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Nepal

Elly, 21 January 2010
Nepal , Patan 25°

Our work at SGCP and BCG.

2010 January
Hello all,
Time for some news from Nepal.

Work at SGCP
Mart has gladly started his advising task with SGCP, the centre for disabled children with Cerebral palsy in Dhapakel. We already informed you in general about SGCP [just check our previous letter on the blog if you did not read it yet]. You could also look on www.perspective3000.org ]. First of all Mart is very glad with the pleasant attitude and work situation. He also has a good and open working relation with Mr. Bimal, the manager of the centre and the one he is advising. The centre itself looks perfect and is well equipped. We saw sometimes things much less organized.
The past few weeks Mart got a pretty good insight in the organization and the weak spots in it. He discussed a first list with recommendations and they started with the work out. Mart Will start with a workshop Intern Communication and will start a Coaching’s route for the team of the Section Special School. Of course not all goes perfect. E.g. The Administration worked hard to update all expenditures for the donors by the 15th of this month. Last weekend, when the work was almost ready, the service man came and formatted all computers, with the result that much information just got lost. Sorry, no back-up. . . .
Mr. Bimal has an extended network and is well informed about institutions and other NGO’s that work with disabled children. Every day Mart walks to a crosspoint from where he can hop on the minibus of SGCP that transports children and employees in about 15 minutes to Dhapakel, 10km from town.

Work at BCS
Elly has, a little later than Mart, started her advising task at BCS [Brick Children School]. This is a seasonal school for children of Brick Factory laborers east of Patan. Young children migrate with their parents from the village to live near the factories for about 6 months. The children miss half a year of school like that and cannot recuperate once back in the village, so they most probably will drop out. BCS tries to fill that gap, so that the children can resume without problems once back in the village. There are about 160 children enlisted this year from pre-primary to class 5. My first impressions are very positive. The teachers and the coordinator treat each other and the children nicely. Next to the normal program there is time for games, reading, singing and drawing. Hygiene is better than in government schools, but could still use some advice. At the request of Mrs. Anita, the coordinator, my cautious advice so far is how to improve the active participation of the brick factory owners and their contractors, the parents, the teachers and the children. This has been received positively and will be worked out. To begin with, there has been an extra parents meeting, where all are very glad of. The children showed their parents what they have achieved so far. Next week I will give a workshop to the teachers about story telling and energizers, something I am looking forward to do.

Next to the school there are also sewing lessons arranged for interested village women. Daily there are 2 groups, one beginners and one advanced.
Also there is a medical doctor who comes once a week for children check-up. These last 2 activities I did not include yet, so you will hear from it later.
To go to BCS, I walk half an hour to Mrs. Anita’s house, from where we pick up a minibus that will take us together with some 20 others to Sano Gaon, where the schools are.

Free time after work.
In Nepal people still work 6 days of the week, from Sunday to Friday., but with all the religious Festivals and regularly a Banda there is still enough time to do many things after work. Next time I will tell something about that.

For now enjoy reading our news and love from
Elly and Mart

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