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VEEP Nepal

I enjoyed my time at Nepal. The organization is very professional programme directors are very wonderful people. The people of Nepal are very wonderful especially the host family. It was really hard for me to say good bye......
Owen (Ireland 2002)

To be honest, I think that during my time at the school, I learnt more than the students did. The Nepalese are magical people, and after coming from consumerism based society where community spirit is all forgotten. They have rekindled my faith in humanity
Alex (England 2002)

At the end of my one month teaching the principle told me he was proud of me as I had taught his students something new. However, little did. I know that I was the one being taught. Immersed in a completely alien culture and classroom, it is amazing what one can learn, not only about their surroundings but also about themselves and their homes.

Sophie warren (Australia)

Dear reader,
It has been one week since I came back from a 5 months stay as an environmental volunteer/educator in Nepal.

In this text, I try to collect some of my impressions.
Why did I undertake this �adventure�?

Two reasons: to help and to be helped. First: to help, to develop. Whoever wants to help out Nepal�s people is presented with a few choices. He/She can either help out in a school, an orphanage, a hospital, etc� or try to set up/support a community project.

The main advantage of the first choice is that there is a structure present on the ground which is essentially run by locals: this adds sustainability. Furthermore, as a �sar� (teacher) it is easier to understand, reach and be respected by the community, which can be very handy if one also wants to implement a community project.

The second option is more risky. Most community development organizations seem to be set up by a handful of idealists who are not constantly present in the project areas. This makes it hard for them to identify community�s needs, provide resources, follow up activities, etc� Other, more structured organizations tend to ask a lot of money for their services. International volunteers from their side are often shy, are confronted by language and cultural barriers, merely stay for a short time, etc�

It is therefore very important to start informed (communicate!) and to foster realistic expectations. A project has to increase people�s life standard in a culturally acceptable way. From a teacher�s perspective, community projects provide great lesson material. In general, there is a very positive interaction between educating and addressing the community.

Another issue is where to go. Although differences in life standard can be high and cruel in urban areas, Nepal�s most generalized poverty is found in rural settings. To make the biggest contribution possible and to undergo the richest personal experience, these areas therefore seem to be a first choice. However, one has to take in account the tensions, impracticalities and insecurity in these regions created by what many Nepali�s refer to as �the Maoist problem�. In this context,

it should be noted that Maoists don’t target foreigners but politicians, security forces and transportation/communication. They are not a part of ‘global terrorism’. Also, the Kathmandu valley can be considered ‘non-Maoist infected’. Ironically, a bigger developmental effort inside this valley is also fueling the conflict. A similar discussion could be made about higher and lower casts. I myself felt very much at home in a suburb, Chetri community.

What did I teach?

Well, I tried to draw as much as possible from my own background. Some subjects were: ecology, nature, deforestation, pollution and population. However, the general goal was to motivate the students to be critical, outspoken and responsible… in other words: to empower them to make the decisions that will shape their lives. I would advise against only using the ‘Environment and Population’ textbooks, because of their repetitive and superficial nature, unless final examinations are coming up (there are a lot of exams in Nepal). I also tried to persuade the students of the advantages of vermicomposting (using earthworms to make compost). This is an alternative for chemical fertilizers, is faster and creates more readily available compost than regular composting and is good for soil fertility. They were given worms and allowed to experiment with little compost baskets. Finally, I was also the school’s football coach. Because my principles forbid me to give any physical punishments and because I started of rather naïve, it was sometimes hard for me to maintain discipline amongst the students. Activities are a good way of keeping them interested, though they can take a long time to prepare. A neat version of my notebook was left in Dolphin E. S. School, Godavari.

From a personal perspective,

I was hoping that trying to address the needs of people with a different culture would make me more self confident and patient, would add to my professional experience and give direction to my life. But although these characteristics did better somewhat, I learned to see that accepting yourself for who you are and applying a positive attitude are the most important prerequisites for a rich and constructive life. Also, more than being confronted by Nepal’s culture (eg the courageous way in which woman approach household and marriage), I was welcomed by it’s people and real friendships were allowed to grow. Not surprisingly, it are these personal relationships -starting from the host family- that allow one to make a real contribution.
Thank u and keep busy!

Tom Roelandt
Belgium
2005

How are you? I hope all is well in Nepal.

We are all home now and settled back into college life. Everything seems so dull now though after 6 weeks of such adventure!! It's nice to be home though and see everyone, but i miss Nepal so much!

I cant stop looking at my watch and trying to figure out what time it is there and guess what everyone is doing!

I'm sorry that i didn't get to say a proper goodbye to you. I hope you enjoyed the night out on Friday as much as I did. It was so much fun. I really hope to get back out to Nepal again as soon as possible. Maybe the next year or two.

Thank you so much for helping me have the trip of a lifetime. I had such an amazing time in Nepal. It wouldn't have been the same without you. Thank you so much!!

Keep in touch...

Mary (UCC, Ireland , Cork 2007 )

How are you? We're all well over here in Ireland. It's hard
getting back into college but we'll be fine in a few weeks
again. Just wanted to say thank you so much for everything, you put in a lot of time helping us get by over in Nepal, and we appreciate it. I had the most amazing 6 weeks of my life over there, so thank you for making it all possible.
Hope yourself, the host families and all the kids are well.

regards
Sarah ( UCC, Cork Ireland 2007 )

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