18th December 2013
Thi is Guyatri, an early years teacher, cutting grass for her buffalo before heading to school for a full day of teaching. She’ll be working in the fields after school too, harvesting the food she’s planted, so that she and her family can eat.
Season’s greetings from Nepal. I hope you’re well and enjoying the festive season at home. People don’t stop to celebrate Christmas the way we do in the UK, and many have to work as hard as ever to provide for themselves and their families. Despite this, I know that your gifts are being felt by many poor children, families and teachers here, so on their behalf, I want to say thank you.
As I’m sure you can imagine, the build up to Christmas is very different here in Kaski. As you know, Nepal is a crushingly poor country – with a quarter of the population surviving on less than 60 pence a day.
So there isn’t the same emphasis on buying and receiving presents, and more focus on celebrating the little that people already have.
Not just teachers – they’re farmers too
Many of the teachers I work with experience this kind of devastating poverty.
On top of a full-time job, they spend hours and hours each day, in the morning and the evening, outside in the fields, making sure they have enough food for their families to survive.
I’d like to tell you about one teacher in particular, Guyatri, who’s become a dear friend of mine throughout my placement.
That’s her in the picture above, working in the garden outside her house. She’s cutting grass for her buffalo, which she uses to help harvest her crops.
No money for food, but still smiling
Guyatri teaches the youngest children in one of our schools in Kaski. Every morning and night, before and after school, she cuts grass for her buffalo, collects firewood and plants and harvests various types of crops and vegetables.
Because she doesn’t earn enough money to buy food from the market, this is the only way Guyatri can provide for her family.
Guyatri does all of this by herself. Her husband lives and works in India as a milkman, because he couldn’t find any work in Nepal, and only comes back home for a holiday 2 weeks a year.
Poverty is the norm here in Nepal
For all her hard work, Gayatri earns less than £15 a month, which is only about 50 pence per day.
Guyatri has no other choice but to live like this day in and day out – if she didn’t, she and her children would have nothing to eat.
I find it totally amazing that, despite this hardship, Guyatri manages to stay so positive, and have such a lovely smile. She’s also a fantastic and dedicated teacher, and it’s been a pleasure to work with her at the school.
Stories like Guyatri’s are quite common here in Nepal, and many people live incredibly tough lives similar to hers. But, with your support, I’ve been able to start making changes that will help young Nepali’s overcome this type of devastating poverty.
Kamala now has dreams of being a nurse
One young girl your support’s helping in this way is 11 year-old Kamala, who I’m pictured with here.
Kamala was as risk of dropping out of school because of trouble at home. She lives in a very poor Dalit settlement close to her school.
Her mother looks after her alone, and Kamala was being forced to look after her brothers and sisters.
But now, because classrooms and teaching are more fun, positive and inclusive, Kamala is happy and learning in the classroom, and has dreams of being a nurse.
And, because of the education your support’s helping to provide her, she has the chance to make this dream a reality.
Season’s greetings and thank you
So, I’d like to say thank you for all your continued support. Now, many poor children like Kamala have the chance to get the education they need to give them the best chance of overcoming a life of poverty and hardship.
As always, there’s still so much more to do, to ensure positive changes continue to help poor children and families overcome poverty. But it’s no exaggeration to say that great change couldn’t happen without you.
Before I go, I’d like to leave you with a picture I took recently whilst I was on a short morning walk before school.
The view is from a small village called Bhurjung Khola, where one of the schools I work in sits. I was absolutely overawed by its beauty, and the contrast of the lush green rice paddies and mountains just takes your breath away.
Once again, thank you for your support in 2013 – it’s meant so much to me, and I know it’s meant a lot to the poorest people here in Kaski, too.
I’ll be in touch early on in 2014 with more news of how your support’s improving education for the poorest children, but until then, have a lovely festive period and a very happy New Year.
Best wishes,
Beth
Kaski, Nepal
