50
C
harities
Nepal 2012
63
of us travelled to Nepal this Easter including 35
from Birkdale, a group of 22 from Bournemouth
Collegiate College and a medical team of 2 doctors,
one nurse and three other assistants. As part of the
trip we spent four days trekking and two nights in
the jungle at Chitwan but the main purpose was once
again to teach in the schools.
The trek was our usual climb to the top of Poon Hill
where at 6 o’clock one morning, having already walked
for an hour and half, we were able to watch the sun
rise on some of the highest peaks in the world.
When we went to the jungle we stayed in one of the
last lodges to be sited within the jungle itself. On the
elephant and jeep safaris we saw plenty of wildlife,
the highlight being real close up encounters with the
endangered white rhino.
Back in Kathmandu the pupils from Birkdale School
were divided into three groups, each working in a
different school. Firstly there is the Mount Carmel
School. This school has moved site recently and is just
starting in new accommodation. This is the school
that several of the orphans that we support have been
going to. We have now found foster homes for two of
the nine orphans although we still need to support
them through their schools because the families
cannot afford to pay for their education. The picture
shows seven of the orphans, the man with the hat is
Milan who makes sure our support is spent only on
the children.
Most years we also teach at the Bungamati School. Last
year we gave them money to build a basketball court
and they welcomed us with a special programme of
thanks and opening. As part of the celebrations they
challenged us to a basketball match. We had a great
game – we did not win but we felt that we held our own
despite a complete lack of practice.
The Peace Garden School is doing very well. As always,
our young people found the teaching a challenge but
after a few days when they got to know the children
they found the experience much more enjoyable. By
the last day they realised just how much our visit
meant to these children and they all felt that they had
achieved something of great value.
The medical team spent their time checking on the
health of children in all the schools. They discovered
that we need to pay for 11 children to have glasses
and one young lady needs to be checked for a heart
murmur. In addition, at one school, they discovered a
young man with what looks like unusual growths on
the side of his face. Closer examination showed that
