Holiday Program

The holiday program is now in full swing.  There is still the early morning session from 7 - 8am and the children return for a further 2 hours from 10am.
Liz Dobson runs an art and craft class with about 15 children. The older girls run an extra class for smaller children.  They have produced some interesting displays and are very keen to learn.
Molly Trumble runs an art class and teaches still life sketching.  My class is trying to write letters and collaborate with school children in other countries.  We hope to hear from the schools in Australia, too.  One of the boys is teaching computer skills to a class of five girls.

Bright Future in October 2013

There have been a few changes since I was here last year.  The progress with music is wonderful.  I am also impress with the work done by the dance teacher, who has taught the class some very complicated moves in less than one month.
The kindergarten class is full of really cute kids.

New Building at BFCC

There are now three rooms in Bright Future Community Centre with the addition of the new room.  We are very grateful to the Horsham group who made a generous donation towards this building.
We are already using the three rooms.  The power points in the new room make its use as a computer lab possible.

The new extension seen from the main entrance

Inside the new room

Srijana with the kindergarten class with the new carpet

Boys working on their homework in the nrw room

Mahalxmi with the group in the main room.

Candle Making Business

Some of the local women in the Kopan area asked Netra if he could help them start a candle making business.  The ladies were concerned the water in the paper factory was harming their skin and some of the others were finding work on the building sites too strenuous.
The cost for enough equipment for a class of ten women was $300, so we made the money available.  The class has been in progress for over two weeks and candles are being produced.  There is a very small profit margin, but hopefully they will be able to make enough money so they do not have to work in the factories.

Children in Kopan who want to write to children in Australia

Here is one of the groups who is keen to write to children in Australia.  We have already started some exchanges with a school in Ballarat and hope to add a few more schools to the list.
The aim is to develop some friendships and an understanding of the similarities and differences in lifestyles.

Link with a school in Ballarat. 

A few weeks ago I visited a school in Ballarat and spoke to a Grade 3/4 group.  They have already started writing to children in BFCC.  This will be a great help with the learning of English and I hope some friendships develop.  We are hoping another school in Bundoora will join in the friendship link.

From left to right:

Nicholas Bell, Luke Gourlay,  Kasey Pearson, Chloe Barlow

Below is the whole class listening to the presentation.

Recent Renovations

 

There have been several changes during the last three years following generous donations from different groups.  The biggest and possibly the most important change occurred when the Red Cross building was finally completed so we could move in and establish a clinic.

 The space at BFCC could then be used by the rapidly expanding kindergarten.  At the start there were only three children, but now the class sometimes has twenty children.  The older students love teaching them.

Niru outside BFCC in 2003.  At that stage there was only one room
The open door to the right was the Red Cross office

This was the BFCC at the end of 2012.  The roller door leads to the kindergarten area.  Dipesh is standing in the space which has been used for the new room.

Recently a third room has been built into the space beside the path to the front door.

The most recent addition to BFCC giving us a third room

The first three who arrived following the rumour there could be a kindergarten at BFCC.

A few weeks later there were twenty posible kindergarten age children  who attended  the class

The clinic in 2010 before it was finished

Latrobe working in the community

Learning to play the guitar

A visit to Yagamati School to meet the Headmaster and classes

Teaching in BFCC

Visiting the dog rescue centre.  Dogs are rescued from the street and treated.
A programme to educate the local people about dogs is having lots of success.

Visiting a local school where one of the Latrobe students volunteered as a teacher

Latrobe Volunteers

The first Latrobe group visited Nepal in 2007 and groups have returned every year since then.  They work in the local community and have had a large impact on the local community.

One local school has a new tank supplying water to the toilet and a photocopier all donated by Latrobe students.

As well as a short trek in the Annapurna region the recent groups have also visited Chitwan National Park

Watching an eye operation at Til Ganga

Another donation of jackets.  This is a wonderful gift as the children can wear them to school.

The first group stayed in the Tharlam Monastry Guest House

The lunch with the Rotaract students was an interesting experience

All groups have trekked to Poon Hill

Donations of blankets to some of the poor families

The groups all worked with the Rotary Club of Pashupati

Another group and porters at Poon Hill

A donation of $200 helped install a small hand basin and water tank so the children  can wash their hands after going to the toilet.  We had to spend time teaching the young children how to use the basin.

The group from Latrobe visit Til Ganga (Fred Hollows) Eye Hospital.  Here they are  looking at the machinery which makes the lens which can be exported overseas.

The group visits Sankar's garden.  Sankar teaches martial arts and is very happy to demonstrate his sword collection

Donated jackets were a lovely gift from one of the groups

Sewing School

The sewing school was developed in 2011 to help the local ladies learn a new skill.  Some were hoping to be able to set up a new business, but most were happy to produce their own clothes

Bright Future Health Clinic

Three rooms of the Health Clinic were built in 2010 and this has enabled some progress with education about health with local children and adults.

Weighing a baby.  The idea of a baby health centre was rejected in favour of a general clinic

Junita, the student nurse, teaching about cleaning teeth

Some boys found cleaning the tongue a bit strange

A visit from Dr Doig was appreciated by the local health workers

Teaching about health using a chart on the floor

The Earthquake Awareness class run by the local Red Cross was held in the Bright Future Health Clinic