Today we visited the building site for the Disabled New Life Center. It is a lovely three-story handicap access building overlooking an agricultural valley. The valley has fields of potatoes now, which will change to rice during the rainy season.
Sita accompanied us on this visit and she was impressed with new building. This was my first opportunity to act as her guide as we traversed the construction site. I have never been a guide for a blind person and I relished the opportunity to share the colors of the tile and the view from the verandah as well as avoiding piles of gravel and pieces of cement. She seemed to sense many things before I spoke any words. I cannot imagine living in a developing country without being able to see!
We visited the Disabled and Helpless Children Newlife Center Nepal run by Amrit Pususainee. He has worked many years with disabled children and has just created his own NGO. He currently has 13 children at the home. Some are disabled and some are from homes of severe poverty or have been abandoned. They all attend a regular school and are socialized in a normal manner.
Sita accompanied us on this visit and she was impressed with new building. This was my first opportunity to act as her guide as we traversed the construction site. I have never been a guide for a blind person and I relished the opportunity to share the colors of the tile and the view from the verandah as well as avoiding piles of gravel and pieces of cement. She seemed to sense many things before I spoke any words. I cannot imagine living in a developing country without being able to see!
We visited the Disabled and Helpless Children Newlife Center Nepal run by Amrit Pususainee. He has worked many years with disabled children and has just created his own NGO. He currently has 13 children at the home. Some are disabled and some are from homes of severe poverty or have been abandoned. They all attend a regular school and are socialized in a normal manner.
They are renting a lovely three-story house, which is likely to be the best living conditions these children have ever seen. The walls are all pink with cheap vinyl imitation wood flooring. All very clean and the bathrooms have clean green and white tile. The boy’s bath has a western toilet while the girl’s bath is the traditional squat toilet. There are two bunk beds in each room and they are requesting funding for dressers and bookcases as currently their belongings are on the floor. We arrived on Saturday which is their one free day each week. The boys were upstairs playing Monopoly and the girls were sitting on the patio playing Uno. Everyone seemed very happy and content.
Armit lives at the home and is not paid a salary. There is one staff person. The children all seemed very happy and I was impressed with his dedication and concern for the children. Although they have funding from several sources they are short $430 each month. We discussed some fundraising ideas and his plans for the future. I was very impressed with his goals and with his values.
We then went to lunch at The Bakery Café. This is a chain here in Nepal and they employ the deaf as waiters. The service was excellent as was the food.
Now for the adventure. We needed to find a cab to our next destination. We are standing there on the side of the road one tall white man, two blond white women and a blind Nepali woman with a cane. This is Saturday, a holiday, and every cab had passengers. Two buses stopped and we waved them on as we had never taken a Nepali buss-a minivan with as many people as possible inside.. both sitting and standing. Finally when no vacant cabs appeared Sita said lets take the bus. We squeeze inside having no idea of the fare or where we are going… trusting only in Sita to guide us.
Armit lives at the home and is not paid a salary. There is one staff person. The children all seemed very happy and I was impressed with his dedication and concern for the children. Although they have funding from several sources they are short $430 each month. We discussed some fundraising ideas and his plans for the future. I was very impressed with his goals and with his values.
We then went to lunch at The Bakery Café. This is a chain here in Nepal and they employ the deaf as waiters. The service was excellent as was the food.
Now for the adventure. We needed to find a cab to our next destination. We are standing there on the side of the road one tall white man, two blond white women and a blind Nepali woman with a cane. This is Saturday, a holiday, and every cab had passengers. Two buses stopped and we waved them on as we had never taken a Nepali buss-a minivan with as many people as possible inside.. both sitting and standing. Finally when no vacant cabs appeared Sita said lets take the bus. We squeeze inside having no idea of the fare or where we are going… trusting only in Sita to guide us.
Luckily everyone was very helpful and we were able to get off at the right stop. Now we had to walk half a mile. Sandie is guiding Sita as the sidewalks have steps up and step downs and there are building supplies here and there, trash and mud puddles to avoid. Finally we decide it would be easier to walk in the street and face down the motorcycles, buses, cabs and rickshaws rather than deal with the sidewalks.
At least the street was a relatively smooth surface! People were staring at us and we just smiled and said Namaste.
The next facility reminded Sandie of hospitals back in the 50’s and 60’s in New York City. The conditions were “tolerable” with spacious rooms but they were rather dark and dank. The patients had the freedom of the open grounds but the disability level was profound. We meet with Rakesh Gwachha, who is diagnosed with brittle bone disease. He is about three feet tall at age 24. He was living with his family on the third floor of the house with no access to the outdoors. He could only watch life go by from his window. His sister carried him to school when they were younger but she is now married with a child of her own. His father is alcoholic and Rakesh was not receiving the care he needed.
At least the street was a relatively smooth surface! People were staring at us and we just smiled and said Namaste.
The next facility reminded Sandie of hospitals back in the 50’s and 60’s in New York City. The conditions were “tolerable” with spacious rooms but they were rather dark and dank. The patients had the freedom of the open grounds but the disability level was profound. We meet with Rakesh Gwachha, who is diagnosed with brittle bone disease. He is about three feet tall at age 24. He was living with his family on the third floor of the house with no access to the outdoors. He could only watch life go by from his window. His sister carried him to school when they were younger but she is now married with a child of her own. His father is alcoholic and Rakesh was not receiving the care he needed.
He is very happy at the home and has a small wheelchair which provides his with independence. He is still attending school and TRIFC will be funding his English classes. He really wants to learn to speak English to communicate with his benefactors. He was thrilled to see Rob and wanted to know when he and Gina were going to visit again.
We move on to the Disabled New Life Center ( DNC ) to visit the children for a second time. They were watching a Hindi film and insisted we join them for this special time. We played games with them after the movie and generally just spent some quality time. The kids are truly happy here thanks to the house mom/director Shanti. She lives full time at the home (except for Friday when she is off from 9-4) and sets a gentle, loving tone to all the activities. They are all very anxious to move to the new facility, mentioned earlier, which is much more spacious and light. The children learn English in primary school and our conversations were meaningful and enlightening into their thoughts and feelings.
This being only my second meeting with these children I already feel connected and very concerned for their well being now and in the future. Such potential. Such love.
Touring the new Disabled Newlife Centre - Kathmandu
Rose, Sandi, Sita and Amrit (in the back) at the new DNC (Disabled Newlife Centre) building
Rose, Sandi, Amrit and kids at DHCNLC in Kathmandu
Mr. Rakesh Gwacha
Santa from DNC with kitty cat!
No comments:
Post a Comment