I was only 17 years old when I
first heard of International Teachers Association in 2000 while
I was a student at Yangrima School. A teacher of mine, Mr
Norchung Lama who originally served as the representative to ITA
in Nepal had been to Denmark on a teachers’ gathering followed
by few other teachers. They all came back with lots of new
energy and enthusiasm which greatly benefitted our learning
environment. This relationship kept on growing modestly in
several forms, for example, Danish teachers visiting Nepal and
the exchanges of news.
Although there were less
activities during the years after 2001 when Nepal went through a
severe political disturbance, things started to take its
momentum in 2006 after I was trusted to take on the
responsibility as the ITA representative. In the year, I
proposed late Frank Kroyer, the then chairman of ITA, to support
two government schools in the villages of Helambu called Tartong
and Nakote where there had been an urgent need for paying
salaries for extra teachers. In each of the school, there were
only two teachers, however with a responsibility of looking
after over at least 70 children for the classes that stretched
for grade one through to five.
Responding to this need, Frank
emailed me with pleasant news that Danish groups have arranged a
way to pay the salaries for two teachers. Ever since, the
support has encouraged the schools to produce lots of positive
changes from improved classroom environment, increased school
activities and motivated teachers to teach the children to
mention few. In the year 2009, the visit of Danish group to
Nepal that trekked through the villages and meeting the locals
have inspired them to do more for the school and certainly has
left behind the deep sense of friendship.
Bolstered by all these support
and inspiration, the villagers in both villages worked hard
throughout 2009 until the early summer of 2010 to build whole
new school building with support from ranges of supports. The
supporters such as MondoChallenge Foundation, which is a UK
based Charity provided funding for new school building Shree
Deurali Primary School in Tartong and Nepal Education Initiative,
a non-profit in the US provided resources for building for
Nakote School. In gaining and managing these supports, I was the
key person.
Where both of these schools
stand now in comparison to the year 2006 when ITA first jumped
in to provide a teacher salary is a clearly a different picture
on ranges of positive track of development. To note that the
community’s involvement is now inextricable from the schools’
overall management and to observe encouraging number of children
attending the schools are a few, but worthy notes of development
that could not have happened without the supports the schools
have received from various sources included ITA.
In these villages, life is difficult for the villagers because
of their economic hardship, so a small support like this do spur
to bring about a great change as we can read in my description
above. A majority of the villagers live under poverty line and
their only way of making income is by going to India or
elsewhere to labor for half a year. Everyday their life starts
before the dawn and do not rest until very late evening just to
be able to make their ends meet yet no savings they can make.
With education opportunity for their children, living standard
is surely to change over the years as the children will grow up
to have much wider options in their life.
The ITA group visit to Nepal in
2009 not only enjoyed themselves to the majestic beauty of the
mountainous sceneries and exposure to cultures and people of
this country, but also left a donation towards building of a
toilet for girls in Tartong
No doubt with the completion of
the project in May of 2009, it has dramatically improved the
sanitation of the school and has marked the end to the era of
jungle-toilet that the children use to run into prior to it.
His absence is felt with a great
loss, and we continue to pray in all our hearts that Frank’s
departed soul rest peacefully at the caring hands of the god
forever!
In his memory, ITA Nepal wish to
continue the support to the two schools, and further welcomes
our Danish friends to continue our cultural and educational
exchanges through the opportunities that might open up in the
form of visits to Nepal and Denmark, and volunteering
opportunity for young Danes in these beautiful Nepalese hillside
villages to feel and support the works so that we may be able to
pay tribute to Frank this way.
For those interested in
volunteering as a teacher in these villages; please contact
jimmylama@gmail.com.
Volunteering is a life-time experience helping the
underprivileged children who are keen to meeting new people and
learning new things, and one best way to nourish your spiritual
well-being. One does not need to be professionally a teacher,
although best if one is, to qualify to spend a short stint as a
volunteer. To be a volunteer, there is no age bar, however one
must be healthy and be able to walk the rugged paths of the
hills. Any discipline of expertise is useful such as sports,
music, arts and crafts etc, however one must possess utmost
enthusiasm and open-mindedness.
The volunteers can spend a time
anywhere from 4 weeks up to 12 weeks or even more. The
volunteers live with the local family in a house of vernacular
setting and eat local food. There is absolutely no fees in doing
this, however one must pay towards their local food and
accommodation which comes to as less as $ 20 weekly. Any
donations that could be brought along either in cash or kinds
for the schools will be greatly appreciated. To reach to
Tartong and Nakote, it takes 5 hours of bus ride from Kathmandu
and 4-5 hours of walking steep uphill. For application form and
further detail, please write to us.
Below is testimony of recent
volunteers from Denmark Stine Thesjberg and Elisabeth who spent
a short stint at Nakote School. They came through the connection
of ITA.
Thank you and wish you all good
days, weeks and months ahead!
Jimmy Lama, ITA Nepal
Representative.
27 October 2010.
All of these positive works and
the progress made in these two villages which will continue to
ensure better future for the local children reflect distinctly
the support and love Frank Kroyer had for Nepal and Nepalese
children.
