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