Day 1 Travel to Nepal and Kathmandu

Traveling to Kathmandu is quite a long trip.  Now that I have arrived and spent part of a day here I marvel at the 31 hours of flying and layovers I have spent.  My first experience, apart from the bustle of the airport, was the haze surrounding the city.  From the plane we were able to see many large dry river beds coming down from the mountains.  Without a steady rainfall, one day of rain in the last month, the water in the rivers are quite low and that means this county which is dependent on hydroelectric power is rationing its electricity to about 5 hours of power daily.  I will include some photos I took while driving from the airport and also to my trip to the US Embassy where the US AID offices are.  For over 60 years, US AID has supported the building of airports, roads, bridges and many other projects. We are hoping they might be interested in helping with the new projects we would like to start,  canning of fruits,  computer and education programs for young adults.  Thank you for visiting this blog and your support.  Rob

Nepal First Blog, Sister Schools Program

As I prepare for my second trip to Nepal I am excited about the new Sister Schools Program we have started.  Two weeks ago Hemu Adhikari, Treasurer for Global Action who was born in Chitwan, Nepal and I went to Independent Day School to talk with 500 students.  They were fascinated to hear about the country and when Hemu shared his upbringing in a rural village and what it was like going to school I could see the students begin to understand how lucky they were.  When I told them that ½ of the students there would be hungry and also ½ would get the chance to attend school it inspired them to want to help.  This last Friday I returned and I barely can share how emotional I felt when I saw the outpouring from them.  Two different classes created murals for me to take, other classes painted small paintings with messages about their lives and interests on the back.  I have a full suitcase to carry filled with art supplies, pencils, erasers and pens and the final great gift $700 to start a lunch program in a new school in the Bharse Valley in Gulmi province.  Thank you to Dr Joyce Swarzman, IDS teachers and staff and the amazing students.  One final note 11 year old Taylor from 5^th grade had the great idea for us to bring back paintings from the Nepalese children to create T shirts to sell as a fundraiser with Global Action Coalition and Independent Day School partnering to help children in Nepal.  The kind of imitative fills me with help for our future.  Stay tuned to this blog as I travel to some interesting places and introduce you to an amazing group of people.   Rob