Newsletter January 2009

Namasté !

We would like to give you some information about our projects and also give our thanks to so many who supported us in the last half year.

Situation in Nepal

For now, we have about 6 hours of electricity in the daytime! From the next weeks, the newspaper informed we will have 8 hours to divide in day and night!!! To go with just like it is, is the only thing we can do.

The reason for this shortage is that there was no rain this winter and the reservoirs to make electricity didn’t fill up with water. The Government is building a new Hydro electric reservoir, but it will only be finished in a couple of years.

The Nepali Government also sell their electricity on a higher price to India, instead of taking care of their own country.

The government is still discussing between the different parties and no constitution is made! It seems like they will keep on talking without much action.

Action itself is to find with the local people! Many times strikes are called out (f.e. somebody was killed in a village along the highway to KTM, so they blocked the road for 4 to 5 hours!). Before the 15th of January they will form the local governments. The last 6 years there were no elected representatives in each village and district.

Gas and petrol are 20% cheaper again and they are easier to get. But the taxi price didn’t decrease! Also food and clothing became more expensive. Last month’s inflation was 14,1%!

Blue Planet Lodge

We had a nice Christmas time, together with Belgian friends and members of our Belgian organization GCW, so our house was full.

Many of you are following the uprising building of our New Blue Planet Lodge. After 2 months all the foundations are made and almost all the tie beams in between. Also the water reserve tank and the reserve septic well are ready. Because there is not enough electricity, it is very difficult to get steel rods and cement.

Please let me know if any of you want to be added to the list to get my weekly report (with some photos).

Quality of Life Projects

As you know Nepal is the country of “festivals”. In October and November, we celebrated the 2 most important festivals: DASHAIN and TIHAR. The harvest is celebrated and families ask for protection from their Gods.

1. Day Care Centre

Highlights in our Day care centre were:

Our new volunteer Bobana (Croatian Francaise!) helped the toddlers and teachers for 2 months. She herself is sponsor of little Salina and could be close to her in this way.

A lot of sponsors came to visit, also our group of Belgian doctors on the 31th of October.
The music band or Panche Baja also came to welcome them.

In November all the toddlers got warm winter clothes: a warm pullover and a warm fleece trouser. They were very happy and not cold anymore!

On the 5th of December QOLN organized a meeting for the extension of the building with 3 rooms. They cannot start yet, because a lot of water is needed and the water project has not yet started.

To all the sponsors who gave money, please accept my excuses. In Nepal everything is slower than in the West. QOLN likes to do good development work and that asks for a contribution from the villagers themselves (and we don’t want to play Santa Claus!).
So this asks a little more time than we expected.

The teachers organized their yearly PICKNICK on the 11th of December. They danced and had special food and Bobana made a delicious chocolate cake!

In December principal Goma and co-ordinator Madhu joined a special training: ART THERAPY during 2 weeks. This training was given by a Canadian therapist at the Nepal House, an organization for children who are traumatized.

On 12 & 13 of January, this training shall be given to our day care centre teachers, to improve their knowledge and skills.

2. Nepal Child Plan

Our sponsorprogram did well in the last half year. From September till December 2008 16 sponsor children got a new sponsor parent!!!

To sponsor one of our children we ask 22 euro per month. The more children are sponsored, the more families will be helped and the easier we can cover all the costs for the Day care centre and help to other government schools (by donating the salary for a teacher).

QOLN provided warm winter clothes for these children and their families received a contribution for the Dashain festival.

We thank all the sponsor parents who made this possible!

3. Buffalo project

The buffalo project is running very well. All beneficiaries are paying their monthly soft-loan. QOLN will organize a meeting in February, to listen to the problems and words of the beneficiaries.

Thank you to the French organization D.E.P.A.R.T.S. from our friend Olivier Toulemonde, for their donation of 5.000 euro to help again 20 families in the coming Nepali New Year (half April 2009).

www.departs.org

4. Waterproject

The water project still didn’t start. QOLN is waiting for the decisions of the 2 communities Sarangkot top and Kaskikot, where the pipes have to be repaired. Ram called meetings to discuss “how” and “when”, but it is very difficult to get everybody together.

The commitment from the village side is needed to make this project happen. By next week we hope to get some news.

A big thanks to our friends John & May, who funded 6.000 euro to replace these pipes.

5. Help to government community schools

A. Sedi Bagar

Our volunteers Bert & Nicol engaged themselves with big enthusiasm for 3 months in this little school. They came to the conclusion that only the English teacher was willing to learn from them! The other teachers and the principal didn’t want to change anything! This is frustrating, but reality.

From September, the Nepali Government increased the salaries of the teachers with 20 euro. A normal base wage is now 80 euro per month. But there is no control at all, to see if teachers are improving or even of how they teach! Lots of times teachers are sitting outside chatting or drinking tea, while one student is leading the class! They are trying to finish the curriculum as soon as possible, instead of giving quality to their lessons.

QOLN is very grateful to Bert & Nicole for their enthusiasm, efforts and patience!
Also thank you to Sarah, a Belgian volunteer. She gave her attention to the children in teaching them English.

B. Bhanjyang

The government school in Bhanjyang (Westside of the mountain Sarangkot; ward N° 5), is the project our Holland friends Chantal and Antoine are cycling for. The foundation of the 2 classrooms is already finished. I visited the school together with our members of GCW, Lut &
Tony. Lut will promote this project in her school, so the funds can be used after the summer, to start completing the building.

On the ground floor will come a Nursery class and a library. On the first floor a hall for all students. There is also furniture and materials needed in the rooms. Another problem is the lack of water and drinking water. The company ALTAÏR agreed to help to find funds for this water project.

Thank you to Lut & Tony, Carlo & Edith and Antoine & Chantal.

C. Pakha

About half an hour from the city Pokhara, on the Eastside of the mountain Sarangkot, is a community called Pakha. The little Day care center they have is very much in need. The society requested QOLN last year for funds to improve the Day care centre and also to build a library and community place above the building.

This project is supported by “Project 144 SSMW”, a project from the Military school in Brussels, guided by our friend Michaël Rummens.

See website www.projet144SSMW.org

Together with our Belgian volunteer Edwin, we made a simple film about this project to introduce this in Belgium.

Because the toddlers didn’t have any play toys at all, we bought all kinds of things for them with money guests gave me in trust to spend for a project.

Thank you to Pascal & Tanja and Katrien!

6. Hostel

Our private hostel moved to a new and bigger house in November 2008. The children are very happy to live there, because there is a playground outside next to the house and a special study room. My sister-in-law Madhu (also coordinator for the hostel) is living on the first floor and keeps an eye on everyone.

We also were lucky to have a Holland volunteer, Aly, who helped to keep the kids busy with games and creativity.

Thank you to Aly, and individual sponsors as Edwin & Bobana, Sabrina & Annie & Bram (who all gave a little extra to these kids).

Your attention please for:

Thank you to our Holland friend Ingrid, who visited us with her family in October 2008.
She had the wonderful idea to support 2 projects at the same time: by selling hand woven bags from the Women’s Skill Development Project so that the profit could go to the projects of QOLN. You can look at her website www.loekatjoe.nl

If you know friends who go to Nepal and want to take back some of these bags to Belgium or Holland, the profit can be maximized (to send is very expensive).

QOLN is looking for volunteers

• To give Teacher Trainings in the day care centers
• To give English lessons in the government community schools
• To be involved with the hostel kids

As a contribution you pay 150 euro for food and lodging.

Our Belgian organization is also looking for help to fundraise money for QOLN. If you have any ideas or want to give your physical support, please contact LUT VERLINDEN at verlu@fulladsl.be

Thank you to Béatrice who translated our website in French! And thank you to Bram to improve our website. The update of the website will follow soon, depending on the electricity.

A big thank you to all who helped us and supported us financially!

Wish you all a prosperous 2009!
Heartily
Sabine Molemans-Sharma

To enjoy a fulfilled life is the art of:
To allow – To leave – To let go.
-Ernst Ferstl