Impressions about a visit at Tanahu School Project
Dear visitors of our homepage, Sunil Shrestha has been our coordinator in Nepal for many years. Here is his report from the Nepalese countryside. It provides an authentic picture of customs and conditions of people’s everyday life. We also think it is a gratifying feedback and confirmation of our committment and our cooperation:
September 2017
Impressions about a visit at Tanahu School Project
It was a day with sun and rain, the Sunday 20th of. August 2017. I get in a Jeep at Kalanki crossing at 10 AM and waited for Nepalhilfe Beilngries Project Coordinator, my colleague Mr. Shyam Pandit and some other friends. Among them was the president of Sangachok Village Improvement Societies (VIS), Mr. Krishna Sapkota and his uncle, a retired Nepalese Government teacher.
This composition was a great opportunity to visit our supported School project in Tanahu along with the VIS chairman in team. We start driving on the way to Tanahu. As we already had an early lunch so we do not need to stop our Jeep on the way and drove directly to Dumre Bazar joking, laughing and singing and sharing each and every member’s life. We passed our time so joyfully that we not noticed reaching Dumre Bazar. There we had some refreshment drinks and waited a cousin brother of Shyam Pandit. After 30 minutes of waiting with refreshment in warm, sunny time in Dumre Bazar. He came and introduced us that he was a renowned forestry specialized profession, Dr. Shiva Hari Pandit. Who is a big potential person for the birth village of the Pandit family.
After completing our group we start driving to Ratanpoor, Tanahu District where our supported school project is under construction. The road to Ratanpoor from Dumre Bazar was very jumping and turning and has to drive through the river and cross many hills with some dangerous turnings. Finally we reached the birth place of our Shyam Pandit village, called Ratanpoor, Bhanu Municipality at 6:00 PM.
Very fast we washed our face. After being fresh all the team members are starting to cook dinner in a traditional fire wood cooking stove, made of stones and clay. At 9:00 p.m. we start taking our dinner together with the school management committee and village people. We were about 10 people, enjoying our dinner and drinks with the support of torch lamp in a yard. We joked and laugh a lot. The night we spent in a temporary shelter, made of earth bags hut, next to Shyams birth home.
Next morning at 06:00 AM we start to walk around the hills and observed the forestry planted trees. Dr. Pandit was showing us the water sources where their families used to be queue one hour to fill the pot for drinking and kitchen used. Same way he was showing us the childhood naughty memories, doing along with his friends, steeling vegetables and fruits from other fields and running away in the friend’s gathering place. This was very funny, especially for me because my childhood life was completely different.
Another interesting part of our walk was that most of their bigger children in the houses are outside the village for their professional services with their families. All the guardians expect their children to come back in the bigger festivals only. Most of the houses are empty, waiting for repair and maintenance. Only senior citizens and smaller children who go to school live inside.
At 09:00 AM we came back to our earth bag house and start packing to take our breakfast, which was left over Dal Bhat from Pandit’s uncle’s house. We enjoyed this breakfast then we started to drive to the school Building site. The road was rough with jumping and bumping. At two places we all have to get out of the Jeep and remove big stones to make a driving place. After this experience we reached the “Shree Saraswoti Mandir Secondary School” which was under construction in good quality work and supported by us “Nepalhilfe Beilngries e. V. Germany” (NHB).
We observed the old classrooms covered with tin shades where the schooling was going over. We are very glad to talk with few students concerning their new school building, which is under construction. The students are very thankful to us (Nepalhilfe Beilngries e.V. Germany) for this generous support which they never expected, as local government is never supporting to build an earthquake resistant permanent building. Then the school management committee prepared an informal welcome program to us and asked me to give a special impression speech in front of grade nine and ten students. I informed how NHB members came in mind to our communities by building schools, Home for needy children, supporting in health and sanitation through hospitals and health center, drinking water supply in schools and respected senior citizen homes within the last 25 years.
I told them what we have achieved till today in our service to the need. The children were amazed and surprised. One of the girl stood up and asked me how it was possible to support this many projects in 25 years in coordinating of 15 active German members. I replied her, everything is possible if we think we are serving in motto “Service above selves”. We just need to build our “Believing System” in our mind and go further not looking back, and then everything is possible.
Finally our Shyam Pandit explained, why this idea came to this village. Because it was necessary to make a complete and safe school as in his childhood they normally have to take a class in a shade of trees or open sky.
On the way back we stopped by a retired army officer who is living with his 90 years old mother and honeybees, after return back to his village home. We were invited to test the rough honey which was very delicious. This man explained us his decision to serve the old mother and doing small business selling honey in the market. It came to my mind that, if every household of this village thinks to come back like this man then the village will be inhabited with young and energetic people. But this is just thinking which is never possible as young people are living with their own families in towns now.
We drove back to Kathmandu and reached late evening safely our home. After all my impression I came to the result that this is the right palace to give a new school building. Support like this is very much needed in many villages of Nepal. But to reach every village is not possible for a small organization like us. So at least I would like to salute all the executive members, donors and well-wishers of Nepalhilfe Beilngries e.V. Germany for this right decision to support the school project in this village. Also recommend to find the donors and supporters in near future to make a twinning with any schools from Germany to make this school a “Happy School”.