Some of the money which is donated to the Bright Future project is used to help families. At the time of the Dashain Festival families buy new clothes for their children. Netra likes to help some families who cannot afford this extra expense.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Dashain clothes
Some of the money which is donated to the Bright Future project is used to help families. At the time of the Dashain Festival families buy new clothes for their children. Netra likes to help some families who cannot afford this extra expense.
Dreamland Computer School
Dreamland Computer School continues to provide education for local children and adults in the Kopan area. Netra has used some of the Rotary money to upgrade the computers in the Center. Computer lessons are an important addition to the children's education because many schools which claim to provide computer education, only provide access to computers for a few minutes each week. Most computer lessons are theory lessons only.
Bright Future Volunteers
Bright Future Community Center could not continue without the local and foreign volunteers. Netra Basnet has gathered a group of young people who work in the Center each morning. Sanju and Raju are university students who can only work part time, but they make a valuable contribution. Volunteers, such as Liz Dobson, and this year, Bronwyn Russell-Slater, make a big difference with their teaching ideas.
The other group who contribute to the Center are the card makers, led by Santosh.
Dancing at Bright Future Center
Dancing classes have become a part of BFCC. Sweta still teaches some classes, but the older girls run most sessions. The young children really enjoy dancing and Sweta manages to encourage even the very shy children to participate. Visiting groups are entertained at Shambhala resort. Dancing gives children confidence and they feel part of the group. The boys' group included some boys who were learning to dance. The older boys enjoyed helping them.
Teaching Homestay ladies
Liz Dobson, Bronwyn Russell-Slater and I spent many happy times teaching the Homestay ladies who really want to learn. I continued with the class when Liz and Bronwyn left. This program is not really a part of the BFCC project, but it helps the people of the Kopan district. If anyone wants to volunteer to help with this program or any other project linked to BFCC they should contact me or the Rotary Club of Kew on Yarra.
Raising Money for Bright Future Community Center
Bright Future Community Center and the linked projects rely on donations from friends and money raised at the markets. The goods for the markets are donated by friends and a wide circle of people who want to help the children and families in Nepal.
Friends also help sell the goods at the Camberwell Sunday Market and the Saturday market at Chewton. Anyone can donate goods or help us at the markets.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Some ladies in Australia have been busy knitting clothes for babies and these are being distributed around Nepal by trekkers. Netra kept some for the babies here in Kopan and this morning he saw someone he knew with a very small baby. The father works on a building site as a painter and Netra gave them a small knitted jumper.
Important Rotary Links
Another important Rotary link is with Eyes Wide Open. This year they visited the Bright Future Center and spent some time with the children. These visits are always an exciting time for the children. The donation of fans for the library will be appreciated during the summer months.
Link with the Rotary Club of Pashupati has been renewed
The link with the Rotary Club of Pashupati has been renewed which means the money raised in Australia can be transferred by the Rotary Club of Kew on Yarra. This is important as it means any donations to the Bright Future Project can be claimed as a taxation deduction in Australia.
The BFCC project is linked to the clinic, the library, the family support, and the education of over 50 children and 11 university students. We have had to reduce the number of students we are helping because the cost of university education is expensive.
Those students who wish to continue with further university education usually have to pay for themselves. Further education guarantees status, but employment is not assured. Apparently there are hundreds of unemployed pilots in Nepal.
Homestay Lady
Santi is one of the Homestay students. She is 72 years old and is determined to learn English so she can speak with her guests. She invited us to her home for an afternoon snack.
Raju with one of his students
One of our volunteers, Raju, has to return to his university studies in a few days' time. He is a wonderful teacher and has been a great help with the young children, who adore him.
Volunteers in Bright Future Community Center
Saru, one of the Homestay ladies, invited Bronwyn and Liz and me to her home for a meal. We had all spent a week teaching the Homestay group and it was wonderful to see how much Saru had learnt and how proud she was of her ability to use the language.
Volunteering at Bright Future Community Center
An extension of the work at Bright Future Community Center is teaching in the local community. So far the only classes we have managed to arrange have been through the local hotel. The volunteers can have plenty of fun teaching the hotel staff and the girls who work in the shop. There is also a scheme in Kopan for home stays. The ladies who run the Homestays are very keen to learn English. They want to be able to talk to their guests.
Bright Future Health Center
The Bright Future Health Center is being used to deliver vaccinations and simple medicines such as worm tablets to the local children.
Children cleaning teeth
The children were delighted with the lesson. although some found the tongue cleaning a bit strange.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
New blankets
Another donation by one of the Latrobe students was some blankets for some of the families of the children who attend BFCC. He discovered that one young boy was sleeping on the concrete floor without a proper blanket. During winter the temperature falls below zero at night, so a warm blanket would have been most welcome.
The new jackets for Bright Future
A relative of one of the Latrobe students made a very generous donation which enabled us to have some windproof jackets made for the children at BFCC. They were very proud of their new jackets. It was also something which helped advertise what we are doing and it kept the children warm.
Poon Hill
The usual trek to Poon Hill one cold, dark morning for a beautiful sunrise. This is something not to be missed.
Latrobe University students at Chitwan
This year the visit by Latrobe University included a visit to Chitwan, which was a detour off the main road to Pokhara. It was a most enjoyable interlude.
Rotary Eyes Wide Open visit
In October, 2009, a group of nine people visited Nepal to help with various Rotary projects in Nepal. The group visited BFCC and talked with the students and donated some goods. The doctor in the group was able to offer advice about the health clinic.
New Bright Future Health Center
In December this year we opened a new clinic which is attached to BFCC. It is manned by a district nurse from 7-8am each day. She sees on average 8-9 patients with simple problems. More difficult cases are referred to the doctor who volunteers his time on Saturday mornings. The original idea of a baby health clinic is something which happens occasionally and perhaps will develop in the future. The baby scales and some of the other equipment was donated to the centre. I am hoping to get some advice about setting up early diagnosis for diabetes, which has become a real problem in Kopan.
Teresa Williams with her group in BFCC
Teresa Williams and her groups regularly visit Bright Future Community Center. The children love meeting the different people. As can be seen in the photo they listen to every word. It really makes a difference to meet tourists.
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