Nepal Revisited – Day 24

This morning we headed to Sister’s to pick up some cash & to organise additional funds from the bank. While Heather got her hair straightened Richard & I along with Nirmal headed off to organise the purchase of at least 50 more quilts.

Once they were purchased we headed back to the house to offload them, as we are awaiting word from one of our partners of a suitable location to send them, along with the others that we are storing for the time being. They are aware of a community in need who has had minimal assistance to date and they would come in very handy as the colder weather approaches.

Today I was also able to get in contact with Basanta from Runchet to follow-up on where things are at with the CGI sheeting that they are waiting on. The supplier has advised that they should have the complete order in stock some time this week and that the villagers will be able to pick it up next week and distribute it as soon as the stocks arrive. I also advised him to do a measure up of how much CGI they would need to fix up the school as when we visited I noticed that the tarpaulins they had been using were showing signs of deterioration and were fraying along the edges. Hopefully we have some funds that we can direct their way to assist with this.

In the afternoon we headed to the New Road market and spent about an hour there so that I could get some gifts for family as I head home on Thursday evening next week. It would have been very easy to spend at least the whole afternoon there if not the entire day as we only got to see a fraction of the stalls and shops that are on offer.

Over dinner we caught up on the local news, especially information on what is happening with the current fuel shortage. This article from the Himalayan Times entitled “Int’l community, India urged to address humanitarian crisis in Nepal” sheds some light on the extent of the issues facing the humanitarian aid response and the effects that the unofficial blockade is having on essential services and the economy of Nepal.

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Nepal Revisited – Day 23

This morning we were made aware that not only was Sanga’s mum in India not too well, but his wife Manun was not well either. She had been admitted to hospital with heart issues. So the interviews that were planned for today would be carried out by Richard, Heather & I, as Sanga awaited word on how Manun was doing at the hospital and how his mum was.

We therefore had a brief catch-up meeting with Sanga, offering our prayers of support and for a speedy recovery for both his wife and mum. Also requesting strength and encouragement for Sanga and the girls as they wait for positive news.

Two candidates had been chosen from the applicants that had applied for the role – which is in effect an administrative assistant / translator for the project team going forward. However, only one showed up which may make the process easier; she was very well presented and keen to get involved with this kind of role, as it would help her long term, as she wants to get more involved in practical social work in the future.

After the interviews Richard went and spent some time with Sanga, to offer support and encouragement. Seeing as they both come from Mizoram in India they could talk over what is going on etc. more easily.

Meanwhile, Heather and I got on with some planning for the remainder of the week, reports and admin. While we were doing this we had an interesting conversation around the job that was on offer and how it is so easy, for young women in particular, to get tricked into trafficking due to the allure of the need to acquire money. Particularly in poor countries such as Nepal where things at the moment are not exactly stable.

In the evening we had some down time for a change and watched movies.

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