FROM BALUWA TO THE EARTHQUAKE EPICENTRE IN BARPAK

This lady had fallen over and injured her face just a few days earlier. As there is no proper healthcare her injuries are not recovering well.

Lady who showed me the way from Baluwa to Barpak.

Waterfall on the way.

On my way to Barpak I stopped in Mandre (close to Tilidana and Tunsighang). Here every house had been destroyed. While having tea there a man from the village described to me what happened when the earthquake struck. They were close to the house when the ground started shaking. Fortunately most of the people were not inside. The stone walls of their houses starting to dance when the earthquake started. After some time all the walls and then the roofs collapsed. All the houses were destroyed.

The village of Mandre has been completely destroyed.

Earthquake proof temporary shelters in Mandre.

He explained that he found some people completely buried under piles of stone. Others were screaming because they had been injured by falling stones and wood. There is no hospital or medical support in these villages. People died during the following days as result of their untreated crush injuries. Most of the roads and the trails were destroyed so it was very dangerous to try and go to other villages in search of support. The lost not only their houses but also their food stores and in many cases their water supplies too.

Group of porters carrying cement up to slowly start reconstructing their houses.

Lady taking corn leaves from the field to feed their cattle.

This porter was my companion on the way up to Barpak.

 In the days following the earthquake the villagers shared food, water and shelter amongst themselves. After a few days they went down to other villages to find food and materials to create safer shelters to protect themselves from the strong sun and heavy monsoon rains. They carried materials up by hand. Still no support had come from outside.

Handing over clothing to a surprised group of Dalit (Untouchable) people in Barpak.

Together with the Dalit (Untouchable) and low caste people of Barpak. They have to live separately from the rest of the village and high caste people should not touch them or come close to them..

Dalit lady.

One week after the earthquake NGO's began arriving to bring food, help with water supplies and wood and iron sheeting to make stronger, safer shelters. The man said that all this time there was no sign of the Nepali government. Nepalis in the past have never had much trust in the government but now in the aftermath of the earthquake they trust it even less. Most of the people I spoke to think that they will get no government support in the future and hope that NGOs will help them to rebuild their houses.

Remains of Barpak.

The gate is the only part left of this house.

Most people in this area now realize that stone buildings with stone roofs in not the safest building style for the future. Unfortunately this means that their beautiful traditional houses will be hard to find in this area, changing the scenery forever. In the past there was a lot of tourism in this area because of the strong cultural traditions and the picturesque stone houses high up in the mountains. Tourists may not be so eager to trek through this harsh and unforgiving environment if they are to be greeted with stronger and safer yet less aesthetically pleasing modern buildings. It will be a sad thing if the tourism does not recover: bringing these people doubly bad luck.

Barpak and all the plastic shelters.

EXPERIENCING a Earthquake in Gorkha

AUGUST 10, 2015

During the night I was woken by my bed moving. I was still sleepy and wasn't sure what was happening. The shaking movement was followed by a lot of screaming and crying. It took me a few minutes to realize what was happening. An earthquake was striking and it was a strong one because when I tried to out of bed I had difficulty getting up. The room was dark, very dark and I couldn't find my light or telephone. I had forgotten forgot where I put them before I went to bed not thinking that in Nepal these earthquakes can happen suddenly, including at night. I was in a strange hotel room. Where was the light switch? I searched in the dark while the movements continued with people screaming and crying louder and louder. I heard some people screaming to me: " go outside, this is earthquake, please go fast ".

I thought about the situation. I was in a concrete building with multiple floors. Would this be strong enough...or perhaps not. I had seen lots of these concrete buildings destroyed by the earlier 6.7 and 6.4 earthquake. Would this one be so strong that the building could collapse? I went to the doorway and wanted to run out but the door was locked from inside. Damn where was this lock,in the top or bottom? I found it and wanted to run outside but I realized something was missing from my feet and grabbed my flip flops. Then I decided quickly to grab my computer, telephone and wallet. I walked to the stairs and went down. I realized that the shaking had stopped. Would it be over now? Or would it return again and perhaps even stronger? Should I quickly take more of my positions like my camera, which I call "my baby" to many people? But what if I went back and the earthquake came back even stronger. I had again a long way to go to get outside of this building. I decided to keep moving to the outside of the building. On my way there were more people moving out. From some faces you could read that they were terrified, especially the women. Most of the men were asking me if I realized that this was an earthquake, making jokes to me and laughing. Probably they were as afraid as the women and children but they were too macho to show this to others.

When I got outside there were about 200 people who had come out all of all the houses and little apartments. Most of them were talking about what happened. Most wanted to go back to sleep but others said that it was not safe to return to the building. After 30 minutes the situation calmed down and people started going back inside. They told me to go sleep again but my mind was quite confused and I could still feel a lot of adrenaline in my body. Lying back in bed I was thinking that if there was a next time I should find a safe place more quickly. Still there was a lot of sound around me in the building and the street. I rehearsed what to do if they earthquake came back. Slowly the sound faded and this also calmed me down and I fell asleep again, luckily not to wake up from another earthquake.

Visiting the Shree Himal Higher Secondary School in Simjung.

All the students amongst the ruins of their school.

Climb from Baluwa to Simjung

I had met Pranjali Gurung the previous day and she introduced me to her brother who was the Village Secretary of Baluwa and had been hired as a social worker by Oxfam. Hewas going up to Simjung the next morning to handover some health promotion posters. I decided to join him because I wanted to see for myself the damage caused by the earthquake and how the people were coping with the aftermath.

Students in their temporary tent classrooms donated by the Indian Army.

Social worker for Oxam who wanted to guide me to Simjung.

I was told most NGOs hadn’t visited Simjung as they all were going to the bigger and more easily accessible village of Barpak. 

The day before I had met a few teachers from the Shree Himalaya Higher Secondary School in Simjung. They told me that they only had temporary school buildings and that there was no funding available to pay permanent buildings for school. I was invited to visit their school and hear their story.

Girl on her way to school, cooling herself with her scarf. She was the daughter of the family with whom I stayed in Baluwa.

Teacher leading the morning school Assembly.

It was a long and extremely hot 600 metre climb up to the village of Simjung. I wasn't thinking about myself but these children that were joining us in the walk up. They had to walk one and a half hours up to school and later one hour all the way back down to their homes, six days a week. As schools in Nepal start at ten o'clock, they had to start walking at half past eight. Sunrise at this time of the year is around five o'clock and by nine o’clock the temperature has already reached thirty five degrees. All the children were using umbrellas to try to shield themselves from the burning sun. We stopped 3 time in the shade to recover. They had were laughing and giggling but unfortunately it was hard for me to understand.

Children exercising at their morning assembly.

Arriving at school in the morning I observed their morning assembly. The English teacher explained what was happening and after the assembly guided me around the ruins of the old school.  

Lined up from youngest to oldest. The school day begins like this every morning, in every school across Nepal.

The principal of the Shree Himalaya Higher Secondary School standing amongst all that remains of their once beautiful school building.

INTERVIEW AT THE HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOL IN SIMJUNG. 

Students showing me the remains of their school benches. They are hoping for funding so they can buy material to repair them.

All the school’s buildings were destroyed. In total 19 classrooms were lost. The Nepali government has given 3 lakh (300 000) rupees (about € 2750).This money was only enough to build 10 temporary classrooms out of tin. The rest of the classes are still given in 10 tents donated by the Indian Army. A German man named Gunther gave school teaching materials including whiteboards, a globe and pencils.

Photo taken from the outside of the school window of the 8th class. School windows in Nepal are always covered by bars.

The tin buildings get extremely hot in the strong summer sun. Temperatures rise to above 35 degrees in the classrooms and there is no ventilation besides a few windows. The English teacher explained to me that after a few months the cold winter season will start. Temperatures here in this mountain area will drop to between 5 and 10 degrees. The thin buildings will not give sufficient shelter against the strong cold winds. Because of this the teacher asked for support for the village school. The Nepali government will not provide more help at this time and it is very uncertain whether it will provide any further help in the future.

Third class with their teacher.

Extra lessons given to three 11th Class students.

The babies of the school - 2nd Class.

I was told the villagers were lucky because the earthquake came on Saturday which is a holiday.  All the teachers lost their homes and some had family members injured. After the earthquake their first priorities had been to take care of their families, find and arrange food and build temporary shelters.

Boys from 6th class.

Namaste: The traditional gesture of greeting with hands held together and raised in respect.

Girls reading from their books.

Three days after the earthquake all teachers gathered together and went to see what the earthquake had done to their school. They found a disaster. The buildings had collapsed. Gone were the desks, chairs, computers, whiteboards, books, and posters. The solar panels which provided enough power for small lights in classrooms had been smashed.

Seventh class.

Secondary level English teacher with the girls from his class. Boys and girls are taught separately in all governmentschools.

Teaching 5th Class in one of the tents donated by the Indian Army.

The remains of the school’s computers. Now they have to try and teach without them.

In the staff tent the teachers were eating biscuits that were provided by the wfp.org NGO.

The teachers wrote a letter for me to ask for help. I will try to publish it in the Netherlands. It became clear to me that Simjing has missed out on assistance with most of the aid going to Barpak and Laprak because they are accessible by road.

Principal, teacher and his class in their tent donated by the Indian Army.

During lunch break I asked the students to gather on the ruins of their old school building for a group photo. The first photo is just two classes together in their old classrooms. Following to this all 400 students gathered at the remains of their school (see first photo of this post).

Children from three classes in the ruins of their classrooms.

Children in the remains of their classrooms.

Girl standing in front of her temporary tin classroom.

Girl posing in front of her classroom. The school benches in the background, twisted by the destructive force of the earthquake, are in need of some maintenance.

Most of the children at the school are and happy that they can go to school again as their education was interrupted for two months after the earthquake.

All that remains of the school’s precious stock of text books

After visiting the school with them we walked further through the village of Simjung. Buddhist prayer flags were flapping in the breeze. But where before a little Buddhist temple stood there was now only a pile of stones and the broken top of the temple. I looked around the place and found many ruined textbooks and student’s exercise books.

Students arriving home in their village.

Child passing all that remains of her house every morning going to school and every afternoon returning home. The look on her face shows her feelings…

To Gorkha and a visit to Baluwa, close to the epicentre of the earthquake

The road from Gorkha to Baluwa was in a terrible condition because of the strong monsoonal rain.

Kathmandu to Gorkha

I left Kathmandu for Gorkha in the morning. I had been told the bus would go straight to Gorkha but as is often the case in Nepal, the information was incorrect and I had to change buses in a little town to get to Gorkha. It only took me 5 minutes to find my next bus so there was no time to see what town I was in. The bus was jam packed – it would have been physically impossible to squeeze another passenger in. The ticket seller quickly offered me a seat as he saw I was about to change my mind and take another bus. I did have a seat but not much space! Two people were leaning on me and I had two pigeons in a homemade cage on my lap. Later a lady with a baby got on the bus and was standing very close to me. When the baby saw me it started crying loudly. This often happens when a baby sees a strange looking white face. 

The idea of moving these big boulders by hand soon faded after we took a closer look. We had to wait for an excavator.

Posing on the landslide that blocked the road.

From Gorkha to Baluwa

Unfortunately my day started with a bit of bad luck. I had been told that the bus would leave at 7:00 but arriving at the station I found the bus had left 20 minutes earlier so I took the next one at 9:30. Traveling in Nepal requires a lot of patience and flexibility because there are no real timetables and things can change suddenly, with little warning. In the afternoon, just after a tea stop, the bus came to a halt. Looking through the front window I immediately saw why…

We could not continue because there was a big landslide in front of us. I took my camera and got out to take a closer look. There were huge boulders, some measuring 2 square metre covering the road and part of the road was missing - one third of it had broken off and slid all the way down the hillside into the river. That’s why the word ‘landslide’ is so apt:  A part of the hillside just breaks away and slides down taking everything in its path with it. During the monsoon landslides happen all the time. The dirt roads and walking trails are very unpredictable at this time of the year. The earthquakes in April damaged many of the hillsides so this year the situation is doubly dangerous.  It can take up to 20 men to remove the debris after a landslide and rebuild the road or walking trails.

Boys exploring the landslide while other passengers get off the bus. They were realizing that they would have to walk all the way to Baluwa - 3 hours away by foot!

It was heartbreaking to see the remains of the old traditional houses when I arrived in Baluwa. The temporary dwellings built of shining tin and orange and blue plastic sheeting made an ugly sight…But what else could they do? These materials are easy to transport into the mountains by bus and tractor. 

After walking for two hours in 30 degree heat the bus found its way accross the landslide.

When I arrived in Baluwa I searched for a place to sleep amongst all these tin and plastic shelters. It wasn’t easy. I asked around but either I got starred at or the people told me a long story in Nepali which I couldn't understand. I have learned to speak the most common words and understand the most commonly asked questions but this was not enough to communicate with these people, who spoke with a different dialect. Eventually I found some girls who were dressed less traditionally and was lucky that one of them spoke a few words of English. She took me to a house where I could stay. Enjoying a delicious milk tea I started writing this story.

Only the wooden frame of this house is left. This explains why most people now are trying to construct temporary houses made from wood.

As I was staying in the main street I could watch the children returning home after school. They were all dressed nicely in uniforms, some looking away shyly and others looking at me and finally giving a big smile.

Abandoned ruins on the way to Baluwa.

Baluwa

Father trying to repair the small bicycle that obviously wasn't strong enough to handle the rough, stony roads.

While exploring the village I found the UNICEF Health Post. An English speaking woman explained the UNICEF and Oxfam programmes to me. UNICEF has been helping in general with medical support while Oxfam has provided food, water supplies and the material to build temporary shelters. She offered me to show me around the village.

Old bazaar (market) in Baluwa. Before the earthquake this was the heart of the village, full of market stalls and shops.

The wooden ladder is the only thing left of this side of the house.

We walked through the old bazaar. Here no house had been spared and all of them had been left uninhabitable. Some houses had just a few walls, a doorway or a stairway left. 

Child taking water from a tap in what was the main street of the village.

She guided me further and showed me where her family’s house had stood. Nothing was left apart from 3 steps at the front of the house. Amongst the rubble I could see the remains of their furniture and possessions.

She explained when the earthquake struck there was no time to take anything from the house. They had escaped as the walls were moving and starting to fall. Afterwards they realized that they had not only lost their homes but also all their belongings and more importantly their food, which had been stored inside. 

Pranjali Gurung in front of the steps to her family’s house. Now weeds have started to grow amongst the ruins.

Posing in front of the ruins of her family’s house.

Gas cooking stove destroyed by the earthquake. Now they are back to cooking on their unhealthy smoky fires.

Above the sound of stones and wood collapsing they heard the sound of people crying. Sadly 4 people in Baluwa were killed in the earthquake.

We climbed up the 3 remaining steps and looked around. Carrying her two year old daughter on her hip she looked out sadly over the devastation that covered the village she had called her home.

Ladies searching for any remaining possessions and getting water from the destroyed bazaar (market) in Baluwa.

Water tap in the destroyed bazaar (market).

Oxfam provided support to earthquake victims from this tent. When I visited there was no staff anymore but the post remains in case of future earthquakes.

Last clothing to families in Necha

Two families: Micro-Care Nepal was able to give clothing to almost all these children.

2015/08/16 
The first thing I did was to go with Rohit’s uncle to give the last of the clothing to some disadvantaged families living further downhill. You could see these families were really poor. Their reaction to receiving the clothes was really nice to see. Unfortunately there were more boys than girls in these 3 families so we couldn't provide all the children with new clothes. I should be satisfied and I was for the most part but wished I could have given something to every child. After breakfast I collected my things, packed my bag and went up to the market. I visited the butchers’ quarters and they were pleased to have their photos taken. 

Two little sisters.

Happy with her Jip and Janneke t-shirt.

Mother and her daughter with a new shirt.

At the market there was a display from a big foundation from the United States. They had posters about hygiene, family planning, contraception and nutrition. There was also a speaker who explained the programme and encouraged people to come, see and listen. I talked to one of the people from the foundation who was managing the event. He told me that this programme was being run in 41 of Nepal’s 75 districts. I was enthusiastic about their project but could see that a lot of people were just passing by without taking much notice.
There was no interaction with the people other than presenting the information and hoping that they would adopt and apply it. I realized that Micro-Care Nepal Foundation should create an active and interactive way of raising these issues. 

Father showing his son’s damaged clothing. I think these families are the really worthy recipients of Micro-Care Nepal’s clothing.

Mother and her 4 year old child who has just received a new t-shirt.

These 3 children all received new clothes from Micro-Care Nepal.

Handing over bandages, syringes and needles given by Dutch donors to the Necha Community Hospital.

After visiting the market the walk started from Necha to Okhaldunga.

Village blacksmith.

Family going to shop for fruit and vegetables.

Girl selling onions, ginger and tobacco leaves.

Butchers proud to pose with their meat.

This husband and wife work every Thursday, butchering animals that are sold in the market.

Weighing meat for a customer.

Developing our Greenhouse projects

Handing over one of the plastic sheets to a teacher and his family.

Early morning we got up to handover one of the big plastic sheets to a teacher and his family. A greenhouse farming group has been formed in Necha and together they will build a new greenhouse.

Without the help of Micro Care Nepal these families would never have been able to buy the plastic sheeting ….which costs the equivalent of two years’ pay! 

The second greenhouse established by Micro Care Nepal in Necha.

This family already had a greenhouse and the father was attending a course in greenhouse farming run by the Ministry of Agriculture. The bamboo frame was ready so we could finish this greenhouse very quickly. They just needed the support of Micro Care Nepal in providing the plastic sheeting to cover their greenhouse and then they could start farming. 

Our friend was joking for the picture, pretending to fall from his dangerous local ladder! He has already been attending greenhouse education course and was reading to us from his text book.

Domaraj tying bamboo together.

Laughing in between work.

One of the teachers helping us to tie the bamboo together with wire.

During the afternoon we walked around the village to handover more photos to people and to have a look at the beautiful views of the valleys. 

Dili Bastola posing with his children while working on his fields. Dili is starting a fish business by creating a fish pond just bit lower on the mountain.

The beautiful rice terraces of Necha.

Posing with her photo wearing traditional clothing. The yellow and green necklace and the bracelets on her arm signify that she is married.

Preparing the field before planting the rice.

Researching further steps to take and exploring collaborations

Rohit planting rice in his uncle's fields.

Baby rice plants ready to be transplanted into the rice fields.

Walking through a small creek used during the monsoon to irrigate the rice fields.

2015/08/13
We visited the new Necha Community Hospital building and met with Nilam Bastola, chairman of the Asian Heritage Foundation Nepal. He is managing the building of the new in hospital in Necha which has been supported with funding from a number of foundations. The building work had been slowed because of all the people in Necha were busy planting rice in their fields. 

We talked to Nilam about working together with the hospital doctor to teach first aid to school teachers from the 16 schools in Necha. We had already discussed this with Rohit’s uncle who is the headmaster of one of the schools in Necha and influential in Necha’s education community. We decided to meet with the doctor and develop an education programme based on the most common first aid presentations in Necha.

Collecting grass for the goats.

Together with Nilam we walked to a few remote houses and poor families living on the eastern hills surrounding Necha. Here the people were living in temporary shelters provided by the government or other aid organizations. 

Discussing social topics with Vishnu from Asian Heritage Foundation Nepal.

Many people are living in temporary shelters following the earthquake.

Getting organized and discussing our first-aid project

Girl, early morning, on her way to work in the fields.

2015/08/12
After meeting with the school teachers late into the night we decided to stay at our friend’s house to avoid a half hour walk in the dark. In the morning I woke up with a terrible pain in my back and could hardly walk. I thought it would go away after moving around but unfortunately it stayed for another 3 days.  

Collecting her baskets after a day’s work in the fields.

After a big plate of dal bhat we went to Rohit’s uncle’s house to prepare the second computer to donate to another school. I added the educational videos that I had collected in the Netherlands and a few natural history documentaries. Because there is no proper internet in this village and only an intermittent telephone signal it was hard to install everything needed. 

Children are excused from school to help their parents in this busy rice planting season.

During the day we helped to harvest corn. In the evening we met with Vishnu who works for The Asian Heritage Foundation Nepal (AHFN). We discussed the health projects we would like to collaborate on with Necha Community Hospital (which is supported by AHFN). He was very positive about our first aid project and we agreed that we would discuss the proposed joint project further with AHFN chairman Nilam Bastola the next day. 

PRESENTING A LAPTOP TO A SCHOOL IN NECHA.

2015/08/11
After breakfast we left Rohit’s wife’s family house. At 7 we were expected to meet at a nearby school which has pupils from the poorest families in Necha. I made a donation to this school when I visited in 2014 and now I was returning to handover a 17 inch laptop that was donated by the family of a good friend in the Netherlands. We downloaded educational videos about nutrition, first aid, hygiene and natural history and the environment on the laptop. We also added an English to Nepali and Nepali to English dictionary. 

The school committee and staff organised a ceremony to explain the laptop and demonstrate its use to the community. Rohit and I were given many red tika (red paint marks) on our foreheads and faces and white and yellow scarves, the traditional Nepali way to say thank you. Rohit’s help has been invaluable and without his imagination, enthusiasm and hard work Micro-Care Nepal Foundation would not have been able to achieve all it has.

We got a official letter to say thanks for our support.

After the ceremony our faces were completely covered with red powder; a symbol of gratitude in Nepali culture.

After the ceremony we gave out clothing to those who needed it and took photos of them and group photos with all teachers. We then looked at the old school building which was completely destroyed by the earthquake. It was a sad thing to see but luckily the Himalayan Foundation of Sir Edmund Hillary (who with Tensing Norgay first climbed Mount Everest) had provided two new temporary wooden buildings. 

For almost all we had some clothing.

And they all liked it.

What will the future hold for these poor boys? I was glad to help but more needs to be done for them.

Finally we discussed supporting the school by donating rubbish bins and teaching the children not to litter their environment. We made an agreement that the school would buy wooden rubbish containers and that Micro-Care Nepal Foundation would refund the costs after the next field trip, when there is evidence that they are being used.

You can from their expressions how surprised they are.

Rohit after the school ceremony with a child to whom we gave a nice jacket.

Delighted with his new red t-shirt.

Recipients of new clothing. Sadly we didn’t have any clothes to fit the poor boy standing in the middle but we were pleased about the helping the rest of them. More can be done later.

Posing together in front of the old school building. Only the facade is still standing. The next picture shows the view from the other side. Rohit and I are standing in the middle of the back row.

Seeing the collapsed school made me sad. Later the Government of Nepal will provide funding to rebuild this school…At least that's what the community has applied and is hoping for. In the meantime the "Helping Hand Foundation" has built 2 temporary cottages for teaching and one solid building for the school so for the time being the children can continue to receive an education. Micro-Care Nepal Foundation will support the 16 schools in Necha with educational materials and assistance to expand the curriculum to include programmes covering nutrition, hygiene and first-aid. 

This is what their school looks like from above after the earthquakes...

Same lady and towel as in the previous photo but both a year older.

Before she posed with her sister.

Rohit handing over a telephone to local man who couldn't afford to buy one. Now he can keep contact with his family and friends in the city or in other remote parts of Nepal.

We gave another phone to an old lady in the same area of Necha.

In the evening we gathered with a few teachers and locals and talked about education and the challenges schools are facing.

In these photos you can see....

How proud people are to pose with their animals.

STARTING OUR GREENHOUSE PROJECT AND GIVING CLOTHES TO POOR FAMILIES

Morning view from Rohit’s uncle's house. Morning mist is slowly moving up the mountainside after a night of heavy rain.

Rohit’s uncle measuring up for a new greenhouse.

2015/08/10
Today we were happy to start preparing the land for a greenhouse at Rohit’s uncle’s house. Built with the support of Micro-Care Nepal Foundation this will be a completely organic greenhouse which will grow lots of varieties of vegetables. In the rainy season it will house plants which do not like too much water and in winter, plants that otherwise would not grow in the cold weather. We made measurements, set borders with lines, divided the land from the rice field with a sand wall and harvested potatoes and young, fresh pumpkin leaves (which are used in a type of curry). Later the land was ploughed using an ox.

Rohit and his aunty taking the potatoes from the ground and preparing the land for the greenhouse.

Boy from a poor family living nearby happy to try on his new shirt.

Fitting a new t-shirt. Very shy and a bit surprised by the presence of this white foreigner!

Shy but very happy with her new clothing.

Little girl wearing her new t-shirt and now trying on new trousers.

Both proudly posing with their new clothing.

Preparing the land with the help of a team of oxen before planting rice.

This afternoon we were invited at a wedding. On the way we stopped at several houses to meet family and friends. We also met a few teachers who teach in a small local school. I visited this school in 2014 and I made a donation because it is one of the poorest in the village. With Rohit translating we discussed Micro-Care Nepal Foundation’s projects. It was good to hear how positive the teachers were and they invited us for a community meeting at 7am the next morning.

Taking the new rice plants from the field where they sprouted, ready to plant them in a bigger rice field with more space in between so they will grow in to big plants.

Boy with a big smile while trying on his new shirt.

Posing with his new shirt in one of the temporary shelters made from bamboo with plastic sheeting for a roof.

Rohit’s aunty gave us some meat from a freshly slaughtered goat.  We could not leave without eating some! Rohit made a stick for me and prepared it like a bbq.  

Group of children with their grandmother wearing new clothes provided by Micro-Care Nepal Foundation.

Mother who we gave a used telephone provided by Dutch contacts. Now she could also communicate with family and friends.

Boy posing with his new sports vest.

We climbed up the hill to the house of Rohit’s wife's family. There we gave clothing to the family and also to a very poor family living next door. Their clothing was ripped in many places and had been worn so many times it was impossible to clean anymore. They were all very happy, this was easy to see. I had taken some photos of their family in Kathmandu with me. They were especially happy to see these pictures of their daughters and grandchild. 

Grandmother of the family wanted to pose, wearing her new shirt, with her ox.

From a poor family, this father is carrying old corn plants which will be fed to the family’s animals.

Happy.

Shy.

Proud.

Me with a poor family from Necha. The family is wearing clothing donated by Dutch people and distributed by Micro-Care Nepal Foundation.

We visited the wedding next door to give our best wishes to the new couple. This wasn't a marriage arranged by the couple’s parents but a love marriage (where the couple chose to marry each other themselves).This is becoming more and more common in the cities but in the traditional villages arranged marriages are still very much the norm. Some of the younger generation are still very happy that their parents make the decision to choose their life partners. They trust their parents will make the best choice; better than they would make themselves. 

Rohit's sister in law. Transformed with new clothes from a poor village girl to a business women.

Rohit's mother in law.

Their goats are their biggest friends, until they are killed to provide meat to feed the family.

One of the more colourfully dressed women.

First day: visiting the local market in Necha

Caring mother proudly posing with her child. She was one of Rohit’s neighbours when he was living in this remote mountain village.

2015/07/09
Today it was market day and we took a selection of the photos I made in Necha last year to present to the people who are in the pictures.  We were stopped many times on the way and invited to eat some fruit or potatoes or to drink some curd. The market was full of people.  Some recognized me and greeted me. Others stared at me strangely or started laughing really loudly. After traveling for a few years in Asia I have become used to these reactions to me and handle them much more easily now than I did to begin with. 

At the market day I gave a lot of prints of the photos I took one year ago to the people.

The headmaster of the poor Lower Primary School in Necha and his family posing with a photo taken at their school one year before. This school was almost completely destroyed in the earthquake.

We got in contact with few of the teachers in Necha. We briefly discussed the creation of Micro-Care Nepal Foundation and explained our projects to them. As expected they were very positive and invited us to visit their school later. In the middle of the picture above you can see one of the teachers from the poorest school in Necha. We made a visit to his family on the first day after visiting the market. 

In the fields the women were working hard harvesting corn and planting rice…But as always they found time for a picture.

Woman cleaning grain by using a nanglo to toss it, separating grit and soil from the grain.

Children posing close to the fields where they were working with their parents.

A boy proudly posing with his family’s ox. This animal is considered very valuable because it can do an incredible amount of work in the fields. At the end of its working life, it will provide the family with a lot of meat too.

Our way to projects in necha in solukhumbu region

The first glance of the Solukhumbu District. This is the view waking up in Okhaldhunga.

2015/07/08
Our visit to the village of Necha had two goals. The first was to work for Micro-Care Nepal Foundation establishing our projects in education, health, agriculture and giving clothing to poor families. 
The second goal was to research a small trek that we are developing. The idea of the trek is to bring clients to visit and support the places where Micro-Care Nepal Foundation is establishing projects. Our walk to Necha took us through villages and areas we want to include in this trek. We checked out places where we could stay and searched for special highlights to make it an unforgettable cultural experience with an emphasis on organic produce.  

After a 2 hour walk, the magnificent view from the little village of Deorali. Our porter on his way down, carrying clothing to give to poor families and 2 laptops for local schools.

We had to take a porter to carry our consignment of clothing because we already had heavy bags to carry. I always carry a bag of about 17 to 20 kilos with my MacBook pro, external backup disk drive, 2 cameras, 24 mm wide-angle lens, 50mm all-round lens, 85 mm portrait lens, batteries and charger and flash with trigger. This time I was also carrying a little pocket printer to print wallet size photos to give directly to people. 

Rohit with our porter on their way to Deorali.

Our original plan had been to put our luggage with Rohit’s uncle's luggage on a tractor and bring it by road to Necha. Unfortunately, often in the rainy season the roads in this area are destroyed by landslides caused by all the water moving down from the mountains. At this time the road was destroyed so we asked around for a porter. Prices were very high but we were lucky to find a man who had come to Okhaldhunga with a load the previous day and was now on his way back to Necha anyway. In the morning he was waiting for us. He didn’t speak any English and seemed quite old. During the day however I was to discover that he was very strong, carrying our 3 big 10 by 15 metre plastic sheets plus 15 kilos of clothing - probably 35 kilos in total. At some point you could see it was very heavy and he would rest with his load on the stone seats that have been created on the sides of all Nepali trails especially for weary travellers. 

Woman with traditional clothing and earrings posing in her doorway.

We arrived in Deorali. I have been there 6 times before. This time it was a shock to arrive. Almost all of the houses were collapsed or too damaged to restore. We visited some families and Rohit translated as they explained what they were experiencing following the earthquake and how they and their children were trying to survive. 

Women living in her plastic shelter that is too small to store all the family clothing and blankets.

Thinking about the damage that destroyed the village of Deorali and this school.

Seeing the collapsed school building where I had watched children playing and studying one year ago was hard. I sat down to think about all this and came up with the idea that when I  organise a trek to bring clients to visit Micro-Care Foundation projects our group members could give a financial donation if they wished to help local people and institutions like this school. 

The side of this house has completely collapsed. They will slowly demolish it and then try to rebuild this house.

Side of the house has completely collapsed. They will slowly demolish it and then try to rebuild this house.

We asked what this school could use besides a new building. They let us know materials for sport education would be welcomed. The Nepali government will support the rebuilding but this will take a long time. Even prior to the earthquake, government schools in Nepal were poorly resourced and often offered a limited number of courses and sports facilities.

Girl collecting grass from the corn fields to feed the goats.

The landscapes were stunningly beautiful. My focus usually goes out to the people and the way they are living. The portraits demonstrate why Nepal, with its simple lifestyle is so interesting for western people to visit. It opens your eyes to  the truly important things in life. 

More about this in following posts when I will explain the work we are doing in Necha.

Baby in his basket beside his mother who is working in the field.

Our old but strong porter posing with work almost finished.

Woman posing with a photo of her son. I took this picture of a traditional celebration last year.

Carrying corn home that is just taken from the field. It will be dried and eaten all year round.

Started our Dutch NGO work from Kathmandu, Nepal.

Where to start with such a disaster?

The shock arriving in Nepal wasn't too big. My friend and Board of Advice member for the foundation, Rohit Phuyal, was waiting to pick me up. On the road from the airport to Kapan area were several collapsed buildings. It was more of a shock to see people living in little plastic tents and shelters in very basic and dirty circumstances. This reminded me of the way that many people in poor areas in India live. 

Back to Kathmandu with mothers with children begging on the streets, here at the entrance to the shopping malls on New Road.

Before I came to Nepal I had read and heard many terrifying and shocking stories about the people who were injured and killed in the earthquakes. It had even more of an impact on me to hear how body parts, arms, legs and heads had to be dug out from between the collapsed concrete buildings. Bearing this in mind it was even more daunting to see with my own eyes what this earthquake had done to the lives of so many people and families. 

In after earthquake Kathmandu the people are taking it slow because all this restoration work can't be done in one lifetime..

Luckily the Nepali people are very optimistic people and are used to living in poor and basic circumstances. They are slowly starting to remove all the devastated buildings and in some places they are starting to repair existing buildings or build new buildings. Unfortunately the government has not been active in organizing the a rebuilding programme. There are also only few material resources like excavators so much of the work has to be done by hand. 

Demolishing concrete from a collapsed building. This will make space for a new building and the old building materials will be reused.

Camps where families still live under plastic.

Now in the monsoon season it is hot here in Nepal. People are using umbrellas to protect themselves against the burning sun.

We will soon leave for the Solu Khumbu district to visit the big but remote village of Necha. Here we will start our projects as we have a lot of good contacts there. I have visited Necha twice in the past 3 years. The village is spread out over a complete mountain side from the bottom of the river side to the top of the mountain. Most of it is agricultural land with  traditional farming. Most of the houses are made of mountain stones and mud or from bamboo and mud. 

Life continues and rickshaw drivers again cycle past the destroyed Gaddi Baithak in Basantapur Durbar Square. This European style building was built as a part of the palace in the early twentieth century.

Our plan:

- Give 50% of the 35 kilo of clothing I took from the Netherlands to poor families.

- Building  greenhouses and supplying start up seeds to 3 poor families which will provide them with food all year round.

- Assist local schools to develop nutrition and hygiene courses by providing study materials and resources.

- Establish a partnership between the Necha Community Hospital (supported by the Asian Heritage Foundation) and Micro-Care Nepal Foundation which will enable the hospital doctor to give first aid courses to health teachers from all 16 schools in Necha. In the future we will  provide the first aid teaching resources so they can give the first aid course to their students and put knowledge into practice. 

- Give photos that I previously took to the people of the village as a memory.

Little boy living with his parents in their temporary house this time provided by the Chinese Red Cross.

Arrived in Kathmandu

Arrived on the 2de in Nepal. Busy: learned to plant the rice nice in the rain, preparing for the projects of the foundation, talking to people, doing research, sorting out the 40 kg of clothing I took with me (gave some to the family I am staying with and one poor family living close, shopping plastic for greenhouse we are going to build, getting first-aid course books in nepali to try to educate the teachers in the mountains, trying to not get to much wet in the hard monsoon rain, survived the first little earthquakes.. 

Working on a newsletter with more details and of course photos. Tomorrow leaving into the mountain to the village Necha and will be looking for poor families to handover more clothing. 

NGO started OFFICIALLY Started and website online

From today our NGO’s website and Facebook page is officially launched. This week we received the bank account number for the foundation so we could finally start. 

You can support us in different ways. Please read the Project pages to see more details.

On behalf of the people of Nepal: Thank you for your support!

Donations can be send to:

DONATE

Your donation allows us to support the people of Nepal. 
You can choose which projects to support and donate to.

Bank account : NL20 INGB 0006 9530 08
Stichting Micro-Care Nepal

Register a donation now →

www.microcarenepal.org

Call for Help

Beste vrienden, 

Iedereen die Nepal bezoekt wordt bekoord door de spectaculaire hoge toppen van de Himalaya. Hij wordt er verwelkomt door de vriendelijke, gastvrije en ongelooflijk veerkrachtige mensen van dit prachtige land met zijn bergen die tot in de hemel lijken te reiken.

Helaas werd Nepal op 25 April 2015 getroffen door een aardbeving met een kracht van 7.6 op de schaal van Richter. Het aantal doden van deze aardbeving en de meer dan 300 naschokken was hoog: 8790 mensen verloren hun leven en 22300 mensen raakten gewond.

Het is voor ons moeilijk te begrijpen wat de blootstelling aan de gevolgen van de aardbeving voor de overlevenden inhoudt:

• Men heeft berekend dat 8 miljoen mensen (dat is 1/3 van de totale bevolking) in meer of mindere mate geraakt wordt door de gevolgen van de aardbeving.

• Van de 75 provincies in Nepal zijn er 31 getroffen door de aardbeving.

• 7000 Scholen zijn geheel of gedeeltelijk ingestort.

• Het effect van de aardbeving op de huisvesting van de burgers is het meest ingrijpend geweest. Tienduizenden leven nog steeds in tijdelijke onderkomens. Op zijn best bewoont men een tent verstrekt door hulporganisaties maar vaak zijn het provisorische onderkomens van  bijeengeraapte stukken plastic, bamboe, golfplaat en karton.

De grootte van deze ramp in Nepal heeft de wereld wakker geschud. Een van de mensen die hulp wilde bieden was fotograaf Pim Horvers. Pim heeft voor de aardbeving Nepal een aantal malen bezocht om rond te trekken en zijn overweldigende landschappen en prachtige mensen te fotograferen. Inmiddels telt Pim een groot aantal Nepalezen onder zijn vrienden.

Nu, na de aardbeving was het tijd voor Pim om het land en zijn vriendelijke mensen iets terug te geven voor het warme welkom dat ze hem gaven tijdens zijn reizen. De oprichting van de stichting Micro-Care Nepal is de vorm om dit initiatief een werkbare basis te geven.

De stichting beoogd hulp te bieden aan kleine, overzichtelijke projecten op allerlei gebied. Alle projecten worden zorgvuldig geselecteerd, transparant begeleid en met minimale kosten voor de overhead gerealiseerd.

Micro-Care Nepal biedt onder andere zorgpakketten aan de overlevenden van de aardbeving op het gebied van primaire behoeften. Dit kan in de vorm zijn van kleding en schoeisel, onderwijs, hulp bij het doelmatig produceren van voedselgewassen  en eerste hulp educatie gericht op het voorkomen en helpen na ongevallen en rampen zoals deze aardbeving.

Als donateur kun je een keuze maken uit een van de aan te bieden pakketten en met Micro-Care Nepal zal je donatie rechtstreeks zijn weg vinden naar de hulp aan de mensen van Nepal.

“In januari 2015 bezocht ik de lagere school in Necha in de provincie Solu-Khumbu in het oosten van Nepal. Het was geweldig hoe ik er door de kinderen ontvangen werd. De kinderen waren trots op het feit dat ze naar school konden gaan. In de school gebruikten ze basis lesmaterialen, goedkope potloden en schriften en weinig anders om hun kennis te vergaren. Bij vertrek doneerde ik een bedrag aan de school zodat er betere lesmaterialen aangeschaft konden worden……Toen ik na de aardbeving zag dat de school gedeeltelijk ingestort was en niet langer geschikt om les in te geven was ik diep geschokt. De kinderen die mij zo’n warm welkom gegeven hadden waren niet langer in staat om lessen te volgen en hun toekomst een beetje makkelijker te maken door de kennis die ze konden vergaren.”

In juli beginnen we in Nepal met de werkzaamheden voor de stichting.

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• Schrijf je hier in voor de nieuwsbrief

We zouden het op prijs stellen wanneer je deze brief aan zo veel mogelijk door zou willen sturen. 

Hartelijk dank namens het bestuur:

Wilfried van den Boorn, Voorzitter
Jan Hertogh, Penningmeester
Pim Horvers, Secretary

Micro-Care Nepal
info@microcarenepal.org
www.microcarenepal.org
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Kvk nummer: 55839940
Bank: NL20 INGB 0006 9530 08
T.n.v. Stichting Micro-Care Nepal

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ENGLISH VERSION

Dear friends,

Everyone who visits Nepal is seduced by the spectacular Himalayan peaks and charmed by the ever cheerful, kind and extraordinarily resilient people of this magical mountain nation.

Sadly, on April 25 Nepal was struck by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake. The human toll from this and more than 300 significant aftershocks has been enormous: 8790 people have lost their lives and 22 300 have been injured.

It’s hard to comprehend the ongoing suffering of the earthquake survivors:

·     Eight million people (that’s 1/3 of the entire population) are estimated to have been affected by the earthquake.

·     31 out of Nepal’s 75 districts have been hit.

·     7000 schools have been completely or significantly damaged.

·     Private housing is the worst affected sector and tens of thousands of people are still living in temporary or transitional shelters.

The world has been moved by the scale of this national disaster. Among those wanting to help was Dutch photographer Pim Horvers. Pim has travelled to Nepal a number of times to trek and photograph the stunning landscapes and beautiful people and counts many Nepalis among his close friends. 

Now Pim has decided to give back to the country that has welcomed him with open arms by establishing Micro-Care Nepal to fund specially chosen, transparently managed micro-projects with minimal overheads. 

HELP MICRO-CARE NEPAL TO HELP NEPAL

Micro-Care Nepal is offering Care Packages to meet the primary needs of earthquake survivors in the areas of clothing, education, food production and disaster risk reduction through first aid training.

You can donate directly to the package of your choice and with Micro-Care Nepal your money will go directly to helping the people of Nepal.