CHATTERBOX - Lochwinnoch

VISIT TO
NAXAL ORPHANAGE
In Kathmandu
On 9th October last year, I flew out to
Kathmandu (via Bahrain) to work as a
volunteer for a month at Naxal Orphanage
in Kathmandu city. Daily temperatures
were still very high in October, rice was
being harvested and preparations were
being made for the spectacular Festival of
Light, known as Tihar, one of many festivals
held in Nepal throughout the year.
The Naxal Orphanage is one of 3 run by
the OCCED (Organisation for Community,
Child and Environmental Development),
which was established in 1999 to
care for and campaign for Nepal’s most
vulnerable children. The OCCED works
to provide shelter, education and training
whilst trying to find the children new
homes.
I was one of a group of 5 volunteers; 3
schoolteachers, one paediatrician and myself
- a former social worker with a special
interest in child care. Every day, we were
bused from our hotel in Kathmandu to the
orphanage, which was just over a kilometre
from the city centre. Central Kathmandu
is a lively, intense city with narrow
lanes, motorbikes, rickshaws, traffic jams,
pollution, ageless temples, fabulous architecture
and sacred cows roaming the
streets. The streets are filled with the
sounds of bicycle bells, religious music,
construction works, car horns and the
smells of incense and spices from the bazaars
and sewage and car exhaust fumes
from day-to-day living. Power cuts,
strikes, and protests are part of daily life,
as are the many rich and spectacular festivals
of the Kathmandu Valley and traditional
buildings and palaces in the old city
of Kathmandu.
Children in the orphanage are grouped by
age. Our team of 5 volunteers helped with
the 1yr – 3yr old groups in the afternoons
and the 3-6 year old groups of children in
the mornings. At 7 years of age, the children
go to a nearby school, where English,
Maths, Science and Reading are on the
curriculum, though educational books are
rare in classrooms.
YOGA CLASSES
Classes for Beginners recommence on Tuesday 13th
January 2009, McKillop Institute from 1pm till 2pm.
Classes for Intermediate/Advanced students YOGA &
MEDITATION are held on Wednesdays from 7.30pm till
9pm at the McKillop Institute.
Contact: Mary for more info on 07971-277870 or
01505-842877
The orphanage is located in 2 rented
buildings, which are fairly basic structures
with walls and roofing made out of
beautifully crafted split bamboo, beaten
earth floors and no windows or artificial
light. No laptops or iPods here! The
accommodation may be basic but it is
spotlessly clean; solar panels heat hot
water, bath nights are on Thursdays and
the children are looked after by nursemaids,
known as didis. Girls can become
didis at age 17; some do the cooking
whilst others do housework, laundry
and general child-minding to name but a
few of their duties at the orphanage.
With our social, educational and paediatric
backgrounds, our team of 5 volunteers
was also able to assist and support
local staff by spending time with the
children. For me, as a mother and
grandmother myself, this was a very
rewarding experience. Although I don’t
speak Nepali (or any of the numerous,
regional languages of the outlying areas),
it was still possible to communicate
with the children on other levels
and to witness the great joy and excitement
they experienced in the daily reading
sessions we shared and, just as importantly,
the song and dance routines
including jiving, salsa, doing the Hokey
Cokey and Ring a Ring o’ Roses!
The children are often confined to the
buildings due to the intense heat and the
cramped city-centre location of the orphanage,
where outdoor space is at a
premium. The photograph shows some
of the children, from a range of ethnic
and cultural backgrounds, playing together
on a small outdoor balcony area,
which is only partly shielded from the
scorching rays of the sun.
As volunteers, we were able to spend
some of the money we raised on treats for
the children, one of which was a day out
at a local zoo. This proved to be a great
hit with the children who spent hours gazing
at the tigers, elephants, leopards and
all manner of other exotic creatures. It
was exciting for us too! The didis came
along too and provided a fabulous lunch,
which we all enjoyed under the canopy of
huge trees nearby.
There are many more happy memories
that I would like to share with you but
space is limited. However, if you would
like to find out more about the Naxal
Orphanage and about Nepal and its people,
I will be giving a slide show and talk
at some local events. The first of these
presentations will take place on Thursday
29 th January at 2pm at Paisley Abbey (as
part of Women’s Friendly Hour) and the
second event will take place on 19 th February
at 7pm at Barr Mill (as part of the
SWRI evening).
Finally, on behalf of the children and staff
of Naxal Orphanage, I would like to say a
very big thank you to family, friends,
Lochwinnoch Community Council and St
Vincent’s Hospice for your donations of
money, school books, reading books,
early reading books, crayons and other
educational materials, all of which have
brought such joy to the children we met.
If you would like to donate or help
with the Naxal Orphanage project in
any way, please get in touch with me
on Tel: 01505 843805.
Diana Adam
YOGA WORKSHOPS
January 17th Saturday "JOY"
February 21 Saturday "FREEDOM"
March 14 Saturday "AWAKENING"
April 26 Sunday "KINDNESS"
May 17 Sunday "TRUTH"
June 21 Sunday "ENTHUSIASM"
All workshops are held in Kilbarchan Guide Hall
and cost £15.00 Contact Rebecca on 0141-881-6700.