Nepal 2009

Once again, approximately 1000 needy children were enrolled into school (for the 2009/10 session) thanks to the long distance adoptions project of Help in Action. The local office will continue over the year to maintain close contact with the schools and the parents of the children in order to meet their educational and health needs. Young and old monks studying in local monasteries once again benefitted from the program this year.

The financial aid of the long distance adoptions project and Emergency Fund also continues to reach sick, disabled and elderly people. Close contact with the Himalayan Healing Centre Clinic allows local staff to have immediate knowledge and access to those who will most benefit from financial aid.

The Emergency Fund allows the Association to give instant help to those who need it the most. Over the past year the orphans and abandoned children of Saraswati House have benefitted from the Emergency Fund as did the children in the photos: Ganga received a much needed wheelchair; Kajol who lost her sponsor last year received her school fees and school materials; Anish receives a weekly food allowance in order to build up his weight before his much-needed heart operation.

Year after year the Himalayan Healing Centre Clinic – regardless of the encompassing economic or political situation – continues to offer medical care to some of the poorest and most needy people of the Tinchuli-Boudhanath area of Kathmandu. It is a structure that the local people have come to know and rely upon for their most basic medical needs.

In 2008, 11,000 people made use of the Clinic’s services. Of these 26% used general medicine facilities, 25% used the reproductive health clinic and 20% asked for dental care. The Clinic continues to participate in immunization programs for babies and young children and the Dots treatment for the cure of tuberculosis.

This year the Clinic was once again host to western volunteer doctors. In particular during the entire month of March, Spanish Drs Luis Rodriguez Mori and Marta Antica-Lopez, offered acupuncture, homeopathic and other natural remedies to a very enthusiastic crowd of patients.

In April, 452 children completed the school year in Gangchen Samling School. Of these, 10 students sat the SLC (School Leaving Certificate) Exam. They are all expected to do well and achieve results that will place them in the first division. These children are the first to have completed their education in the school.

Over the school year many students have had the opportunity to follow creative arts and handicraft programs. The handicraft programs have been run during the school holidays and volunteer art teacher Fanny Alloing from France ran very popular creative arts workshops over the February-March period. The school is planning to create an exhibition space for the imaginative artwork that has been produced.

As in the previous years all children have also had the opportunity to participate in traditional dance and music classes. This year, once again, the school has particularly distinguished itself in the sport of Tae Kwando. In fact, during his visit in February, Lama Gangchen presented 37 children with their Tae Kwando black belts! The highest number of black belts attained by pupils of any one school.

Final exam results were distributed on Parents’ Day, April 7th, when children from across the school presented dances and songs for their families and friends. Prizes were also presented to children who did particularly well in their final exams.

Global Village Project