Category Archives: News

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.

General, News, Volunteers

Behind the curtains

Tuesday February 28th, 2017 amicsnepal

Written by Daniel Roig, coordinator of the Bhimphedi Children’s Home

This blog is a stage where you can see some of the things that Amics del Nepal does in this village in a lost valley of Nepal. But behind the curtains there are many people working to make possible that all these, initially, disadvantaged boys and girls can have a happy childhood and the opportunity to learn a lot in Bhimphedi Children’s Home.

Together with the support of the sponsors of the Bhimphedi project, it is essential the work of many people who in an imaginative, altruistic and supportive way organize activities to raise money for Bhimphedi Children’s Home.

In this post I will explain some of these magnificent initiatives that have been carried out in recent months!

Marina Viñas has been organizing for 4^th time a type of Christmas Bingo: the Nepali Quinto with the association el Ciervo de Sabadell.

But in addition, last November el Ciervo de Sabadell went even further, because his theater company, coordinated with Ateneu del Món, organized a play in Sant Quirze in favor of Balmandir: A great evening of theater of the always surprising Agatha Christie.

The students of the sixth grade of the school Joan Blanquer of Castellar organized a solidarity market, among other activities where all students participated to bring the reality of Nepal near to all of them.

Tonyo Fibla is already the third time he has collaborated with us (especially with the group Cetrill of Benicarló). This time he has organized a workshop of Nepalese cuisine.

The most tireless collaborators are Ricardo and Jorge, who have spent years with the “Taper Nepal” project with dozens of events, presentations, sale markets of Nepalese handicrafts and solidarity yoga sessions.

We also have new collaborators, such as Ester and Xipi from the Códi 0 egg farm of Lleida, who have organized a solidarity snack a few days before coming to visit the Children’s Home with their four children (who have been a sensation in the village with their golden hair).

Imagination, altruism and solidarity in power, to put our grain of sand for a better world. Thank you very much! Let’s keep it up!

[:ca]Activitats i tallers[:en]Activities and trainings[:es]Actividades y talleres[:], Children of the Home, Festivals and Traditions, Nepali Culture, News

In front of the courtains

Monday February 27th, 2017 amicsnepal

Written by Daniel Roig, coordinator of the Bhimphedi Children’s Home

Anuj and Raju are two children rescued from the street by the police when they were very small. So, we do not know of any relative of them. But you do not feel pity for them because they do not have a bad life. They study 3^rd grade in English medium in the Bhimphedi Community School in a beautiful village in Nepal. They live in a house with many brothers and sisters who take care of them (staff and volunteers), a house with garden, kitchen garden, soccer field, computer room, swing, with guitars and movies every Friday.

They have been especially happy this week because February 14th was Raju’s birthday and two days later Anuj’s, and they celebrated together. First they did it in the school, they brought candies and all the children sang “Happy Birthday” when all the kids are ready to enter their classes.

At home we also organized a very fun competition to see who was going to get the prize: a starred tissue and a chocolate bar.

First test: Fishing bottles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I7AeeWb9DI&feature=youtu.be

Second test: Blind score

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG7fHxq1oeo&feature=youtu.be

Third test: go to the other side unnoticed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cnYdeWxDSg&feature=youtu.be

Fourth test: Getting the packet (but it was not possible to get them if they where just competing, they had to collaborate to succeed both. And they did!

Special test: Open the present as fast as you can to get an extra chocolate tablet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9fJ8EJsluw&feature=youtu.be

In the package they found their birthday presents, in each package: a pencil case full of school supplies and a very modern jeans.

The following week was not bad for these kids neither, because it was the festival of Shivaratri and we made a huge bonfire and we ate, danced and sang around it! If you want to know more about this festival you can see the posts we wrote in previous years: Shivaratri 2015 i Shivaratri 2016.

But this is what you can see on the stage, but behind the curtains there are many people working to make possible that all these initially underprivileged children have a happy childhood and a chance to learn a lot in Bhimphedi Children’s Home.

On top of the sponsors, it is absolutely essential the work of many people who altruistically organizes activities to raise money for the children’s home.

Do not miss what happens behind the curtains in the next post!

Children of the Home, News, Youth

The Detective Siwakoti

Sunday February 12th, 2017 amicsnepal

Written by Daniel Roig, coordinator of the Children’s Home

Ashok Siwakoti is a youngster grown up in Bhimphedi Children’s Home. A sharp, funny, outgoing, honest boy, always ready to give a hand. As a member of Amics del Nepal, every day I am proud that we have been part of his life and personal growth, and we still are part of it.

Ashok has been a very active member in the family of Bhimphedi Children’s Home. We remember him playing the main character role of Sagarmatha drama show (directed by Miquel Comas), being the best student of the house, singing and playing with his younger siblings, helping volunteers (even to translate the song “Water Paani” of Monica Sans)…

Long time ago, in a not too far land, there was a problem with waste, which could be found everywhere.

One day came a huge and mysterious bucket. Everyone was scared, but curious to know what it contained.

And from the bucket, the captain Sagarmatha appeared.

Captain Sagarmatha, armed with his cutxo (Nepalese broom) with his speech, …

tried to convince to the amazed public that it was time to solve the problem, working together it was possible!

Ashok is already 17 years old and two years ago he left the Children’s Home and moved to Kathmandu to continue his studies. Since then he can only come to visit his siblings occasionally because he is always busy with school, work or courses. But when he visits the happiness on his face and his brothers’ and caretakers’ is more than evident.

I am lucky that I go to Kathmandu quite often, so I can meet, chat and have a good time with him. Whenever I take any of his younger siblings from the Children’s Home to a Kathmandu hospital and they must stay a few days in the capital, Ashok takes care of them while I have other jobs to deal with.

16195333_170528720101133_4806586940642113105_n — Ashok and Pemba (on the two sides) taking care of Lave, who came to Kathmandu for a medical visit from the Bhimphedi Children’s Home.

Even right after the earthquake, a very difficult time in Nepal, Ashok went with Miquel to visit Patan Children’s Home when it was impossible to contact by phone. Everything was fine!

A month ago, Ashok made possible something quite extraordinary. It was a day like any other. Ashok was at the hotel where he works and a colleague ask him to join to a dinner with his friends. Ashok immediately accepted.

Chatting with these new friends Ashok said proudly that he had grown up in Bhimphedi Children’s Home. There are so many Children’s Homes in Nepal, there are so many children at risk here… Another boy also had a story to tell: “I have a friend from my village who has one brother in a Children’s Home. They had to admit seven years ago and later they lost all contact… “.

Ashok continued chatting with this guy, and he got to know that he was from the same district, but Ashok didn’t know the village. There are many villages in Dolkha district, and some of them are really remote…

Ashok: – What is the name of the brother of your friend?
Other kid: – Ramesh Thami.
Ashok: – Ramesh Thami??? This is the name of one of my brothers Bhimphedi in Bhimphedi Children’s Home!

The next day I had the phone of this girl and we called her. She was the sister of of Ramesh Thami and the smaller brother Som Thami! The 18 years old girl, works in Kathmandu taking care of a house. His older brother, already married and with a son, lives in the village of the Dolkha district (one of the most affected by the earthquake), and we could get the number of their aunt, who lives with his two children on the outskirts of Kathmandu in a house made of metal plates.

And thus is how the detective Siwakoti found, after seven years without contact, the family of Ramesh and Som Thami. The two brothers love now to talk on the phone with their family. Before, they had no one to call to. We brought them to Kathmandu for two days to meet their sister and aunt. Now they are very excited about the idea of going the next holidays to their hometown and meet their brother and celebrate the festivals all together!

20161227_193730 — When I left for two days the Thami brothers with their aunt, oncle and cousins.

20161229_140521 — When I picked the brothers, two days later. This time on the picture you can see their sister.

Thank you Detective Ashok!

To know more about Ashok Siwakoti, read the text he wrote for this blog, here!

[:ca]Art[:en]Art[:es]Arte[:], Children of the Home, General, News

A Christmas Story: The boy who lived

Monday January 9th, 2017 amicsnepal

Written by Cristina Morales, member of the Board of Amics del Nepal, with the collaboration of Miquel Comas and Daniel Roig.

Drawings by Ramesh Syantang boy of 14 years of Bhimphedi Childrenps Home, who has lived 10 years with Jay.

Jay has a smile that grabs you and does keeps with you and takes you to the highest cloud sky beyond…

Now is one of the eldest in the house, where he is loved by everyone: he helps in the kitchen and the children, always ready to play football rather than to do homework… with a confused apperance, sometimes it seems that he plays to hide what he understands; he does not speak much, but his look is noble as the water of the rivers of the Himalayas.

04-illustrations-ramesh_c — Jay with a friend, studying, playing and sleeping in Bhimphedi Children’s Home.

Jay does not like the surname “Balak”. It is not his real surname, but the one Nepal Children’s Organization gave to him when they took him, it means “child” and means that the person has no known origin or caste, there is a stigma to it… so he decided to change the name and take Anish Rana as own.

Sometimes Jay/Anish wonders why he has lived for 14 years in Balmandir the Children’s Home of Bhimphedi. Some nights, while listening to the laughter and confidences of the caretakers, carrying utensils in the kitchen when almost everyone sleeps, watches the sky full of nearby stars and dreams awake that somewhere, maybe in the mountains or perhaps in the hot plains of Terai, now there is a woman who looks to the same Nepalese sky, remembering a child that was lost long ago…

Jay has grown up, it’s time to leave the house and start a new life. He carries with him the gift of solidarity: an education, a secure environment for his childhood, proper food, personal care, affection, friends and family of a different kind: Amics del Nepal, working, with the help of so many people of good faith, so that Jay and many like him have more opportunities in the future.

As a condition to integrate into society and find better jobs to be independent, Jay should get the Nepali identity card. Not knowing the exact origins of a person, this process is very complicated. For Jay/Anish it will be very difficult to get his ID…

Searching for distant memories still stored in his memory, suddenly, one day Jay/Anish could say to Krishna, the director of the Bhimphedi Children’s Home, a name that reminded him of his place of origin: “…laghara…”.

And with this name Krishna decided to embark on the adventure of going to all the villages with a similar name to “Laghara” near the police station where Jay was found, to try the foolish and risky task of finding a relative of the boy. Hours in bus, three days of frantic visits to offices of police, meeting with people of different communities, local government officials…

One night, a family from a village from three hours walk reached the police headquarters. They heard the news of this young reunited. Won’t it be the son who they lost 14 years ago while accompanying his mother to cut grass for the buffalo?

05-illustrations-ramesh_c — Jay, thanks to Krishna (Former Center Chief of Bhimphedi Children’s Home), finds his family in the far west.

The marks behind the ear and hand do not lie. Nor his factions… a miracle! whole family burst into tears of joy. The next day more and more people come from the village to the police station to see with their own eyes the boy who lived!

14 years ago, a mother left with her three years old son to go to cut grass for their cattle. It is a very common job in Nepal, anyone who has seen it has been disconcerted watching Nepali women loading huge piles of grass hanging from their forehead walking up in the steep paths of the Nepali hills as if it was not a superhuman job… The name of this boy who accompanied his mother was Dipendra Malla son of Jay Malla.

But that day something unexpected happened that would change that boy’s childhood. In a moment of distraction, he lost sight of his mother! The boy walked and walked, but he could not find his mother again. Finally he reached to an urban area, where the police picked him, but he was only able to say “Jay”…

01-illustrations-ramesh_c — Jay, after getting lost in the forest, walked and walked till he reached to the citye where the police station is.

02-illustrations-ramesh_c — The police takes Jay when he was walking alone lost.

His family was looking for him for weeks, but finally they had to accept the tragic “reality”, his son was dead. No sense to keep looking, much less to go to the city, three hours away, to talk to the police at that time of civil war between the Maoists and the rulers, many people died at that time…

Police label Jay as orphan, and gave the surname “Balak”. They put his photo in the newspapers but he was never claimed, so he was transferred to Bhimphedi Children’s Home, where he lived for 14 years under the tutelage of NCO and Amics del Nepal.

03-illustrations-ramesh_c — When the police was unable to find the kids family they took him to Bhimphedi Children’s Home.

But now, on any day of autumn, it seems that life has wanted to reward the determination of those responsible for the Children’s Home to help Jay/Anish/Dipendra to find his origins, and the boy with the captivating smile has gone from being an orphan to have mother, father, two brothers, one sister and uncles, cousins… everyone is very happy and surprised of this event!

Two months later, Anish already has his Nepalese citizenship, there his name is Anish Malla and now he is doing all steps to correct the information in the certificate of secondary education. He has even got time to register for further education in the closest city to his hometown.

06-illustrations-ramesh_after-error — Jay has found his parents in the far west.

This Christmas story is a true story, example of other stories of this 2016 of boys and girls from Bhimphedi Children’s Home, as Susmita Syantang, Bipana Khadka, or the brothers Ramesh and Som Thami, who, thanks to tireless work of those responsible of Balmandir-Bhimphedi-Amics del Nepal, have given the most important gift the them, to rediscover their roots, to reconcile them with their origins and make them unique people, important and loved by their family.

On behalf of the entire team of Amics del Nepal, I wish the best for this 2016 Christmas and that this New Year fills our lives of Happiness and Solidarity.

nep-236 — Jay will make a kite fly up away.

20150615_094910 — Jay dressed to go to the school in his last year of secondary level.

p1040338 — Jay leading his team in a game in Balmandir.

p1040419 — Jay with the face full of flour after completing a game.

p1040415 — Carrying some of his small brothers in Bhimphedi Children’s Home.

20160206_133329 — In a walk to the forests of Bhimphedi.

p1030317 — Helping with some works in the Children’s Home.

p1040702 — With a “tica” celebrating a Nepali festival.

20160911_155947 — When Jay finished the secondary level he work some time as a cook and in the project Awasuka.

News

Hail and the Magical Kings to start the 2017

Wednesday January 4th, 2017 amicsnepal

Written by Daniel Roig, coordinator of the Children’s Home

In Bhimpehdi 2017 has had a big start, meteorologically speaking. It was already three months since last rain drop, when the rainy season ended on September. But on 1^st January, it rained and hailed a little bit. But that was nothing compared to what awaited us the next day.

After a sunny morning as usual, at one and a half without any warning it became cloudy in a second and it began to rain, not just rain, hail also. Two hours nonstop prevented classes to run because all schools have roofs made of metal and are very noisy. Many orchards were damaged, such as the beans.

But we were worried about whether our greenhouse endured the bombing of stone ice. So as soon as it stopped raining all children went to look at the greenhouse, and found that it had held very well, and also, it kept a pleasant diversion on it. Piles of stone that was waiting for the kids to be harvested and converted to the “snow” man of Bhimphedi!

After the hailstorm apart from the beautiful double rainbow, the temperature went down hard. It’s usually not very cold the valley of Bhimphedi, here never snows. Therefore we are not very well prepared for the cold, we do not use chimneys or heaters in houses, nor the hauses are very well insulated.

Fortunately, the “Magical Kings” had come to Balmandir! An expedition of treckers had come to Nepal through Tarannà Travel Club; and two members of the expedition Anna and Josep contacted Amics del Nepal few days ago to give us four huge bags full of winter clothes, cases full of colors, balloons…

The cases and the balloons we will be using them to celebrate birthdays, but winter clothing has come at the right time! At night, after the hail, the wind turned cold, and the children, one by one, came to the office where we keep the material to choose a coat and socks. Thanks Magical Kings and enjoy the Himalayas! We are already prepared for the winter!

From the Bhimphedi Children’s Home we hope that you all have had a very happy Christmas and you have a 2017 full of happiness!

20170104_200721 — The Caretakers of Balmandir, Beli and Maya, with their new clothes.

20170107_110516 — Some of the big kids of Bhimphedi Children’s Home, with the new coats brought by the “Magical Kings”.

p1110704 — Manisha with some of the kids preparing Kiran’s birthday.

p1110709 — Kiran about to blow the candles.

p1110714 — Bijay gives the birthday present to Kiran. Kiran considers Bijay and his wife as his own family, because the wife of Bijay works in Maiti Nepal and she was who admitted him to Bhimphedi Children’s Home. Since that time they have kept the contact.

p1110721 — Kiran looking his birthday presents, one was a beautiful case full of stationary material brought by the “Magical Kings”.

p1110732 — While the kids were eating the birthday food, Kiran played songs for all of us. Beautiful birthday!.

General, News

25 months 100 posts

Saturday December 31st, 2016 amicsnepal

Written by Daniel Roig, coordinator of the Bhimphedi Children’s Home (Balmandir – the temple of the children)

Post number 100 after 25 months of life of the blog of Amics del Nepal in Bhimphedi

It’s been 25 months since I came to Bhimphedi Children’s Home to coordinate the work of management and support of Amics del Nepal in the Children’s home of Nepal Children’s Organization. Since then there has been continued presence of volunteers supporting the permanent staff of the house. From the first moment I joined here, we decided to start a blog to explain all the work and projects that we are doing to all the people who love this home of kids in this distant place. The project sponsors, the former volunteers and their family and members of Amics del Nepal, I hope you enjoyed the first 100 posts, photos and experiences, that make a beautiful archive of experiences of many people.

portada100post — Joana Alsina writing the post number 99, while she stays with the kids. The kids are studying for the last exam of the second term.

Not an easy job, all the volunteers here fear the moment when they are assigned with a post. It’s long process. First we have to think about the shape (should we include video or only photos?), then we have to take photos of the event (often, especially when we do some improvement in the home, we forget to take the picture before, or while working…), then we have to write the post, revise it or ask someone to review it. We have to translate it into the other two languages as well… and review the translations. Put the text on the website, choose photos, reduce the resolution and upload them to the web (when internet connection allows us), write captions (in three languages), choose the different options of the post and finally publish it. Oh! We also have to send the summary to Anna Carreras, so she can publish it on Facebook!

In these 25 months 100 posts, we have experienced all kinds of experiences: staff changes, children who have already left the home and some other small children who have joined, earthquakes, a commercial blockade, 72 volunteers (and some have repeated experience), each and every one of the Nepalese festivals, treasure hunts, my wedding, Nepalese recipes, maintenance works and improvements… Here in Nepal, we can say that “reality surpasses the imagination”. We never run out of topics to make new posts… on the contrary, sometimes we are overwhelmed, and we have to summarize, merge, postpone or forget topics that we wanted to share.

Looking at all the adventures, experiences and new friends in these 25 months 100 posts, I feel gratitude, satisfaction, excitement and curiosity and anticipation for the next 25 months 100 posts. Nepal surely will not disappoint us, there is no better script writer!

Each of the 100 posts we have published has also been announced in Amics del Nepal Facebook, thanks to the perseverance and infallibility of Anna Carreras, responsible for the management of social networks of Amics del Nepal.

portada100posts2 — Anna Carreras publishing the 99th post on Amics del Nepal Facebook. Thank you Anna!

But for the next 100 posts have added another option for those who want to follow our blog. In the sidebar of the blog, under the language option, you can sign up for the mailing list and you will receive a monthly email with the news of the Balmandir’s blog. Join now and you will not miss on the following 100 news of the Bhimphedi Children’s Home!

Step 1: Enter your email, select the English option and press the “OK!” Button.

Step 2: In your email you will receive a confirmation email. Click on the link in this email and you will already be registered!

Step 3: Receive a monthly email with the news of the blog!

[:ca]Idiomes i lectura[:en]Language[:es]Idiomas y lectura[:], Children of the Home, General, News

“La primera pel quinto i per tothom …” in balmandir becomes more than a game

Sunday December 18th, 2016 marinavinas

Written by Marina Viñas, volunteer of Bhimphedi Children’s Home.

“El Quinto” – also known as “la Quina” – it’s a typical Christmas game in some catalan regions. Since September in Bhimphedi we are working to get all ready for the special annual session organized by “Amics del Nepal” and the S.C.R. El Ciervo de Sabadell that will take place on January 7^th. The benefits of this special session will go directly to balmandir and our kids will make one of the games even more special.

vine — The broadcasting team: Samir, Purnima, Raju, Manuj and Sarita.

First of all, for those who don’t know anything about “el Quinto”: How does it work? Each player has a card with 90 numbers (from 1 to 90) randomly distributed in six squares of five columns into three lines each one (so 15 numbers each square). The first player who fills one line shouts QUINTO and. later, the player who fills a square shouts PLENA. The person who says (or sings) the numbers is called Lloro (parrot).

What do we mean when we say it’s going to be an special game? As it happened in the last two years, the balmandir kids are going to be the parrots of one of the games!

We put the 90 numbers – made with paper – inside a plastic bottle. I asked the kids – one by one – to do as a parrot while I recorded them helped by Rojan. But it had to be in Catalan! It was not an easy work: “it’s so hard!”, “I don’t know how to say it”… In the home there are 26 kids so each one had to say 3 or 4 numbers. But slowly they started to enjoy doing it and at the end I got all the numbers (“at the end” means that it took me three months!).

purnima — We can sing the numbers in any place,

It’s the third year that kids are asked to do this job so the questions quickly started: “Why do we do it?”. “How does this game work?” They were curious about the game and fortunately I had put some cards inside the suitcase (thanks to S.C.R. El Ciervo of Sabadell for giving them). So we started playing with the youngest kids in the “English version”, achieving to remove the mix-up between 13 and 30, 14 and 40, 15 and 50… We have a new tool for the study! Using this game we also did some maths: additions, subtractions…

portada — First quinto sessions in balmandir

The elder kids have also played quinto but in the “Spanish version”. We’ve been doing Spanish classes for some months and we thought it would be a great idea playing “el quinto” in spanish to practice the numbers. At the beginning Ashish, Kush and Lov (who are advantaged students) translated the numbers to Nepali. But after playing, playing and playing, even Kamal and Ramraj dared to act as Parrots singing the numbers themselves. Great!

espanyol — Spanish version of quinto. Ramraj was singing the numbers that time!

“El Quinto” becomes more than a game in balmandir. You can play with us on January 7th at the S.C.R. El Ciervo (C/Viladomat 26, Sabadell). See you there!

General, News, Youth

Life after the festivals

Sunday November 20th, 2016 amicsnepal

Writen by Daniel Roig, coordinator of the Children’s Home

Dashain and Tihar festivals are over. Everyone returns to normality, but here this does not mean routine.

Last month, the children who have some known family members have been with them, 9 of the 26 boys and girls. But now they have all returned to the Children’s Home ready to resume their studies.

I also return to the Children’s Home with Manisha, after almost a month away, something I had not done for the last two years. But we do not return alone, we arrive with two new volunteers, actually returned volunteers: Tonyo and Xavi, one year after their first visit, come back to the Children’s Home.

trobada-damics-2 — Amics del Nepal gathering in Barcelona in “Casa Elizalde”.

trobada-damics-del-nepal — Manisha singing a song in the event.

trobada-damics-3 — People in the event showing their care and love towards Nepal.

The children who have stayed for the festivals in the Children’s Home are very happy that all the people come back and welcome us with shouts, and a bit of expectation for seeing what we bring for them as a gift from our hometowns: Homemade sweets (sun-dried Jumla apple slices, or different types of cookies, popcorn…), Kush and Love come with a couple of ducks of the best breed from their village.

Tonyo, Xavi and I also brought some surprises! We arrived at the Children’s Home with 4 computers donated by the Taulí hospital of Sabadell (thank you Xavier Calvet!). And we also brought two high quality seats to finish the reparation of the swing thanks to the material donated by HPC Ibérica (thanks Ramón Coderch and Mònica for the coordination!).

Tonyo, Xavi and I, with the help of the children and Papu, after few days of intense work, we set the new computer room with Ubuntu well installed, the swings in full functionally and on top of that we also have the front area of the sinks improved and the water and electric facilities improved.

1. Fixing the swings:

els-gronxadors-fase-1 — First step: cutting one of the legs and turning it to give the right slope, almost two months ago. Thanks to Josep Maria, Alba Marc, Marina, Andrea, Joana and some of the kids who all together made it possible, even with the foundations of cement.

20160523_103204 — Frame of the swim before straightening.

els-gronxadors-fase-2 — Second step: putting the bearings.

20160523_103344 — You can see the only old bearing that was still left.

els-gronxadors-fase-3 — Third Step: calling the welding man and wait.

els-gronxadors-fase-4 — Forth step: welding the cut leg. Fifth step, higher the other leg so there is no slope for the horizontal bar.

els-gronxadors-fase-5 — Sixth step: quality test.

els-gronxadors-fase-6 — Seventh step: play!

2. Improvement of the water conduction:

aixeta-cuina — The kitchen tap doesn’t have any leakage!

boia-2 — New installation for the input of water in the big tank.

les-fonts-recuperades — After one year, the old fountains work again.

3. Improvement of the water channel:

reparant-els-canals-daigua — Papu fixing the old water channel.

adequacio-escales — Improving the surroundings of the channel.

adequacio-escales-2 — And ready to use! cleaner, better and more accessible!

4. Extension of the computer room:

sala-dordinadors — Sala d’ordinadors ampliada i amb el sistema operatiu Ubuntu en ple funcionament.

Also the kids, who have left the Children’s Home this past year are still trying to find their place in the world. Sanu has finally obtained the Nepalese identity card (not easy to obtain for children with irregular family situations) and has already returned to Bhimphedi to rejoin the AWASUKA project to complete the three anti-seismic prototypes (the wooden for Maya didi, the concrete block for Santamaya didi and the stone and mud for the community). Papu, who has spent the festivals in the Children’s Home, and has used this time to work also for AWASUKA and help in the Children’s Home, has decided to stay in the village with Sanu and also join the AWASUKA project to finish the prototypes. Jay who has spent the festivals with his family reunited 14 years later (we will explain his incredible story another day), he has also obtained the identity card, and has come to Bhimphedi a few days to get a letter of recommendation from the public school where he studied high school to be able to put the correct information, now that he knows it: new name (Anish Malla), new date of birth and the names of his parents. Ashok Praja has already resumed the Veterinary studies. Ashok will now work and live closer to his school, and we hope he will do very well (thank you very much to Prakriti, who now lives in Patan Children’s Home, for helping Ashok to find a job her aunt village, near the veterinarian school).

Another big change is that the public school changes location. The historic building that was affected by the earthquake will be demolished, so the children are already beginning to study in the temporary barracks located on the village football field. (You can read the post written by Monica about this topic).

There have also been two very important changes in the center. Two very special people no longer live with us in the Children’s Home. Although we will miss them very much, we will stay in touch and we are very happy for them for the changes and achievements in their lives. The first is Krishna Pudasaini, director of the Children’s Home for the last 15 months, and who has done a very good job during this time, having great successes like finding families of some children. Krishna has won a government job in the Nepal Electricity Department (where they have a lot of work if they want to reduce the electricity cuts). The second is Susmita, a 9-year-old girl who has gone now to live with her mother and younger brother (we will explain her story in the next post!).

susmita — Susmita and Sujan waiting for their mother almost 3 years later.

And life goes on in the Bhimphedi Children’s Home, with joy.

The kids go to school to finish the second term. Tonyo and Xavi now work as masons and carpenters. Marina and Joana, returned from a week of well-deserved rest, have resumed the computer, English and Spanish classes. Prabhat and Manisha help the little ones with the studies. And I, up and down, watching everything go more or less well: supervising the center, the young kids and the children that we have scattered throughout the country, looking for a new director for the center, helping bigger kids of the Children’s Home with the maths exercises…

Life goes on, with joy.

chitwan — Joana and Marina’s holidays in Chitwan.

joana-i-marina — Joana and Marina’s holidays in Chitwan.

lumbini — Joana and Marina’s holidays in Lumbini, the birthplace of Budha.

aniverasari-maya-2 — Manisha with some kids preparing the decoration for Maya’s birthday.

aniversari-maya — Maya’s birthday ready, and Maya as well, with a smile like always.

festa-maya — Maya distributing the home-made cake by the kids.

iogurs — Kush and Joana preparing yogurt.

fent-formatge-fresc-2 — Kush making fresh cheese.

fent-formatge-fresc-3 — Home-made fresh cheese, or the most similar thing you can find in Bhimphedi.

casament-geeta — Some members of Amics del Nepal and Petit Món in the wedding of the accountant of Amics den Nepal. Happy married life Geeta!

Children of the Home, Festivals and Traditions, Nepali Culture, News

Back home for Dashain

Tuesday October 4th, 2016 amicsnepal

Dashain and Tihar are the most important festivals in Nepal, the equivalent of our Christmas. When the dates of these festivals are near is very difficult to find place on any bus, everyone wants to go to their own hometown.

In our Children’s Home there are also some kids who know some relatives and they can go to spend the these festivals with them. This year 9 of the 26 children of the Bhimphedi Children’s Home have gone with relatives! The rest of the children (mostly the younger children of whom we don’t know any relatives) stay in the Children’s Home, where we celebrate Dashain and Tihar as any other family.

In fact some of the boys and girls who have left the Children’s Home to live in another Children’s Home or to live by themselves also come to meet us for a few days and receive a “tika”.

This year is special because we have found the families of one of our boys, Jay, and one of the girls, Bipana. In both cases the children didn’t remember their families, but after a good research work, leaded by the director of the Children’s Home Krishna Pudasaini and many hours of bus, we managed to find their families, both more than 20 hours away from Bhimphedi. Thus, these children will spend Dashain this year with their families for the first time since they were very young.

Ramraj has also gone to his village for the first time since he has memory. To go to his village he must travel for 20 hours by bus, take a plane and then walk some hours. A very complicated trip, but it will worth it.

ramraj-web — Ramraj’s brother has come to pick him from the Children’s Home. They will celebrate this Dashain together.

Kush, Love, Sujan and Kamal, from very remote areas of western Nepal, will meet their families after three years without meeting them.

love1-portada-web — Krishna (right), who had gone to investigate about Jay’s family (second from right) and had found his family, against all the odds, continued the trip to the north-west of the country to leave Love (left) and his brother Kush in their house where they still they have one uncle. Their village is located in the wonderful Khaptad National Park.

love2-web — View of the Khaptad National Park.

Let’s hope next year we can also find new families and even make family reunifications as we have done this year with Sita and Arati.

Happy Dashain to everyone!

www.amicsnepal.org/bhimphedi