All posts by Joana

[:ca]Sanitat i higiene[:en]Health and Hygiene[:es]Sanidad e higiene[:], Volunteers

The better to see you with

Monday June 12th, 2017 Joana

Written by Vanessa Martínez, volunteer of Bhimphedi Children’s Home.

As we did last year, we checked the vision of all girls and boys of Balmandir. Three of them showed some visual problems so we took them for a complete examination with the ophtalmologist and the optometrist in the Hetauda Community Eye Hospital.

We found that Sumit needs new glasses because his prescription increased a bit, and Purnima should start wearing glasses as well. For now it seems that Binita doesn’t need any glasses.

Both Sumit and Purnima have convergence problems, so we started a visual therapy to solve also the issue and finish with their reading problems.

[:ca]Art[:en]Art[:es]Arte[:], General

Paint and body work

Tuesday June 6th, 2017 Joana

Written by Joana Alsina, volunteer of Bhimphedi Children’s Home.

In Balmandir we are always busy. When kids go to school, we try to improve Children’s home. After few months we have decided to do a post with some of the results.

The entry: The door was rusted. We have painted and we have treated it.

The furniture of the canteen and of the study room: the benches, tables, and chairs were broken, so we put wooden triangles to reinforce the structures. We put new wood to the canteen banks and plastic for protect them.

Window of the study room: we changed the broken glasses and reinforced the window with some wooden slats to protect it from the balls.

Plumbery: All Balmandir’s taps had leaks. Xavi was really busy for few days. He changed all of them.

Electricity: We improved electrical system and we did a new installation for the rice cooker.

The hostels: During Dashain’s holidays we began to paint rooms. Next step was the hostel of the small ones, toilets and the corridors with plastic painting. In one room we made a white wall for project films. We also have changed the metallic doors.

Store room: We restored the door as well. Now there are cleaning products and the clothes in suitcases.

Office: We took out two beds and we put two shelves. We have more space and light. Now we have two desks and even a printer!

Store room : Space completely changed: shelves painted and upholstered with plastic, boxes for food, save place to put the oil…

The board: The older one was faded. There are some artists in Balmandir so we had renewed it. A lot of patience and accuracy.

Study room: We have also painted this room and decorated. Now there are photos, drawings and the chronological frieze.

Thanks to Josep María, Tonyo, Xavi, Marina, Mercè, Nico, and Anna for all this work.

[:ca]Cantar i ballar[:en]Sing and Dance[:es]Cantar y bailar[:], [:ca]Visites i excursions[:en]Visits and excursions[:es]Visitas y excursiones[:], Children of the Home, General

Birthdays and more!!

Monday May 22nd, 2017 Joana

Written by Vanessa Mártinez volunteer at children’s home

April is a month full of birthdays, so we celebrated all of them with a big party!!

We had gymkhana, cake, presents, music and lots of fun!!

Samir, one of the birthday’s boy enjoying the cake!!

We celebrated the birthdays of Samir (9 years old), Bishnu (12 years old), Arjun (18 years old), our didi Beli and Mònica from Awasuka.

And to refresh ourselves in these hot days we went to the river! Kushal that is just 4 years old, walked downhill and uphill without any problems.

Kushal’s first time at the river. He gets crazy!!

Children of the Home, General, News, Volunteers

New school year, more kids!

Wednesday May 17th, 2017 Joana

Written by Pau R. E.

In Nepal the new school year begins in May. This new year also comes with new additions to the center. We go to the Nepal Children’s Organization coordination center in Kathmandu with a new volunteer that arrived recently. Once in the coordination center, we ask to pick up the children, but they are not ready yet. After almost 4 hours of paperwork, finally 2 boys and 2 girls are assigned to us.

With the letters prepared, we first go to pick up the girls, who are in Naxal children’s home. Just arriving many children recognize Dani and they start shouting that they also want to go to Bhimphedi, all of them very excited.

While they finish preparing the girls, the children of the center are put to play with us making a circle around us. Once the girls are ready, we get so surprised by their age, they are very young (6 and 4 years old)! And they are sisters too! We continue our trip to pick up the 2 boys in the Siphal children’s home. Once there, the boys are already ready; but they are even smaller than the girls (4 and 3 years old)! What a surprise!

So now we have everything ready to continue by taxi to Balco, where we take a Jeep towards Bhimphedi. We are assigned the 4 back seats for the 6 of us (2 volunteers and 4 children). Just before riding the older girl begins to cry. She has recently arrived in Naxal, so we can’t imagine how she felt. After trying to reassure her without any success we decide that she will eventually accept the situation, so we proceed to get on the Jeep where her crying persists and seems to start passing into her younger sister. The rest of the Jeep passengers (6 more people) start to be bothered by the crying. But luckily soon the two sisters fall asleep, leaving only the two boys awake. The older boy gets along very well all the time, and the younger one doesn’t stop eating cookies and playing with curiosity with the window of the Jeep.

The first half of the journey takes place with a lot of traffic, mainly caused by the amount of mud left by the rain of the last days. The Jeeps, despite having four-wheel traction, they slip and have a hard time making some of the hills. All this makes us arrive much later than planned at the break point, in the middle of the journey. In this places they offer food and/or cleaning of the Jeep to the driver, because they all end up full of mud, all in exchange to bring the travelers as customers.

Once at the stop we awaken the smallest girl, the oldest one had been awake for some time now. We try to get everyone out to stretch their legs and go to the bathroom. The major girl does not want to leave the Jeep and we let her rest quietly inside the vehicle; she neither wants to eat or go to the bathroom. Meanwhile the rest of the passagengers of the Jeep ask curious about the gender of the children, since the boys dress more pink and the girls more blue.

After all the others kids have stretched their legs and have gone to the bathroom we continue with the journey, this time much less calm. The older girl starts to vomit as soon as the jeep continues. Despite asking for a plastic bag, it didn’t arrive in time and her vomit stain her side of the Jeep. The young girl takes little time to want to imitate her sister. We try to distract her and with the ventilation of the vehicle, and this helps her to not be the next one. After a while, the older one throws up again, but fortunately we are about to reach Bhimphedi.

Once in Bhimpedi it is night already, and we call other volunteers to help us carry our bags and the children to Balmandir Children’s Home. We walked slowly through the streets of Bhimphedi, now really dark. When we arrived all the children of the center received us with great enthusiasm, since they were waiting with impatience, and the Didis even more. They are very tired and go to bed early.

The next day we discover how the oldest boy is not a calm one at all, he is the most active in the whole children’s home: wanting to discover all the corners and do as many activities as he can. Who would think that seeing him being so calm in the Jeep! The younger boy is the favorite of both girls and Didis. The new girls need one more day, but they end up playing together with other kids and with a very big smile. It is hard to imagine she is the same girl full of tears inside the Jeep.

The next day we go to buy new shoes for the younger girl and they all go together to take pictures wearing the uniform to enroll in school. So everything is set to start the new course.

[:ca]Activitats i tallers[:en]Activities and trainings[:es]Actividades y talleres[:], [:ca]Visites i excursions[:en]Visits and excursions[:es]Visitas y excursiones[:], General

New year in Smarak park

Sunday April 23rd, 2017 Joana

Written by Joana Alsina, volunteer of Bhimphedi Children’s Home.

Happy 2074!

In Balmandir, we have started the year in a great way in a fun park!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHPVe3Ayqbc&feature=youtu.be

Manoj: “I liked so much jumping in the castle. We can jump as much as you want and you don’t get injured.”

Ramraj: “This is new year and I like so much visit in group and go to the swimming pool.”

Ashish: “The thing that I prefer was jumping to the swimming pool because there aren’t stones and we can go so deep.”

Santa: “I enjoy a lot the swimming pool.”

Bishnu: “I like swimming.“

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ40IP_mcJ8&feature=youtu.be

Ramesh: “In Smarak park there are wild animals. I really liked to see the leopard, walk in the park with many people and beautiful flowers. It was a hot day and we ate an icecream. It was delicious.”

Anoj: “I like so much go on the ship”

Samir “Yesterday I enjoy a lot, but I prefer go with the pirate boat”

Sita: “ When I was in the wheel I was scared but it was funny.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAr-PsOdzWE&feature=youtu.be

Basu: “I liked the wheel and the ship, I was scared but it was funny”

Bishwo: “I love animals and I enjoyed a lot the horse riding.”

Som: “ I liked the horse riding”

Sarita: “ I loved to go to the swimming pool and ride on the horse.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHH1ysZNQzo&feature=youtu.be

Purnima: “The wheel was so funny, I was not scared. I enjoyed a lot.”

Beli didi: “I went to the boat for the first time with Manoj. I was a little bit scared.”

Maya Didi: “Seeing the monkeys, deer and crocodile, it was amazing. When I went to the ship I felt really scared.”

Santa Maya didi: “Seeing animals was the best thing. The ship was so scaring”

The End:

[:ca]Visites i excursions[:en]Visits and excursions[:es]Visitas y excursiones[:], General

In the water…

Saturday April 15th, 2017 Joana

Written by Nicolas Gautier, volunteer at the Children’s Home

In April in Nepal there are some holidays before the new school year begins at the end of month. In the district of Makawanpur it’s very hot these days. So the kids welcome any opportunity to refresh. And nothing is better than a swim in the river of Bhimphedi!

The river team (left to right): Basu, Samir, Anoj, Sandip (from the village), Sarita, Purnima and the handsome boy.

[:ca]Activitats i tallers[:en]Activities and trainings[:es]Actividades y talleres[:], [:ca]Art[:en]Art[:es]Arte[:], Farm

bzzzzz bzzzzz

Wednesday March 29th, 2017 Joana

Workshop by Mercè Vega Castellví, beekeeper and artisan.

This week we have been learning about bees. All the kids already knew that honey is produced by bees. But how does a hive work? How do bees make honey?

The first activity was prepared to differentiate the 3 types of bees: the queen, workers, and drones. Everyone draw his own bee.

We explained what is the work of each type of bee, and why the bees are important for the pollination. The second day we made a mobile to hang in the corridor. We began drawing working-bees and drones, flowers of different colours and hexagons for build the hive.

Making and painting hexagons, not so easy task.

With this activity we showed them how wives’ bees are organized. At the central part there are the queen, eggs and larvae. And in the external part the honey and the pollen are stored.

But how do people extract honey from a hive?

Mercè had been a beekeeper and she brought some tools. They loved test them.

Finally, we did a mural with all what we had learnt about bees.

[:ca]Activitats i tallers[:en]Activities and trainings[:es]Actividades y talleres[:], [:ca]Art[:en]Art[:es]Arte[:]

Red-Blue-Yellow

Sunday March 19th, 2017 Joana

Written by Nicolas Gautier, volunteer at the Children’s Home

Joan Miró – Figures and dog in front of the sun

Wladimir Kandinsky – Yellow, Red, Blue

Piet Mondrian – Composition in Red, Blue, Yellow

These paintings are the starting point of an activity to discover not only the three primary colors but much more!

Before producing works worthy of these three great painters, the children began with preparatory works. Inspired by the three works, they drew figures based on simple and geometric shapes. It was not just a question of copying, as they often tend to do, but of sketching with their imagination.

Some preparatory works:

Then, in groups of 4, they worked on the production of large format drawings. The children were able to juggle with red, blue and yellow by integrating them into their wacky and cooperative work.

Purnima, Anoj, Sarita and Samir in full production.

Complete drawing of Purnima, Anoj, Sarita and Samir.

[:ca]Activitats i tallers[:en]Activities and trainings[:es]Actividades y talleres[:], [:ca]Visites i excursions[:en]Visits and excursions[:es]Visitas y excursiones[:], General, Nepali Culture

Small excursion around Bhimphedi

Thursday February 2nd, 2017 Joana

Written by Nicolas Gautier, volunteer at the Children’s Home.

Sunday 29th January was a public holiday: Shaheed Diwas, in English The Martyrs Day. This day commemorates four young revolutionary pro-democracy protesters against the Rana regime that were executed in 1941 (Shukraraj Shastri, Dharma Bhakta Mathema, Dashrath Chand and Gangalal Shrestha).

We took the opportunity to stretch our legs in the paths around Bhimphedi. Once the picnic and bottles of water were in our bags, 13 of us took the way to the hills.

The round walk through Suping and Jamire has wonderful views, that we try to share with you with some of the photos we took:

bhimphedi-bridge — Ramesh and Manuj after crossing the Bhimphedi bridge.

som — Som is thirsty! but better not to drink from the tap…

samir — Samir loves to pose in front of the camera!

cows — Our expedition wasn’t unnoticed in Suping!

suping-bridge — Now we are crossing the Suping bridge.

farmer-cows — Some people didn’t take the Martyrs’ day off!

ashish — Ashish between Suping and Jamire.

ramesh-anoj — Ramesh Syantangand Anoj on the way to Jamire from Suping.

sarita-kiran — It’s time to picnic in Jamire: Sarita and Kiran.

The team (left to right): Som, Ashish, Raju, Basu, Samir, Anoj, Manoj, Ramesh, Purnima, Sarita and Kiran.

[:ca]Activitats i tallers[:en]Activities and trainings[:es]Actividades y talleres[:], [:ca]Art[:en]Art[:es]Arte[:], General

The invasion of the Sock Monsters

Thursday January 26th, 2017 Joana

Written by Nicolas Gautier, volunteer at the Children’s Home.

For some time strange phenomena have taken place at Balmandir. One might think of a science fiction film, but it is real. Scary and unknown creatures have been appearing in every corner of the Children’s Home. Half socks, half insects, they are now known here as the Sock Monsters!