VIEW FROM THE MOUNTAIN CENTER

You can see beautiful landscapes and on the clear day peaks of Annpurna, Manaslu, Ganesh….. but what else you can see from the mountain center?

You can see small villages: Ghyampesal, Lochill, Pohare and other as small neighboring villages. I will be talking about those three villages Ghyampesal, Lochill and Pohre  under the eye of the mountain center.

Morning scenery from the stairs leading to mountain center

Lochill early in the morning

These are rural villages. People are cultivating the land for their own use. There are only few commercial farms, tiny ones. People wake up early to pray, collect water, do other morning chores and go to the field. Young ones either continue the heritage of their parents, go to Kathmandu to have education or move to another area or country to work. Life is simple, peaceful and like it has been always. You do your work in order to survive. Villages got the electricity two years ago, there is no internet connection. You never know when you have or don’t have electricity.

Takurs mother, me and Takurs son Babu

WATER

On these villages they do have water supply system. It is more than 40 years old. Every household pays 50 rupees a month and have access to water… when there is access to it. The water tank has been built a long time ago, it is small and it is also located in a place which doesn´t make the supply any easier. Now is the monsoon season and water tank is full so there is water for everyone. There is only approx. ten taps in the whole area and sometimes water is available only certain hours per day. Villages have been divided into sectors which have their own water collecting times. Men get to bathe first, women last. Households furthest from the water source have to use many hours a day for getting enough water for people and animals. Dry season is completely another story… water has to be collected even further, sometimes by car from neighboring willages …

Neighboring village has also water supply system.  Every household pays 150 rupees a month and have access to water. Always... and from their own houses!

Takurs mother (Ama) carrying water to home

EDUCATION

There are two schools in the area. Other one is a community school Shree Dullav H.S.S Ghyampesal which has 700- 900 students. There are primary classes from 1-8 and secondary classes from 9-12. Schooling is free, only things they have to provide are pens, school uniform and some copies of books. Sometimes this is too much and parents don´t have money to put they children to school. Theoretically 95% of children go to school but during the farming season some children work on the fields and don’t participate the school work. Children ware the same school uniform year after year. Pencil or pen is a treasure for some of these children.

Community school Shree Dullav H.S.S Ghyampesal

Children singing the national anthem in the morning

In school for 700 - 900 children there are only two toilets, one classroom has a leaky roof and area don’t have any gate which makes buildings vulnerable to vandalism. There is urgent need for extra space because in some days there are four different classes (English, Nepali, Physical health, social science, environment science or creative arts) going on at the same time in same classroom! National recommendation for primary school having pupils/ teacher is 20 and this school average is 30. For secondary level the recommendation is 25 and in this school it is around 40 students. On the day I visited the school the number was 52 students for one teacher.

School is funded by ministry of education but a school is mainly running with donations done by local community. Ministry isn´t funding any buildings or even all the teacher´s salaries! During time I visited the school there was construction going on. Because it is farming season it is difficult to get labor and the teachers were doing the construction work. Principal was on the roof also helping. Amazing people! One of the teachers told me that sometimes he don´t get any salary but comes to school every day anyway.

Principal and teachers at the construction site

Tuk Nath Adhikari, pricipal of Evergreen boarding school and  Shiva Prasad Bhatta, principal of Shree Dullav H.S.S Gyampesal

The other school is Evergreen boarding school which has classes from nursery to primary classes eight grade. For some funny reason in the boarding school they don’t have seventh grade at all? Fee for boarding school is 400 -1000 rupees a month. Children have possibilities to have secondary level education in they own area but many of them don’t continue after eight grade or stop even earlier. Those young ones who want to have work or continue their education these villages offers little or nothing.

HEALT POST & AMBULANCE

Health Post

Health post is providing free health check-ups and 35 different free me medication to local community. There is four health workers who don’t have capacity to perform any surgical operations or any other more serious injuries or diseases. Those who can´t be helped have to go to Gurkha hospital by their own cost. Ambulance is owned by community and trip to hospital is 3500 rupees.

Ambulance

"tie" jeepin sisältä katsottuna

Do I think this village might need a boost, little help? I do. Even thou these are always really delegate matters. You never know is your good also good for those to whom you are offering it.

I believe there should specially be options for young people and Chance for Change project is one of these options. Project has started. Delegates are out, construction of the mountain center can start. I will tell more about it later! 

Jameas and Takurs family looking from the map where England is

Takur, James and some of the Nepali youngster connected to the project