Returning to Nepal

Namaste,
After almost two years I flew back into Kathmandu in October 2017.  I was happy to be back.

I had resisted returning before as I didn't want to visit Nepal as a tourist, there needed to be a purpose for my return.  There is now a project that I am supporting, helping a group of schools that were damaged in the earthquake, putting the skills that I had developed during my VSO placement to good use.

Sirdibas is an area high up on the Manuslu Trail, two days walk from the road end, up a steep narrow path. In the village of Phillim, Buddha Ma Vi School is the highest secondary school in the valley, with over 400 students 170 of them living in hostels at the school because they live too far away to come daily.  Some students live several days walk further up into the mountains.

The Manuslu Valley looking north.

The Plymouth Nepal project, which has been part funded by Rotary International, has four areas of work to help the school.

1. To contribute towards the cost of rebuilding the girls toilet block, damaged in the earthquake.
2. To improve teaching and learning at primary level at this school and the smaller primary schools from which students transfer to Buddha Ma Vi. This will also provide the schools with basic resources needed for standard teaching and stationary to enable teachers to make their own teaching materials. 
3.  To provide the school with computers and training for the teachers in their use.
4.  To train a small number of Nepalis with a British Council CELTA course to teach English. Those trained will then come to the village to work for a fixed period of time. Teachers and students at the school will improve their English, as will people from the village. This will enable the village people to communicate better with the high number of trekkers who pass through the village on the Manuslu Circuit or to the Tsum Valley.

Looking down on Phillim from high on the hillside.
The school is at the top of the picture.

The project will be running over 3 years so I will hopefully be returning annually to this area.