day job, I could possibly spend more time on the Job I Love.  Not! I would probably be looking for another job to keep the lights on and to pay the mortgage.  In this day and age, I'm grateful I have a job at all!

So here I am, blogging again, after what seems like an eternity! Since my August post, The Rose International Fund for Children had a successful fundraiser, raising over $12,000 which will help them to continue supporting their many projects. A couple of these projects include their Braille Book Library and their  Empowerment Program for deaf women, both based in Nepal.  Also since that last post, DHC NewLife's kitchen expansion project was completed to more comfortably accommodate the children, thanks to a couple of very generous overseas donors. And finally, during the months of September and October, Nepalis around the globe celebrated two of their most treasured holidays, Dashain and Dipawali!

So with the passing of Fall will come Winter, when we hunker down, reflect back on the year and hopefully spend some holiday time with loved ones. And since it is getting close to the 'giving' holidays, if you are able, maybe even donate some of the fruits of your day job to a cause you are passionate about (I am shameless, aren't I, but hey, it's not for me!!!).  Here are some ideas:

The Rose International Fund for Children - to help fund projects benefiting disabled children in Nepal.  Indicate in the comments if you want to specifically donate to DHC NewLife. Click here to learn more about DHC NewLife Center

The Bo M. Karlsson Foundation - to help educate young women in Nepal

"4 the 1" - to help end human trafficking. Specify "for WPPC" so that funds will go to this Nepali organization committed to ending human slavery in Nepal. Click here to learn more about WPPC.

Thank-you all for visiting! Happy Fall! Happy Dashain and Dipawali!
Jackie

What can $500 buy nowadays?

Last weekend I attended the Bo M. Karlsson Foundation's Mahilaa Night and "spent" a little over $500! What on earth did I spend it on you may ask. I'll get to that in a minute. Let me first tell you a little about the Bo M. Karlsson Foundation.  It's an organization whose sole mission is to provide funding to young women in Nepal seeking higher education. Plain and simple. Part of their mission statement reads "As we support women in their educational pursuits, our desire is that this also helps them build character and strength, making them self-reliant, confident, and productive citizens in their own country." Yes! That's exactly what Bo & Sonnia Karlsson imparted onto their children and what my dad imparted on me!

Okay, you now probably have an idea on what I spent $500 on. Mahilaa (Women's) Night is the Foundation's annual fundraising event. Seattleites are fond of silent and live auctions and this event was no different but have you been to one of these events with a bunch of your friends, dining on Nepali food, complete with a traditional Nepali dance performance? The house was rockin' and all for the young women scholars who will continue with their studies this year or who will be awarded a scholarship to pursue their dream! So needless to say, although I wasn't expecting to, I spent $500 on a young woman. Plain and simple. To put things into perspective, this amount can fund the yearly tuition and expenses for a woman seeking an education or journalism degree in Nepal! So, I feel like it is money well spent!

So what did I go home with, after all it was an event with an auction, right? Okay, I did get a kimono (been wanting one forever, I think!)  and a private reading/signing by author, Caryl Sherpa, whose book entitled "I taste fire, earth, rain" I am thoroughly engrossed in right now! Her book brings back memories of my first trip to Nepal in 2001, where I fell in love with the landscape, the people, the culture, the spirituality and where the bonds of love and friendship were deepened immensely. 

The event was truly amazing. Although financial times are still hard, many people in attendance were willing to open their pocketbooks, which made for a successful night, if you ask me! No matter how big or small the donation, every bit counts and is appreciated. And if you missed this event, but are itching to get out there and socialize while helping disabled children in Nepal, the annual event for The Rose International Fund for Children is coming up. 
Thanks so much everyone!!!!!!

Namaste,
Jackie

To learn more about The Bo M. Karlsson Foundation visit:
www.bomkarlsson.org

YouTube video for I taste fire, earth rain:
I taste fire, earth, rain

Upcoming event:
The Rose International Fund for Children Annual Dinner
September 15, 2011 6:00 to 9:00 PM
RSVP by August 20th
(425)-881-6231

RSVP Now! The Rose International Fund for Children Dinner & Fundraiser - September 15, 2011

SLC Results are in and it has nothing to do with Salt Lake City!

So you must be wondering, what's SLC? Does it have something to do with Salt Lake City? No. Does it have some talent show (sorry, I'm watching America's Got Talent right now)? Uhh, No. Okay, let's get serious now, what is it then? In Nepal, SLC stands for School Leaving Certificate. The SLC examination is usually administered in the spring (March/April) to all students completing Grade 10. Passing of this exam is of utmost importance to students because it determines whether they can continue on to higher secondary education also known as "Plus 2" or "college", then ultimately, should they decide to and are able to afford it, go on to university. This year, about 500,000 students had planned to sit for the exam in over 1000 exam centers across the country. The exam has been plagued with past reports of cheating, however, this year, it was reported that the government had planned to adopt a 'tough policy' in order to ensure that exams were conducted fairly.

On a more personal level, yesterday, I received an email from one of the children who I met back in 2006. He happily reported that he had passed the SLC and received a passing score of 83% with Distinction. Only 55% of those who took the exam passed it this year, and a much smaller number who pass with distinction! So this is quite an achievement for him and he is so grateful to his sponsors. It is a testament to the dedication of former staff/advisors for DRC, specifically Amrit and Rose Falconer, for ensuring his enrollment in a private school by finding donors to sponsor this young man's education. 

In Nepal, both public and private school have tuition fees. Despite passing the SLC, some cannot afford to continue on pass Grade 10. And likewise, even after completing 'Plus 2', some may not be able to go on to university. It is always a challenge to ensure that children even obtain basic education. This young man is one of the fortunate ones, but it did not come easy, and when dependent on donors, there are no guarantees. Fortunately, there are organizations in Nepal and here in the US that see the value in education and are willing to go the extra mile to help those in need.

Thank-you for visiting and if you want to learn more about the various organizations that do great work on behalf of Nepali children and young women, visit the organizations' websites included in Links.

Namaste,

Jackie

Click here to read an interesting Op-Ed piece about the SLC exam.

And another interesting read: http://neltachoutari.wordpress.com/2011/04/30/1645/

Nepal is Landmine Free! Totally, I hope!!!

Great news today for Nepal! The BBC reported today that Nepal is landmine free! This comes five years after the end of a 10 year long civil war that have cost many their lives and have left many people disabled. However, it was unclear to me from the BBC article if Nepal is free of landmines placed by the army as well as those placed by the rebel forces. So I did a little digging. According to the Landmine & Cluster Munition Monitor's Mine Ban Policy for Nepal, it states that the country's "November 2006 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) committed the government and the Unified Communist Party of Nepal/Maoist rebels to halt the use of landmines, and required the parties to assist each other to mark and clear mines and booby-traps." So that being said, I'm hoping that indeed most if not all the landmines have been located and detonated. And although Nepal has not yet signed the Mine Ban (Ottawa) Treaty (neither has the U.S.), I also learned that in 2009 the Monitor removed Nepal from their list of mine producers.


The human costs associated with wars is felt for many years even with cease-fires or peace agreements. Landmines continue to injure and kill many civilians, but the work that the International Campaign to Ban Landmines has been doing over the years has made a difference in bringing this issue to the forefront. What they've done in Nepal helps us get one step closer to a landmine-free world.


Namaste,
Jackie

Update from DHC New Life Center - June 5, 2011

Namaste Friends - this is the latest update from DHC NewLife Center. This is one of the organizations that we are helping in Nepal. A big shout out to those of you who donated recently to help the kids there - Gordon, Rose, Doug, Erin, Rob & Gina!! 


-Jackie
======================================
June 5, 2011
Update from DHC New Life Center


Dear supporter,
Namaste

This is a brief email just to keep you up to date with how things are
going in our Care House.  The children are all well and have settled
into the new school year.  Thanks to generous donations from people in
Australia, America , New Zealand,France,Switzerland, Hongkong etc we
have been able to pay all the school fees for the whole year and buy
the children the required new school uniforms and text books.  The
children did very well in their school results last year with Mahesh
coming first in his class!  They are very studious.

Our very exciting news is that we have moved house.  The old house did
not have any outdoor area for the children in which they could play or
where we could have a garden but in the new house we have good outside
areas.  I have attached photos so that you can see the new house and
the outdoor areas.  Kindness in Action USA has paid the rent for the
new house which is wonderful.  We have a 5 year agreement (lease) on
this house and while it is much much better than our previous house we
still need to fix some things in it like making the toilet more
accessible, especially for those children whose disability affects
their legs, put in an underground water storage system as we only get
access to government water twice a week and work on the garden so that
we can grow some of our own vegetables.

The other good news is that again thanks to Rose Stevens, who is Vice
chairperson in Kindness in Action and who visited DHC New Life Centre
in February 2011 with Robert Rose, we have an inverter so that we can
have electricity.
In Nepal we have 12 hour loadshedding every day/night (that means no
electricity for 12 hours out of every 24 hours) which makes it really
difficult for the children at night to go to toilet and study, but
because we now have an inverter we have back up electricity which
makes a big difference for the children – we will be use it to power
the lights while the children study and do their homework.

We have 5 years agreement this house, comparatively more comfortable
and has ground , garden but still we need to fixed some infrastructure
for disabled children as well as we need to fixed toilet, we need to
take out underground water because government supply water come only 2
time in a week, it is not sufficient for drinking. In new house we
have space for garden and play ground but need to fixed it and
plantation in garden.

We have also had a number of volunteers come and spend time with us
and that has been really good – the children love to have volunteers
come!

So we are going well and most importantly the children are well and
happy.  Please if you are coming to Nepal come and visit us and please
also keep in touch with us through email.  We value our contact with
our supporters and thank you very much for all the help you are giving
us to help make the lives of the children better.

Gordon Reiter has paid the health expanses which is really great! and
children getting regular health check up 3 times in a year and
Prosthetics like Crutches Caliper  wheelchairs etc.

With many thanks and best wishes

Amrit and everyone at DHC New Life Centre


(Please visit their website for photos and more details about them: http://dhcnlc.org/news.php)

What's an inverter?

I don't think twice about whether or not the lights will come on when I flip the light switch in my house. I turn on my desktop computer and voila, as long as it is plugged in there is no reason why it should not power up if it is in good working condition. For the most part, barring a storm causing an outage, we are very fortunate here in the U.S. to have guaranteed electricity 24 x 7. Not everyone is so lucky.

In Nepal, if you live in the Kathmandu Valley, you could experience 8-10 hours of load shedding each day. This essentially means, no electricity during that time frame, which usually happens for part of the day (longer) and part of the night. It is especially long during the winter when the rivers are running low and the already low supply of hydroelectric power becomes even less.  You may be wondering why a country like Nepal with so many glaciers and rivers would have a problem generating hydroelectric power. I don't know enough to explain the complex reasons and perhaps I'd better leave that up to the 'experts' to explain. But what I do know is that in order to generate more power, dams would probably need to be built and you can imagine what that could mean for the environment and people living close to the rivers if done on a grand scale. Nepal is not alone when it comes to dealing with power issues.

So what's an inverter? That's exactly what I was asking myself when I heard from Amrit that they would be getting an inverter donated to them by Kindness in Action. Some of you already know what an inverter is, but I didn't and this is not surprising since I've not had a reason to need one. Essentially, it is like a generator but instead of using gasoline, it takes battery power (direct current) and converts it to AC power (alternating current) which allows you to run appliances or anything needing electrical power. It's like when you plug in your boom box into your car's cigarette lighter socket using that funky plug adapter (aha! the inverter!). They come in different sizes so to speak, depending on what you would be using it for. In the case of DHC New Life Centre, they will be using it power the lights while the kids study or do their homework.  Being without power affects the everyday person's way of life in Nepal in ways I can't even comprehend, like when to use the computer, when to study, when to do work that requires electricity, everything!

The new inverter that was donated by Rose Stevens via Kindness in Action will help the kids at DHC New Life Centre tremendously. Below is a photo of their new inverter. Anyway, I learned something today with the help of the internet, which I could quickly access via my electric powered computer, on demand. How fortunate are we.

Namaste,
Jackie

Visit this blog for an interesting post about load-shedding in Nepal:
http://blog.com.np/2011/01/27/power-to-the-people-load-shedding-in-nepal/

And here's a recent load-shedding schedule:
http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=pages&page_id=8

Kindness in Action:
www.kindact.org

The Job I Love!

Monday is the day I reserve for my 'other job', the job that I don't mind NOT getting paid to do. It's the day that I try to spend part of the day working on my Nepal projects. Whether it is catching up on emails, updating the blog, or finding ways to support the kids, it's all worthwhile and although at times it may feel like one more thing to do, it's usually at the top of the to-do list, because I love it.

Here's five reasons why I love it and think others who do this kind of stuff do, too: (you know who you are!!)

1) You don't have to be a part of the Gates Foundation to make an impact, no matter how small.

2) You get to ask people for donations and not feel bad about it, because, guess what, it's not for you. (Took me some time to realize this!)

3) You eventually get to go back to the place where it all started for you, see the friends you've made and those who have enriched your life immensely.  (I'm keeping my fingers crossed for that to happen in the Fall)

4) You're never at a loss for a conversation piece at a party because if you're excited and passionate about something, you just want to talk about it!

5) It opens your eyes to the global community that we are a part of and although my focus is on Nepal, it has definitely made me think more globally about everything and become more aware of other organizations trying to do their part!

Lastly...  I know, I said five reasons, but I'm adding a sixth reason. See for yourself...  photos sent by Amrit of three teens from DHC NewLife Center, sporting some new hardware.  This is a snapshot of how our funds have been used over the years.  Their smiles says it all!

'R' with her new leg.  Of note, this young lady said I could be her grandmother when I was there in 2006, and she's right!!!!  My grandkid is growing up!

'S" with her new crutches

'B' with his new orthopaedic shoes and crutches.

Thank-you for visiting!  Until next time... 

Namaste,

Jackie

Happy New Year 2068 - DHC New Life Center update

Happy Nepali New Year - 2068!  No, I'm not wishing you a happy new year many years into the future, but the year according to the Bikram Sambat calendar which is used in Nepal. It starts usually in mid-April and marks the beginning of the solar new year.

With the new year brings preparations for another school year.  Amrit and his staff and volunteers at DHC New Life are busily helping the kids get ready by purchasing uniforms, shoes, and school bags. They are also making sure the children are healthy by taking them in for medical check-ups and providing specialized boots and crutches for the children who need them. All of this was possible with funds sent via TRIFC! If you're wondering who is paying for the tuitions, those are being covered in large part by generous donors from Australia, many of them friends of Sue Driscoll and Rose Falconer. So stay tuned, we'll be working closely with Amrit to determine future needs for DHC New Life Center. More to come in upcoming posts regarding both DHC and DRC, but in the meantime, here are some photos Amrit sent of the DHC kids in their new uniforms!  Thank-you to those of you who have donated to DHC New Life Center. A big shout out to Rob, Erin, and Gordon for your recent contributions!!!

Naya Barsako, Subha Kamana (Happy New Year),
Jackie

Sue Driscoll (Left, pink top), Amrit (Middle, sitting), Rose Falconer (Right, next to Amrit), with staff and teens sporting their new uniforms at DHC New Life Center.

Spiffy shoes!

Really, is it true? Did Mortenson go to Korphe in 93 or 94? Who cares?

How many of you saw the expose on 60 minutes about Greg Mortenson and the Central Asia Institute? I just did and my heart is saddened. Saddened not because of the inconsistencies in his stories (really, do you believe someone being interviewed would admit to being part of the Taliban?), but because of the impact this story will have on organizations trying to make a difference in the world, especially when it comes to helping improve the lives of children.


I read Three Cups of Tea shortly after I returned from Nepal in 2006. A co-worker had read it as part of her book club and was overwhelmed by the story, a story of one man's promise to build a school for an impoverished town in Pakistan. It was this story that inspired me to host a fundraiser for 'my kids' in Nepal and to continue to this day to do my small part. So does this expose change how I feel about helping people half a world away? No, it doesn't. It actually bolsters my resolve to continue supporting organizations and causes that I feel are truly committed to doing the right thing, and in the grand scheme of things, I believe Greg Mortenson and CAI are committed to doing just that. They've had their problems, this is not new. And not to say that they shouldn't do things differently, like at least get some of the royalties from book sales - geez! But this situation also reminds me that you can never be too sure. Do your homework on an organization if at all possible. Charity Navigator gave CAI fours stars and states 'As we prefer to deal with facts and data, and not rumors and accusations, we do not feel it would be appropriate to downgrade a charity's rating simply based on a media report." Read their full report here which includes Greg Mortenson's and CAI's responses to the allegations (under Donor advisory) at http://blog.charitynavigator.org/2011/04/cbs-and-central-asia-institute.html


Let's keep the faith,
Jackie

Homework time at Disabled Rehabilitation Centre, Nepal

Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.  ~Chinese Proverb

Photograph by Rob Rose, March 2011

Message from DHC New Life Center advisor - Rose Falconer

Hi Friends,

Here's an email below from Rose Falconer (New Zealand native volunteering in Nepal). She was previously the Chief Advisor for DRC and now is Advisor to DHC New Life Center (Amrit's new organization). Nepal continues to experience many hours of load shedding - lots of hours without electricity.  It sure affects the ability for our friends in Nepal to communicate with the outside world, among all the other things they have to put up with during these times.  Just so you know, Thamel is the Kathmandu tourist district where many visitors stay and Pilgrim's books is one of the best booksellers in Thamel. Lastly, for those of you who are curious about the exchange rate $1 = approx 70 rupees. Enjoy!

Date: Tue, 12 Apr 2011 16:33:05 +1200 

From: Rose Falconer <rosefal@paradise.net.nz> 

Hi Jackie... this keyboard as problems..but i think you will get the 
gists of my message! Could you please send on the message to Rob and 
your people, corrected if you have time! If anything does not make sense 
let me know, I might get a better computer next time!! 

..full on is an understatement here...added to that only 8 hours of 
power per day and often that is in the middle of the night!! Nepali 
Nepali!!! so it is a real challenge sending emails. we were in the 
kitchen just now and the power came on so dashed down the road t the 
internet...hope I will ge this finished before it goes out again. 

We have had two visits to the School principal.. It is end of year holidays here, and Nepali new year on Thursday, then the new school year 
starts on Sunday. The Principal is being very supportive of Amrit, and 
the kids..they got their results on Sunday and all got over 80% with 
Mahesh topping his class! great after such a short time at the school. 
there are over 1000 students so the princial's interest in the individual 
kids is excellent.
So we had a wee celebration (yogurt, fanta and chippies)and Mahesh got 
500 Rupees and a kata ceremony..he was happily embarrassed. 

2nd day we were visited by the carpenter man to get bookshelf and 
cupboard for storing games and school stuff..did the usual drawing on a 
bit of wood for dimensions etc, and the bookcase was delivered on Sunday 
night. 

Yesterday we took the kids to Thamel to Pilgrims bookshop. Sue's 
daughter had sent money for them to choose books for a library for the
house. They had a ball and it was also a good learning experience for 
the Nepali shop assistants...they visibly relaxed as time went by and they 
saw the kids delight and enthusiasm, and Sue and I are well know in tha 
shop.... we came home with 51 books and two gifts from the manager! So 
last night the pace was so quiet as they were all reading...they chose a 
good mix of Nepali and English books. After that we took them to BKs by 
Eco hotel for hot chips and more of the inevitable fanta. 

There was another shopping trip to get sports gear, another Aussie 
donation, and it was great to see the community discussions and list 
making. then a group of boys led by Surendra went shoppng and were so 
proud of themselves that they came home with change.
Both Surendra and Manoj are spending some of their holiday time with 
the kids and us. 

Today we are taking Rebika, Mahesh, Ajaya to health checkup and then 
Bharat,and Shanti to the orthopaedic hospital for fittings.  Tomorrow is meetings with medical people and whatever else crops up, then 
Friday we go on a day outing to the Chinese border to some hot springs and 
the Nepali's can cross over to China and shop duty free, but not Sue and 
I..we have set aside 500 rupees each of donated money for the kids, and 
more for Amrit and Madan Kumari and Madan Kumar
(husband and wife who live on site..she is a wonderful cook and they both 
get on so well with the kids. So Amrit gets to go home to his place in 
the evenings. Works well.

Sue and I had two nights in Thamel at the weekend and had DB with 
Subash's family one night and Amrit's family the next..all three of his 
sisters are here now and his mother also was visiting so it was great to 
see them all. but too much food...as usual. We are both well known in 
Thamel now, and the five or so shopkeepers we regularly trade with greets us like long lost family and the inevitable chia! 

Have also checked out a New Care House to move to in one month as the 
present one is close to the school but with no outdoor area. The Principal has offered a free shool bus to pick up the kids, so that 
makes a shift OK. It is a bigger house with big grounds and good access 
for crutches and wheelchair.

So, to all of you wo are helping us with this , thanks so much.
We are enjoying ourselves ad this happy bunch of teenagers. Have fun deciphering this..I started correcting but that was hopeless! 

Best Regard, Rose

Welcome Back, Friends!

Namaste, Friends!

In 2006, I visited Nepal for the second time and stayed for two months. While there, I volunteered at a care home for disabled children for a month followed by a visit to the Annapurna Sanctuary with my husband, Doug, and that's how this blog started.  Since then, friends and I have been raising and donating funds to the Disabled Rehabilitation Center (DRC), to help pay for the childrens' surgeries, orthopedic hardware (braces, crutches, special shoes), physical therapy equipment, and costs associated with obtaining health-care.

At DRC back in 2006

While this arrangement worked well for the last 4 years, I've been wanting to fundraise outside of just my circle of friends (who were generous beyond belief!!). So I approached Rob Rose with The Rose International Fund for Children (www.TRIFC.org), an organization based in Bellevue, Washington.  I asked him if his organization would serve as a fiscal sponsor for our donations.  This means that any donation for DRC would go through TRIFC. For our donors, that meant their donations would now be tax-deductible and for DRC it meant that I could pursue other funding sources.

The timing could not have been more perfect as there was a change in management at DRC and my trusted and dedicated primary contact there, Amrit, had to leave the organization. As a result, Rob enlisted the help of a Rotary Club in Kathmandu to help oversee the use of our funds designated for DRC.  I'm happy to say that at this time, they have agreed to oversee the dispersement of funds for surgeries and associated costs, and will work closely with DRC and Nepal Orthopaedic Hospital. So I am glad that we are able to continue to help the children of DRC with local oversight despite the management change.

On another note, Amrit, my previous contact at DRC, moved on to start another organization/care home for disabled children, DHC NewLife Centre (www.dhcnlc.org). He was helped by Rose Falconer and Sue Driscoll, past volunteers at DRC who really helped to improve conditions at DRC. DHC New Life Centre is the home for 13 children, many of whom I know and who have transferred from DRC.

Kids at DHC New Life Center along with staff member, TRIFC volunteers, Rob and Amrit (right most gentlemen).

In March of this year, Rob and Gina Rose returned to Nepal for their annual visit to check in on their projects. Rob was able to visit both DRC and DHC New Life Center.  He was so impressed with Amrit and DHC New Life Center that TRIFC will also serve as a fiscal sponsor!

Okay, there will be more to come!  Thanks for reading through this blog entry and do visit past postings. In future posts, I'll share with you our successes and future needs for both DRC and DHC New Life Center as well as share stories and information about other organizations doing great things in Nepal and around the world.  Please visit and post a comment or two!  If you are interested in donating to DRC and/or DHC New Life Center, please visit www.trifc.org.  In the comments, please designate 'Jackie's projects' and specify if the funds are for DRC and/or DHC New Life Center.

Pheri Bhetaula (see you again),
Jackie