NEWSLETTER July 2015

Never let go of the hand that helped you up when you were down;

show appreciation to those that showed compassion to you! Rashida Rowe

In the haste and hustle of our lives, we are apt to forget, to overlook, the gifts we have received from so many people whose paths have crossed ours on our journey through life. We sometimes move apparently effortlessly from one stage of life to another, with little thought being given to those who have been quietly instrumental in assisting us to achieve our goals or at least, helping us to take the first crucial steps towards a brighter, better future.

With your help, it has been possible to assist many people in Nepal over the past five years. Five years which have been an awakening for me in many respects, bringing both immense joy and sometimes sadness, into my life. But I appreciate all the experiences and opportunities that have come my way, and thank YOU profusely for your support.

BOUDHA SHACK VILLAGE

In 2011, I happened to be in the village when my contact pleaded with me to visit a young couple whose baby was very ill. I responded immediately and hastened to their humble home in a shack made from old plastic sheets and bamboo canes. The young mother, she could not have been more than 15, emerged cradling her infant daughter. It was immediately apparent that the child was desperately ill and wasting no time, I rushed them to the nearest hospital.

My intervention was timely, for the doctor diagnosed severe dehydration and malnourishment, which if left, would have seen the demise of the child within a matter of hours.

Now, some four years later, I visited the family once again and was warmly welcomed into a slightly better shack where a beaming little girl of about 5 years took my hand and led me into her home. What a joy it was for me to see that the once so sick child had grown into this delightful little girl! Ample reward!!

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STREET BOYS

The street boys of Boudha are no more. An effort by a local entrepreneur (Lobsang Sangbo) to re-integrate the children into society has seen most of the boys enter various childrens homes in Kathmandu or return to their families.

My involvement with the boys started in August 2012 followed by an 18-month cooperation with Lalit Shahi (Volunteer Foundation Nepal - VFN) and his shelter home, which at that time was on the verge of collapse through lack of finance. I needed a Nepali to become involved with my vision to offer care to at least a few street boys and Lalit was happy to initially engage with me in this project, which became known as Papas Home (Papa being the name that both the Boudha Shack Village inhabitants and the street boys had bestowed upon me). Over the next 2 years and through the singular support of my friends, Papas Home went from near closure, to a point of financial stability.

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One particular boy that benefited directly from this project has been Dipu. In 2012 surviving on the streets through begging and collecting plastic to re-sell for a few rupees for recycling, to today as a responsible janitor in a prestigious shopping mall in the centre of Kathmandu and once more reunited with his family (mother). His success story is very much due to the support of my friends, especially Hildy Isenschmid (Switzerland) who continues to enquire as to Dipus well-being.

My association with Lalit Shahi was terminated in April, 2014; as the welfare of street children was no longer his priority and we had conflicting views on management style. Papas Home (it is not an orphanage) continues to care for children from disadvantaged backgrounds and receives generous support from a UK INGO and individual supporters and sponsors.

A PROMISING FUTURE

In 2010, twenty year old Shanta was learning the technique of Maithili art under the auspices of Shanti Sewa Griha (SSG) in Tilganga, Kathmandu. An organisation for the relief of the physically challenged co-founded by Krishna Gurung and Marianne Grosspietsch (Germany). Shanta was given this opportunity because her widowed mother was blind and in receipt of assistance from SSG.

In late 2011, circumstances changed so that Shanta departed from SSG to seek her future elsewhere. It was at this time that I became her sponsor papa.

Three years later after a variety of occupations and trainings (notably Steiner-Waldorf kindergarten) and further pursuance of art, Shanta was offered a full scholarship to attend the reputable Emerson College in the UK, as a Visual Arts student on a 6-month course commencing September, 2014. The college follows the indications of Rudolf Steiner in all aspects of life and learning at the college. This was a unique opportunity for Shanta. A once-in-a-lifestine opportunity in fact, given to her on the understanding that she would return to Nepal to share her newly acquired knowledge and skills with her countrymen in Steiner-Waldorf schools, etc.

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However, Fate was to intervene, and Shanta instead entered into a relationship with a divorced EU citizen, 24 years her senior whom, to my utter disbelief, she subsequently married. By so doing, her commitment to return to Nepal and share what she had learnt, was effectively abandoned.

Sadly, that leaves S.E.N. (me, I guess!) with the moral responsibility to re-imburse Emerson College at least a goodly percentage of the generous sponsorship (amounting to approximately GBP8000+ in total !!). A daunting prospect! Hopefully Shanta and her husband will likewise feel a moral obligation to contribute.

Nevertheless, it is sincerely hoped that Shanta will one-day return to Nepal and share the wonderful artistic gifts she acquired at Emerson College. With her unexpected marriage, my sponsorship naturally ceases. I wish Shanta the happiness she deserves in the new life she has chosen. I am hopeful that she will continue to communicate with me.

CONTINUING CHALLENGES

The recent (25 April 2015) earthquakes and subsequent aftershocks, has deeply affected the lives and livelihood of hundreds of thousands of Nepali. Not least to suffer are the children, as is always the case with any disaster.

Thankfully, the Steiner-Waldorf schools in Nepal came off lightly. Some buildings were damaged to various degrees, but no lives lost. In the immediate aftermath of the quake, the government decreed that all schools remain closed for an indefinite period. After a clean-up, this left many teachers with time, valuable time, on their hands.

Teachers from the Maitreya Pathshala W.S. in Pokhara and teachers from the Tashi W.S. in Kathmandu, collaborated in forming a group that would administer artistic trauma therapy to children affected by the quake. After working together on three projects in Kathmandu, the Maitreya teachers returned to Pokhara to continue their work there. The Tashi teachers did likewise in Kathmandu.

When clearance was given for schools to recommence, the Tashi teachers decided that they would offer 35 children from the most severely effected area of Nepal (Sindhupalchowk) free places at the Tashi Waldorf School, which would include pick-up/delivery of the children from the refugees relief camp some 9km outside of the city, and three meals per day, one being a substantial midday meal.

Prior to making this visit to Nepal, I had been given various sums of money by well-wishers to help where needed. Trauma therapy was a top priority and what better use of donations could there be than to support with a gift of NRs20,000, the wonderful generosity of the Tashi teachers in offering 35 free places in the school.25 of whom are in the new class one!! S-W education is a therapy in itself!

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BUTTERFLY HOME

Another project inspired by Steiner-Waldorf philosophy is the Butterfly Home founded and directed by Pushpa Basnet, the renowned Nepali winner of the CNN Hero of the Year Award 2012, for her admirable work with children of mothers incarcerated (with their children!!!) in Nepals notoriously filthy, primitive prisons.

Pushpa prides herself on her beautiful Steiner-Waldorf inspired kindergarten, which first and foremost is a safe sanctuary for prison-traumatised children of all ages. It is her intent to intensify her work with S-W as a therapeutic tool in the immediate future and a Nrs20,000 was donated in support of her work. Sadly, the earthquake made it impossible for Pushpa to use her kindergarten at the beginning of the school year and as a result, she has enrolled her four youngest children in the Tashi S-W kindergarten, which is conveniently nearby!

TO THE NORTH

An eight hour bus journey north of Kathmandu, lies the city of Pokhara with a superb backdrop of the mighty Himalayan mountains! The air is fresh, the grass is green in this city, so much a contrast to Kathmandu.

This is the home turf of the Maitreya Pathshala Waldorf Inspired School and allied Wordganics Farm, the latter supporting the school through sale of produce. But the recent earthquake has all but destroyed this source of income.

The force of the earthquake was sufficient to totally annihilate the precious growing houses to the extent that it would costs a fortune to re-establish them, even if it were possible to obtain replacement bamboo poles, which is very doubtful as they are much sought after for use in erecting temporary shelter for refugees from remote areas who urgently need temporary housing.

Before

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Thus the management has sadly and reluctantly decided to forego their precious greenhouses and instead seek, and experiment, with other plants that can survive and will give much needed produce for the vegetable market.

After

This has a drastic knock-on effect with respect to the Maitreya Pathshala Waldorf School that already struggles financially. The loss of the produce on the farm will result in a loss of some Nrs 25,000 per month to the school (US$245). Or an end-of-year income loss close to US$3000. A significant amount for the small, struggling school where teachers already make significant personal sacrifices.

Please consider giving some urgent financial assistance so that project can get back on its feet as quickly as possible.

Keep track of Social Endeavours Nepal (S.E.N.) via:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/papasendeavours

Website: http://socialendeavoursnepal-93799.logogarden.com/

THANK YOU SO MUCH

FOR YOUR SUPPORT

!!!!!

DONATIONS

Donations to any of the above mentioned endeavours can be made to the following accounts.

Please ensure you identify your gift as: Tashi or Butterfly or Maitreya or even Emerson !

United Kingdom

Barclays Bank Address: Launceston, Cornwall

BSB: 20-50-40 IBAN: GB26 BARC 2050 4083 1564 78

SWIFT/BIC: BARCGB22 Acct name: Eric Keith Fairman Nepal

Acct number: 83156478

Australia

Commonwealth Bank Address: Chatswood, NSW

BSB: 06 2138 SWIFT/BIC: CTBAAU2S

Acct name: Eric Keith Fairman Acct number: 1000805

PayPal Account Deposit via: socialendeavoursnp@gmail.com

(check spelling of email address!)

!!!! THANK YOU EVER SO MUCH !!!!

Boudha Shack Village children Ed: Eric Fairman 13 July 2015