The main reason we went to Nepal this fall was to meet a girl in Kathmandu whose education we sponsor through the charity Hands in Outreach (HIO). HIO coordinated a tour for about 10 sponsors and a few volunteers. The week included picnics with the girls (organized by HIO and aligned to the school they attend), home visits, and exploring cultural sites around Kathmandu. It was the highlight of our trip and we were impressed with the dedication of the HIO staff, the wonderful girls we met, and how HIO is making a difference in the lives of 175 girls and their families.
About Hands in Outreach
HIO has been focused on the education of impoverished girls in Nepal for almost 40 years. Girls (and particularly those from poor families) are generally not treated as well as boys in Nepal and are more likely to be forced to drop out of school to work to provide for the family. They are also at risk of being married off at a very young age. The public school system in Nepal is dysfunctional and the education received is not great. With the donation from the sponsors the girls go to private co-ed schools, and are completely supported with what they need to be successful. HIO also works with the families to ensure that any barriers to the girl’s success are resolved so they complete school.
How We Got Involved
Through an Intel volunteering program, Dave led a small team in 2017 to install a computer lab and train teachers at the school Victor Hugo Manjushree Vidyapith in Kathmandu, coordinated by HIO. Below are some pictures from 2017 of the team from Intel and some children using the lab.
While on this three-week project, Dave got to work with HIO very closely, saw the huge impact they make, and that donations are being spent effectively. We decided to sponsor a girl, and she began her journey in the private school system in 2018 at the age of 6. We were scheduled to meet her in the spring of 2020, but then the pandemic happened. So HIO rescheduled that sponsor’s tour for this fall.
The Tour Participants
We had a wonderful Tibetan dinner to meet all of the people travelling on the tour at the beginning of the week. They are a great group of folks and we really enjoyed getting to know them as we travelled around to the schools and cultural sites. (Where are Dave & Diane? See if you can find us in this photo :-))
Visiting Kritika
At the beginning of the tour we got to meet Kritika, the girl we sponsor, in her home. She lives in the Balkhu slums along the Bishnumati River in Kathmandu. The river is highly polluted, and the homes are tiny shacks packed together. There are narrow, trashy alleyways to get to her home. But the alley adjacent to her front door curtain is clean. We were lucky to have Ram (HIO director) to guide us through the maze. We could never find our way back.
Kritika is being raised by her grandma, her father has been missing for years and her mother works abroad. They live in two tidy rooms. We met her in a room that serves as a bedroom, kitchen, living room and dining room (around 8×8 feet). All the space is super efficiently used. The other room is a tiny bedroom; we assume for Kritika as she retrieved school books and reports for us to see. There are annual floods in the slums during the monsoon, but luckily their home is in a spot where water does not reach. The nearby alleyways are affected.
Kritika is 12 years old and in the 6th grade. We brought her some gifts. It was very special to meet her in person. We also met her Grandma, Tulasa, and her cousin, Jenit.
We later saw her again at her school for a picnic and at an after-school program HIO runs for the girls.
Schools Where HIO Girls Attend
We went to picnics and story hours with HIO girls from various schools. The girls were very curious and friendly, and we all had a lot of fun. The girls like to dance and sing; they put on a performance at the start of each picnic and included us in fun games. At most of the picnics we ended up dancing as a big group = so much joy! Some of the moms also put on a performance for us.
Victor Hugo
Six years ago Dave led a team to install a computer lab at the school Victor Hugo Manjushree Vidyapith. Victor Hugo offers a private education to about 300 lower income students, 75% have complete tuition support. Saru and Promod run the school, and we went to meet them and see how they are doing. It was great to see that the school is steadily growing, and the children are doing well. We even got to meet some of the teachers and children Dave met six years ago. The kids had great fun looking at old pictures of themselves and friends on Dave’s iPhone. The computer lab is still being extensively used and they have more plans to expand its use. They still have the Intel sign Dave and his team autographed in 2017 on the wall.
Exploring Kathmandu
Swayambhu – Monkey Temple
We happened to be at this Hindu temple during the full moon, so there was a lot of activity around the site. There are many different temples, and it is also the home of many monkeys. It was a very interesting visit. They were decorating the stupa with garlands of marigolds, and the monkeys were pulling some of them down and eating the fresh flowers.
Durbar Square
This is where one of the kings in the Kathmandu valley lived before Nepal was unified. There are many temples and places to visit. It was heavily damaged in the 2015 earthquake and they have made great progress in restoring it.
One of the more interesting highlights was seeing the Royal Kamuri. She is chosen as a young child and believed to be the essence of the goddess Taleju or Durga. The current Kamuri was given up by her family at the age of 3, an honor for her family. She lives in a temple and is not allowed to walk anywhere – she is carried. The current Kumari has a twin brother she can’t see. Her schooling in the temple and even her use of her voice are strictly overseen. Once she has her first period she is no longer the Kamuri and a replacement is found. She is released from duty and somehow finds her way to live a normal life. We got to briefly see her, but no photos are allowed. Below is a picture of the windows she appears in a few times a day.
Boudhanath Stupa
This massive stupa is incredible to see. Every month they sting new prayer flags and wash the dome with saffron water. We were lucky to see them doing this. Each section of the stupa has a spiritual meaning in the Buddhist religion. The spire at the top represents the sharpness of the mind and points to the center of the universe. There are also temples around the stupa that are interesting to visit.
Pashupatinath Temple
This Hindu temple, the most revered in Nepal, is large and includes a section along the Bagmati River for cremations. The cremations are done out in the open, and we saw a few funerals that were in progress. There are also temples for other facets of Hindu life, including weddings (the man in blue is a groom alongside his bride and mother-in-law who graciously agreed to our photo request). Note the cows in the picture below, the national animal of Nepal, that are considered sacred. Once they have lived out their natural life and are no longer useful, some “retired” cows are dropped off at the temple to be cared for. Reindeer are an important symbol in the Hindu religion and Diane’s favorite animal.
Bhaktapur
Bhaktapur is a large ancient city east of Kathmandu that was a kingdom prior to unification. It was fun to explore the area.
We got a healing with singing bowls (amazing!) and saw how Tibetan art is made. The picture in the middle is a mandala made of sand by Buddhist monks – God’s eye view looking down upon a stupa. And on the right the artwork of a Buddhist image takes years to master.
Dhulikhel and Nagarkot
Our final stop was a stay in Dhulikhel to have dinner at Ram’s house (a director of HIO in Kathmandu). It was a large group and Ram and his family were very gracious to have us all over for a wonderful, home cooked dinner.
The nearby hotel where we stayed had great views of the Himalaya. We went back to Kathmandu via Nargarkot for lunch and more Himalaya views.
The Journey Continues
It was an amazing week with our HIO “family” and we really appreciated the effort they put into managing all of the logistics and activities. The people and organization they have in place to support all of their girls and their families is impressive. It was great to meet Kritika and all of the other wonderful HIO girls. We definitely will be back to visit Kritika again.