Greetings from Nepal, Linda here from TUFA bringing you the latest happenings from a very dusty Kathmandu.   I have been here since October 9th and for the first time in a number years have enjoyed a few weeks holidays relaxing and playing tourist in Pokhara and Sun Koshi beach…..would totally recommend the experience!  

Joining me for a few weeks was Geraldine Allen, one of our Australian board members.  Geraldine accompanied me to our school rebuild at Shree Bhimsen Secondary School in Sindhupalchowk where we received an amazing welcome from the children, community and local officials.  I have never been endowed with so many flowers.

Two levels of the school are now complete and we have one final section to finish the build.  This will house an IT learning facility and library which will give children and their local communities the opportunity to expand their education and communication skills.

We are planning to establish a friendship program with an Australian school for students in Australia to connect with students in Nepal to share ideas, culture and classroom activities online.  There are also plans in place to plant a community garden which will include vegetables, coffee plants and agriculture programs giving many children in this region the skills to later support their families.

In February I was privileged to conduct a health and hygiene program at the school which some of the teachers expanded to a girls club.  Last week Geraldine, Pramila (our Kathmandu trainer) & myself made a second visit to the school which gave us the opportunity to take two sewing machines, which were generously donated by our Australian supporters.  Pramila spent the day teaching some of the teachers how to sew with a quick lesson in making the washable menstruation kits.  They are now practicing on samples which were provided and plan to teach the students to produce their own personal kits. 

With many meetings and further plans to expand on our programs for next year, this visit to Nepal has been exciting and fulfilling, especially seeing the school build coming to fruition.  All this is happening because of you, our supporters and we cannot thank you enough.

We are in need of further funding to complete the school. You can  purchase your $10 building brick on our website and have your name included as part of the school ‘Acknowledgment Wall’.  The wall will added next year after all the vital sections of the building have been completed.  Did I mention that we now have our DGR status with the ATO…..this means ALL DONATIONS OVER $2 ARE TAX DEDUCTABLE! 

As chairperson of a very small Aussie charity I am so aware of the work that happens behind the scenes by our board and committee members who ultimately are the basis of all the decisions that make these projects come to fruition.  Having the privilege of seeing first hand where all your generous donations are distributed is truly a huge honor and I am forever grateful to many!

I would like throw a personal thank my family who support me, especially Peter who allows me the opportunity to spend so much of my life in Nepal.  100% of all donations are distributed to our programs.  Our board members (including myself) are not paid wages and our time spent in Nepal is self-funded.

Enjoy the photos and PLEASE donate to our school rebuild and support an extremely vulnerable community.

Namaste,

Linda Harwood - Chairperson, The Umbrella Foundation Australia