Empowerment and Intervention

Dhulikhel Rotary Disability Awareness Project

Yesterday we visited one of the ‘Club-to-Club’ partner projects that have launched as a result of the ‘Rotary USA/Nepal Disability Awareness Program’. To see this project in action was very inspiring and it is already having a wonderful impact on many lives. This is a partnership between the Rotary Clubs of Dhulikhel, Seattle-International District and University District.

The Rotary Foundation Matching Grant Project has two main parts: one is vocational training with empowerment and employment opportunities. The other is orthopedic surgeries and physical therapy for thirty individuals.

Rotarian Ashok Shrestha from RC Dhulikhel gave us a tour of the newly launched Disability Support Program, where people with disabilities receive vocational training, jobs and a chance at a productive future. They are running this program in a very simple, effective and efficient way. One small manufacturing center works with bamboo products and another works with rataan. They have identified a number of products which are in high demand, such as student bookcases, coat racks and small stools. They produce these and then sell them to retailers. So far the demand far exceeds their ability to supply, however they are continuing to ‘ramp-up’ production to meet demand. There is a good profit margin on these products which bodes very well for project sustainability.

Even though our project motto is “We Are All Able”, I am still amazed at just how able People With Disabilities (PWD’s) are. The production team that has been trained to produce the student bookcases includes three blind individuals, one with developmental disability and three with physical handicaps. Two of the young men with blindness were using very sharp tools to cut the bamboo into about one-inch strips, a fellow with one leg and another physically handicapped woman were sawing them into the correct length and one physically handicapped person, the man with developmental disability and a guy with blindness were assembling them into bookcase form. One of the men doing final assembly was blind, yet he skillfully and precisely hammered each of the one-inch slats of bamboo to the bookcase frame.

To top it off, the young man in charge of the bookkeeping and accounting is also a person with blindness and he keeps track of all accounts via computer. So many great skills are being taught with this program that will impact the trainee’s life and their family's lives for generations to come.

We also visited an orthopedic hospital where doctors are going to operate on the little boy you see in one of the photos, who had been badly burned in a fire in his village. He was happily coloring away when we introduced ourselves. The severe burns have also caused his leg muscles to contract so that he now isn’t able to straighten them out. His parents had spent all of their savings trying to help their son in the village hospital. The matching grant funding that has been raised for this project are his hope to walk again. 30 such surgeries will be done as a result of this one grant... 15 operations have already been accomplished.

Getting these grants isn’t an easy process. Ashok Shrestha, Susan Sola and Judy Ginn all put in a great deal of effort to help make this project come to life. But when you see the transformational impact with your own eyes, it is like a gift that we both give and receive. We give the help and hope, we receive the satisfaction of being able to be of service to others through Rotary.

-Rob

P.S. Many thanks to Dhulikhel Rotarian Ashok Shrestha, who is a tour-de-force of Rotary projects and help. He lives the Rotary motto and is himself an inspiration to so many.

Flying Fingers...

National Braille Library Dedication

The door is opened, a red ribbon is cut and a rush of people holding white canes enter. Anxious arms reach out to feel for the Braille books on the table. There is a hush in the room as words in Nepali language shift over to quietly spoken English in tandem with fingers moving swiftly across the raised dots that make up Braille words, sentences and paragraphs.

That was the scene on March 26th, 2010 at the offices of the Nepal Association For The Welfare of the Blind, or NAWB. In cooperation with NAWB, TRIFC.org, and the Rotary/Rotaract Club of Kasthamandap we officially inaugurated the National Braille Book Library in Kathmandu, Nepal!

Doing the official duty of ribbon cutting was Rotary Nepal District Governor Elect- Mr. Tirtha Man Sakya. The President of the Kasthamandap Rotary Club- Rotarian Rajan Raut and many other Rotarians and Rotaractors were also present for the library dedication. Rajan is very dedicated to both Rotary and the NAWB. His determination and expertise are what have brought this library into existence….thank you, Rajan!

My longtime friends and inspirations- Ms. Nirmala Gyawali and Ms. Sita Gyawali, both women with blindness were present to help us celebrate the start of what we hope will be a very long fruitful relationship, bringing both English and Nepali Braille storybooks and novels to many readers with fingers at the ready just waiting to learn, envision and dream.

For those friends not in Nepal, let me give you a brief explanation of how difficult it is to be a person with blindness here and why this library concept is so groundbreaking. It is difficult to imagine daily life here in Nepal if you are a person with blindness. The noise, traffic and volume of people on the sidewalks and roads are unsettling even if you have sight. And the sidewalks, paths and roads themselves are riddled with bumps, holes and broken cement. However, many children and adults with blindness make their way to NAWB every month to get Braille paper and access other services. Having the library located there made very good sense.

Virtually all of the Braille books here in Nepal are textbooks. There are few storybooks and novels printed or available in either Nepali Braille or English Braille. Blind/Visually-Impaired (BVI) students begin learning English Braille in 5th grade. There was no official Braille library in the entire country….until now.

In cooperation with NAWB, TRIFC.org has commissioned a number of Nepali storybooks to be printed in Nepali Braille. We are also shipping and sending hundreds of boxes of gently-used English Braille books from our area to the new library. One AMAZING fact led to this entire project- Braille books can ship from the USA to anywhere in the world for free, courtesy of the US Postal Service! Once I learned of this opportunity, I immediately contacted the Library of Congress Braille Book Resource Center in Washington D.C. and they agreed to send some of their excess, gently-used books to Nepal. Our own state resource center located in Vancouver, WA is also sending four-hundred and fifty of boxes of books to Nepal (Thank you Colleen Lines!).

So very instrumental in this project has been Ms. Cindy Holm of the Maple Valley Rotary Club. Cindy is a 2008 Nepal Rotary Trip Alumni and also a teacher of the Blind/Visually-Impaired. Thank you, Cindy for your dedication to this project, your coordination help and expertise. And many thanks to the Rotary Club of Maple Valley for their help and assistance packing and shipping so many boxes of books.

A Visit, an Idea, an Email, a Connection

Here's an email Rob sent a development worker from Oxfam (an international NGO in Nepal) after being introduced via email. These connections become catalysts for action and involvement which is what it's all about-Connections and Relationships! I wanted to share this with you all. I know Rob wouldn't mind!

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Rimwa School

Hi Kamal!

Yes, Bhawana and I have spoken on the phone and are going to set up a meeting for next week!

I have been very busy on all-levels and in all areas that we are working.....I'm having a lot of fun as well, visiting old friends and making new ones.

Sita Gyawali and her sister Nirmala (both women with blindness) have been my constant companions as we visit our various TRIFC.org programs and Rotary projects/programs. We recently took a trip to their village home in Charpala, Gulmi District and made the bumpy drive to a fairly remote school with 13 children with blindness in Rimwa where we provide some support. They are in-residence (hostel) there with many other children. There are many shortages and problems for these BVI students. The last time Nirmala and Sita visited they found that there were only 8 food plates and that the children were eating in two shifts due to the shortage! They quickly bought 5 more plates and resolved the problem. Isn't that crazy? In addition, there isn't proper nutrition for them and they are always short of Braille paper. We left $200 with the resource teacher for a year's supply of paper which they can purchase in Butwal. Like I told the Rotarians I spoke to at the Dillibazar Rotary meeting last evening....being without braille paper is like being without a pencil for a sighted student. How can they take notes and study???

Amazingly, even with all of these deficiencies, several of these BVI students in the Rimwa school are doing more than just 'getting-by' with their studies. They are excelling! Two out of the 13 are 1st in their class- of any of the children, sighted or not. There are over three hundred kids in this school!!! Many of the BVI children are also very talented, musically. Either with the madal (drum) or flute or by song. What beautiful singing voices filled the little schoolroom/bedroom (these rooms are combined here, due to lack of space). I was overwhelmed and overcome by their ABILITY! We willcontinue to provide help as we are able through TRIFC.org.

That was a lovely afternoon as we bumped and jolted our way back up the steep road to head back to their mom's home for another peaceful, quiet evening spent in the village.

The next morning we drove back to burning-hot Butwal and met with representatives of two Rotary Clubs and discussed the disability awareness program. One of the clubs- Butwal South wanted us to visit another school for the Blind/Visually-Impaired that wasn't far. There were 32 students with blindness in residence along with hundreds of other non-visually-impaired students. We quickly agreed and after a
late lunch (our earlier lunch consisted of two kinds of potato chips, some cheese-balls and a coke as we waited for RR, my project partner to arrive at the airport!). Also attending was Jayanti Bhatta who is our program administrator for the Rotary Disability Awareness Program. She was the victim of polio before the age of two and knows full-well the societal stigma attached to disability. We arrived at the school in late-afternoon and the hot sun was quite oppressive as we trudged across this huge, dusty field in front of the school. We met most of the 32 children with blindness and toured the facilities which were about the same as the Rimwa village school facilities, but with more space in each of the rooms. There were also a separate kitchen and dining room. But as we questioned the students, teachers and staff we quickly surmised that they had many of the same problems
as the village school- not enough fresh fruits, vegetables and protein, lack of Braille-paper and other basic needs. The government provides a 1,000 rupee allowance per month for each student (about $13 US) which doesn't come close to meeting the cost of these basic needs.

I suddenly had a 'light-bulb' moment and quickly asked the Rotarians from Butwal South how many club-members they had. They said, "32". I said, "Great! Perhaps each of your club members could agree to sponsor one of the 32 students in this program and provide some additional funding on a monthly basis, maybe 300-500 rupees per child ($4-6)....it wouldn't take much and would be easily affordable for any of them. They were very positive on this idea and agreed to consider it! Now I am thinking that if they are successful with their small 'micro-granting' program, perhaps we could have other Nepali Rotary Clubs do a similar program with other schools with children with blindness study. The best part of this program is that the HELP and the CHANGE is coming from within the country.

Well, this is one story out of many that have and are happening during my visit. As always, it is a life-changing experience for me- One of ten live-changes during my past ten visits to this country. I grow, reinvent, gain a deeper understanding of myself and others. What a teacher this country is for me!

Warmly,
-Rob.

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What reaction does such a letter hold?

TRIFC.org and Rotary in Action at Dharan Gopa and Itahari

Biratnagar, Nepal

Nirmala, Rob and I traveled to the city of Dharan with Arun, a Rotaractor of RC Biratnagar to visit several Rotary project sites. These Rotary Clubs are down in the Terai, about 25 kms. north of Biratnagar where we had seen the orthopedic shoe project.

Before we visited the sites, we stopped at a school for the hearing impaired children called the Purwanchal Deaf School. Through the kindness of the donors of TRIFC.org, 15 deaf/hearing impaired school aged students are being sponsored for their tuition and school fees for an entire year. The donors have sent their letters and photos to the kids which they have assembled into a poster which hangs on the wall of the office of Renuka, the principal. We had visited the children and provided all 55 students with beany babies, chocolates, pencils, pens, toothbrushes and toothpaste donated by Rotarians from Bellevue Rotary. They were excited to welcome us and presented us with traditional and western style choreographed dances.

You wonder how they could keep time despite not hearing the music, well isn’t that what dancing is about, keeping time with the beat of your very own, different drum! It was wonderful to see the joy in their expressive eyes as they clearly were happy to dance for us! I would want that someday each of the donors would visit with their student so they can see first hand how they have provided the opportunity these kids would not have had to learn their coursework in a loving and nurturing environment, in sign language!

While lunch was served and the children were playing, Rob had a meeting with the Rotarians from Itahari who had partnered with the Rotary Clubs in Bellevue, Kirkland and Renton to provide 20-25 wheelchairs for the disabled community. They watched the videos and TV ads that was part of the 1st phase of the Disability Education Awareness Campaign and you could tell, they were moved by the Nepali messages:
• “Public places should be disability friendly”
• “Assist a visually challenged person cross the street”
• “Deaf people can’t hear with their ears but hear with their heart”
• “A small act of kindness can make a big difference”
• “We are All Able!”

Our next stop was a Teaching Hospital, the only hospital that serves the western Terai area. Here the RC of Dharan Gopa and Rob’s Club, er… I mean the Rotary Club of Bellevue together raised funds to provide Cleft Palate surgeries and Spinal braces to patients who had undergone spinal surgeries. The RC of Dharan Gopa are made up mostly of medical doctors and they were very proud to show us their hospital!

Here’s a Shout Out to all Rotarians out there in Bellevue, Kirkland, Renton! You make these opportunities possible!

-Gina

Biratnagar Part 2

The Gift of Shoes

Biratnagar Orthopedic Shoes

Rob and I flew down to Biratnagar last Tuesday, March 16th to visit some Rotary Club to Club projects and visit future Rotary District members for the upcoming years to ensure that the Rotary Nepal Disability Education Awareness proceeds with their support. Biratnagar is a city in the Terai ( the plain region) closest to the Indian border. It is only 235 ft above sea level and is about 10 degrees warmer than Kathmandu in the hilly region. Nirmala Gyawali (one of our spokespersons of the program) met us there to join us on our journey.

Our first stop was the orthopedic shoe making workshop staffed by 2 recently trained persons with a disability. This project is supported by both RC Biratnagar downtown (Rotarian Dr Mamata Varna) and RC Duvall (Rotarian Jeetu Falodia). The workshop is housed in a building for prosthetic and leg brace manufacturing. he owners had provided the space for free.

What a wonderful cooperative relationship they have with the Rotary Club and it has plans to grow too! They are expecting to further improve the skill level of the workers to enable the production of school shoes. Its sales will subsidize the cost of the orthopedic shoes they can provide to very poor families. Today the shoes cost between 120 to 200 rupees.

This project will provide the needs for the physical handicapped children in the Terai region and avoid the 9 hour trip to Kathmandu. All over the 7 Districts of this campaign, Club to Club projects are underway. There have been 20 projects matched to clubs in District 5030 to date totaling $175,000 dollars worth of tangible benefits for the disabled. How wonderful it is to see this evidence of sustainability, local Rotarians thinking of what their community needs and continuing to include them in their service projects.

Of Slogans and Social Marketing, Passion and Change

Everyone filed into the J. Walter Thompson Agency conference room that afternoon to attend the agency presentation and discuss the elements of the 2nd phase of the Rotary Nepal Disability Awareness Campaign (RNDACP). Attendees were the members of the District Committee, account and pr managers, JWT managing partners, investors and Rotarians, Rotaractors, Rob and myself. The 1st phase of the RNDACP consisted of TV, Radio & Print ads bringing the message to the community about people with disabilities that “We are all Able” and a little help makes a big difference in the daily lives of PWD.

The most popular Nepali movie actor Rajesh Hamal is featured as the spokesperson and the opinion leader in the campaign. This next phase will drive the message deeper in the community through billboards, leaflets, pamphlets, street theater and even school copybooks with a cartoon strip depicting a situation where a child with a disability is interacting with his classmates and excels in various subjects. These activities work in tandem with the outreach projects and Rotary club-to-club matching projects that benefit the PWD. Events will be planned that will highlight the capabilities and showcase talent of PWD’s at the same time providing entertainment and exposure to the community.

The discussion was very passionate and energetic: I thought I was transported back to my Colgate Palmolive or Comcast days where we gather in ‘war’ rooms and hash out the creative execution of the current campaign. It’s great to see such involvement and I kid you not, this campaign echoes the voice of a group that wants to make a difference in the lives of the PWD, in the lives of their development as a contributing segment to the welfare and growth of a nation trying to forge a new path towards democracy.

People with disabilities have been kept down too long. Deprived of education, training, dignity and opportunity and to date, only a few have made it to a position of honor and pride. This is only the beginning and it’s a long and challenging road to full integration yet this is a very solid first step. As I sit there taking notes and photos, I realize that it started with one voice which won the hearts and minds of 100’s of Rotarians in 2 continents and it humbled me so much to know I am married to that one person, Rob Rose.

-Gina Rose

JWT

Confessions of a Shopaholic

If you find yourself crisscrossing the potholed lanes of Kathmandu’s Central Market area, trying not to get run over by the thousands of motorbikes plying these lanes or rickshaws delivering everything from blankets to large baskets of cauliflower from either side of the bicycles, you drive a hard bargain, want the best quality products and are willing to take the time!

I ducked out of one of our meetings to join our host Chandra and her niece, Pinku to visit Kathmandu’s New Road – site of all vendors, licensed and otherwise who peddle fruits and vegetables from the Terrai region of Nepal- teas, coffees, spices, sarees, pashminas, undergarments, pajamas, toiletries, DVDs and CDs, T-shirts, shoes, pants, jewelry, handbags and backpacks, local brands and knock-offs, and everything you would need or want and at any price range as well! You’ll be happy to know they have a 99 rupee shop!

Thanks to Pinku! She is the ultimate shopper and can save you hundreds of rupees since she knows the right price of anything on any given day. She helps me shop every year and she also has a special relationship with the more established store owners, which is of course, is priceless!

I love the way everyone has something to offer! They sell several items and their day is done. The family can eat until tomorrow! The idea is that you show up where there is foot traffic, which is pretty much anywhere! Perhaps a shopper eyes your wares that she may need today or pass you by. Peddlers move around avoiding security officials who may ask for their permits. It’s a moving marketplace! They rotate daily and pack up in 2 minutes!

We shopped ‘till we dropped and refreshed ourselves with fresh lassi (yogurt drink) with dried fruits. Shoppers queued up 7-10 deep… you’d think it was a Starbucks! haha! A glass full of cool lassi and you’re able to check out a few more stalls, and perhaps purchase a few more mementos from this mysterious and wonderful place!

-Gina Rose

Shopping!

Braille Book Library To Open Soon!

Today we will meet with Rajan Raut and the staff at the NAWB (National Association for the Welfare of the Blind/Visually Impaired - BVI). We had a lot of projects to discuss, most important of all is the Inauguration and program planning for the National Braille Library! Imagine a resource center for all visually impaired children from grades 1 -10 filled with text books and story books that can open up their minds despite a childhood they may have been deprived of, information their families had no idea how to communicate and a possibility of a future! Let’s put this in better perspective, there is one digital Braille-book printer for the entire Nepal while here in the US there are 2 digital printers for each school district. The NAWB waits patiently for the Braille books to come from the government and distributes these to the BVI students around Nepal. With a backlog in production, there is hardly any time to develop Braille storybooks or informational reference books that may augment the children’s learning.

This itself is a dream come true! In September, 2009 at our TRIFC dinner, Cindy Holm, Rob and some Rotaractors who had just come back from their Nepal visit were asking for contacts because they wanted to print Braille books to send over to Nepal. Cindy connected Rob with Seedlings, a non-profit that publishes and sells Braille books. Through TRIFC, we ordered $1000 worth of storybooks for all age levels. They sent the books over and these are the first books to occupy the new library. Cindy also had contacted and heard that the WA State Braille Resource Library was purging old books. “We’ll take them!” said Cindy as she proceeded to arrange for a Rotarian to donate warehouse space for the books. Cindy, who is now a Rotarian with the Maple Valley Rotary Club arranged for club-volunteers to repackage the books to be shipped overseas courtesy of the USPS. Thanks, Cindy Holm!!

More books are also on their way to Nepal from the Washington D.C. Library of Congress Braille Book Library and other state resource centers like Ohio and Tennessee! When word gets out, word gets out!!

What a great project, the Inauguration is set for March 26th and we’re rounding up the VIPs for the ceremony but the true VIPs will be the bind/visually impaired children who will benefit from this resource!

New Braille Library to open!

March 11, 2010

Fun Photos From DNC

DNC 3/10/10

Opportunities and Reunions

Our meeting with the Tranquility Spa owner, Phuwan Phaiju couldn’t have gone any better! He listened intently and when he realized what we were proposing shook his head from side to side to signify that he agreed with the idea entirely.

Tranquility Spa regularly trains candidates from organizations like Saathi (for disadvantaged women), Healing Hands (an all blind masseuse service). He said he would commit to a pilot program and train 2 blind/visually-impaired candidates and hire them on at one of the 5 Tranquility Spa locations. We would then list down some metrics to evaluate the success of the program in 6 months. The pilot program would involve Phuwan himself as the instructor. He would teach them the massage techniques and accommodate their visual challenges when the lesson involved topics in anatomy and muscle groups. Part of the program will include promoting the blind massage services to area hotels frequented by tourists. It has become something of a desired service to be massaged by a blind or visually impaired person due to their increased tactile sensitivity and “third eye”.

As I sat there watching this unfold, I said to myself, “Well, that was easy!” He had no questions, no concerns about their work performance, work ethic or any foreseeable problems. It felt great to meet a someone like-minded, one who can hold out a helping hand to someone else, sight unseen (no pun intended) and give him/her a chance at a productive life!

We later found out he sponsors 4 impoverished students at a high school in the village he had graduated from! Mr.Phuwan Phaiju, Namaste! (I honor the Divinity in you)

We arrived at DNC at 5:00 PM and the whole place was quiet as the smaller children had their heads down in various rooms finishing up their assignments for the day. I almost felt I was intruding but as soon as Kumar saw me, he squealed “Gina Miss!” We hugged and I made my rounds hugging each and everyone who was there. Rob and I usually split up and visit with the kids. It is a more efficient way to provide attention to 26 children!

Michael from the British NGO, Nepali Children’s Trust, was busy reviewing math exercises with the older kids. We hugged and he immediately went back to work while I continued to search for more children. Where are the 9th graders and Anju?

Shanty explained they stay back after school and took review classes in Math and Science to prepare them the upcoming District and end term exams Anju was preparing for her SLC (School Leaving Certificate) which is a iron gate exam that allows one to take higher education if you pass them at A level marks. The pressure is on for these students. There are 8 of them graduating next year and from the looks of it , we will need to increase our education fund and look for sponsors for the university tuition and book fees which average about $600 per year per student.

My plan to raise about $1200 this year entails taking pledges for completing my 2nd Danskin Triathlon on August 15th! This I vow to achieve!

Well they all showed up between 6:30 and 6:45 and these are the kids that I have seen grown up from 2004 when I first met them. At 10 or 11, they were but little naughty kids that just wanted to play and have hugs and someone to listen to their wild imagination! Today they have plans and the determination to back them up! They work hard and still want hugs and someone to listen to and that’s pretty much all that I do when I visit!

Their solar power was waning and Shanty motioned the kids to wash up for dinner so they can continue studying. I had to say goodnight until the weekend when we plan to have a picnic and truly celebrate a much awaited reunion! Their treats that we brought would need to stay inside the luggage until then!

-Gina Rose

Back In Our Second Home

It’s the barking of the neighborhood dogs that get you up in Sanepa, the neighborhood in Kathmandu where our hosts RR and Chandra Pandey have welcomed us the last 6 years. Their constant back and forth of announcing that daylight is coming beats any flock of roosters in Western Washington. After 20 minutes they quiet down perhaps to eat and go about their day. This is our first morning here after the cross Pacific flight via Seoul, Korea which was a pleasant transition to our new time zone.

All the household staff, guards, drivers, cooks and their 2 wards Sabriti and Ranjita greet us and welcome us back with hugs and Namastes. They will be doting on us and we’ll have our morning English –Nepali lessons over coffee or tea. I usually watch them cook up the delicious meals and roll roti when we eat in and we’ll watch a Hindi film together, provided the power stays on long enough. It feels great to be be back, Rob and I were committed to return this year, despite the set backs in his business and my work issues.

Rob went to the kitchen to make coffee, wow it feels like home!

Our schedule today starts out with massages at “Tranquility Spa”, a massage and spa place in the neighborhood. After which we are going to have a meeting with the owner to discuss the possibilities of hiring on some skilled massage professionals who are sight challenged. This is part of our program to encourage employers to provide job opportunities to people with disability and experience their capacity to provide services just like their non-handicapped employees.

This afternoon, we will see the kids at DNC and we have a boatload of it of items to distribute. I am so excited!! Pictures for sure will be posted!
- Gina Rose

Pre-Trip Message from Rob

I can't believe it...another year has passed so quickly as we prepare for another journey to Nepal- my eleventh and Gina's sixth! Kathmandu seems almost like a second home for us now. Our impact has grown as our projects and programs have grown: school sponsorships for children with disability, surgery sponsorships, backpacks for the Blind/Visually-Impaired,the amazing Rotary Disability-Awareness Campaign, the launch of the 'National Braille Library' with our partner- NAWB to name but a few!

All that has happened, and indeed all that will happen is possible because a large number of people in Nepal and so many concerned people here in the USA (and around the world) believe in the power of kindness toward the less fortunate. We are positively impacting so many lives in so many ways. I am truly humbled to be part of this effort and blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family who understand the importance of our efforts.

As we embark on another journey I wish to express my gratitude to all of our supporters around the world!