Indreni, Nepal Kathmandu
On the 10th of February I got the privilege of going to Kathmandu in Nepal for six days of charity work, but I also learned about the culture, the cuisine and the lifestyle. I knew what I would being doing in Nepal, but I didn’t know how it would change me and the way I looked at my world.
The long 14 hour journey to Nepal was filled with chatter from the group that I was going with , trying to get to know each other. I already knew four people going and I was really excited to get to know the other six. My Dad had gone to Nepal twice before, helping to build a school for the kids that are apart of a charity called Indreni. Indreni give as much time, money and effort as they can to a children’s home and school in Nepal, almost all of the kids in the children home have been either homeless or in a difficult situation, the children’s home take in children of all ages, from toddlers to almost adults, they make sure they get a good education and try their best to ensure that all their kids have a successful future.
When we arrived in Nepal we were welcomed with a traditional silk scarf placed around our necks by the managers of Indreni, who work in both the school and children’s home, Raj and RahmHarry. We drove straight to the place where we were staying, dropped off our bags and then went to the childrens home, where we were once again given silk scarfs by all of the kids. I had never seen children so happy in my whole life, their smiles and laughter were contagious and we couldn’t wait to talk to them. We were free to walk around the building as we pleased, to see the kitchen, bedrooms and recreational rooms. Although my favourite part of the children’s home was on top of the building where we ate our lunch, the children graced us with songs and dances that they had prepared. What I was most surprised at was how incredible all of their English was, they were all almost fluent. The nicest thing about going to the children’s home was seeing how grateful they were for everything and how much fun they were having, it made me realise how lucky I am to have my parents and my home.
That night we got to walk around the Stupa which is a Buddhist Shrine, all of the shops, markets and restaurants surround the Stupa and it was where we would go to eat every night. After dinner went straight to bed as we knew we would need our rest for the next day. We were told the next day that we were cycling to the school, and although Elena, Julie, Sophie (the friends that I made for life on the trip) and I were against cycling in the beginning, once we were on the bikes we were so glad we weren’t in a car. We cycled through many towns and took in everything they had to offer, it was evident that some towns were poorer than others and seeing all of the homeless people and stray animals made us realise just how impoverished the country is. When we got to the school it was a public holiday, so only the kids from the children’s home were there, they were practicing dances and playing games, we were shown around the school and saw the classrooms and walls we would be painting the next day. While I was trying to take in all the information of what I would be doing the next day, all I could do was compare my school to theirs, how fortunate I am to have the facilities and learning opportunities that I have and yet I would still find myself complaining, while the children there are grateful to get an education and a building to learn in, no matter what circumstances they were in. Which made being able to paint the school so much better, the kids deserved a school as colourful and bright as their personalities and we couldn’t wait to get started the next day. I got to know all of he children and although it took me a while to remember their names, now I know I will never forget them. Some of the girls had never seen blonde hair before and were fascinated by the fact that I had blue eyes and blonde hair. Two girls that really took a shine to me were Bikita and Bibisa, and it didn’t take me long to fall in love with them too.
Our third day we cycled straight to the school to start painting. When we arrived we were astonished by how many were kids there for such a small school, the children were all lined up in their classes, singing songs and saying prayers. We got straight to work and began painting the outside of the classrooms, not surprisingly all of the little kids ran to the window to give high fives and hugs, while in the older classes we could see they took there work very seriously and knew they were privileged to be getting an education. At lunch we talked to the older students, learned about their lives and subjects and what they wanted to do when they left school.
We were painting again in the school the next day, and we were just as excited to see the kids as they were to see us. We were painting the inside of the classrooms this time and wanted to make sure we did everything perfectly. We spent hours making sure we painted every part of the school and when we were finished the kids and teachers were more than grateful, it made e realise that me doing the smallest thing could have such a large impact on someones life. I talked more to the smaller kids this day and tried to learn more about them and what they thought of school, of course they told me they all loved it, it was such a happy and loving community I don’t see how you couldn’t.
Our fifth day in Nepal was something the kids and our group were both looking forward to, as instead of being in the school or children’s home, we all went to a park to have a huge picnic and day of fun out with the kids from the children’s home. This is a day they had all told me they had been looking forward to for the longest time. They played games like football, badminton and frisbee, but we also learned many school yard games from both the boys and girls. We ate food made by the teachers and then had a huge game of musical chairs o finish off the day. We were sad coming home from the park as we knew the next day was our last. Although I haven’t talked about the people I came with, they were the most amazing and kind group, we all bonded within hours of being together and became best friends, we would talk about how lucky we are and how we would like to come back to help more, we talked about how much we would miss the kids and were sad to think of them missing us. Every night Raj and Ramharry would eat dinner with us and tell us the back story of each child in the children’s home, it broke my heart to hear what happened to the kids, but I was so glad that I had come with Indreni to help them, it was also inspiring how much the kids went through and still were able to have a smile on their faces.
Our final day began with us shopping in the Stupa for gifts to bring to the children and home to our families. We then travelled to the children’s home one final time to give them the uniforms, computers and musical instruments that we and Indreni had bought them. It was evident to us that the kids were sad we were leaving but we assured them all that we would remember all of them. Many tears were shed as we were saying our goodbyes and none of us wanted to leave.
I didn’t want to leave as I knew life would be so different at home, I felt guilty going home to a warm bed and a loving family, not because I don’t deserve it but because all of the children in Nepal do too. I had always seen ads on TV of poverty in countries and kids in need , but it never effected me as much as this trip has, I realised this is happening to actual people that I now know and have become friends with. In the future I would like to do more work with Indreni and do charity work in Nepal again, I would like for people to realise how fortunate they are and how rewarding it is to give help to the people who need it most. I did not come back from Nepal the same person I was, and I am so glad I experienced six days that changed me for the better.