Archive for the ‘*Featured’ Category

Posted on January 15, 2010

Let the Long Journey Home Begin…

As our life here in Nepal is slowly coming to an end, our new adventure – our long journey home – awaits.

Saying good bye to dear friends and colleagues is always hard but thanks to communication technologies (Facebook, email, etc.), we’ll always keep tabs on each other … however, I do have a strong feeling that we’ll meet up with each other again in the near future.

I’ll definitely miss Nepal…

Until then, thank you all for everything, I wish you all the very best, it was an amazing ride and I hope to see you all soon.

Namaste,

Rakhesh Lama, Limba, Tamang, Gurung, Rai, Poudel, Yonzon, Shrestha, Gandharba, Doma, Bhattarai, Pandey, Sunar, Timilsina, Gatraj, Subba, Chhetri, Singh, Parajuli.

(and my friends, when I come to Kenya and Uganda I still expect to see a red carpet and Masai dancers at the airport)

Posted on December 11, 2009

Fair Trade Shops in Kathmandu & Patan

There are many shops in Kathmandu and in Patan that are fair trade, locally made, and supportive of small communities and women’s groups. Here are some of the most popular stores and our favourite ones both big and small.

Mahaguthi – Craft with a Conscience – in Lazimpath (small store), Kupondole, Patan (main store)
One of our favourite stores to visit with a wide range of heritage and cultural products.

Above: Photos from the Lazimpath store. Below: Photos from the Kupondole (Patan) store.

Dhukuti – Kupondole, Patan
Dhukuti is also a member of ACP – the Association for Craft Producers. Providing training, employment, access to health care and other benefits to over 1200 women, ACP employs and empowers women from severely disadvantaged backgrounds.

Photos: second floor of Dhukuti. Ooops, I only saw the “Please do not take any photos” after I took these photos.

This multi-level store pretty much has everything to decorate your home and to remind you of Nepal.

Third World Crafts – Lazimpath
They also provide international shipping.

Folk Nepal – Lazimpath
Metal & Wooden Crafts, Decorations, Fashionable clothing and more in this 2-level, spacious store.

Kumbeshwar Technical School – Patan
provides vocational training opportunities with allowance to women and young men in hand knitting, carpet weaving and furniture making. In order to fund and sustain these activities the school also operates income generating programme producing high quality knitwear, carpets and furniture.

See quiz contest video below from their local programmes…

I also hear they provide great deals on carpets!

Jawalakhel Handicraft Centre (The Tibetan Refugee Camp) – Jawalakhel, Patan
one of the Nepal’s largest manufacture  of carpets…huge collections of beautiful carpets by Contemporary, Traditional and Persian types of designs.

Photos above: outside the centre, it was a little hard to find at first.
Below: inside the work area and the carpet showroom.

An amazing, friendly place with lots of selection and you can also walk through the carpet making facilities. However, it is a little on the pricey side.

Women’s Skill Development – Pokhara
“Established in 1975, the WSDP has been committed to providing the women of Nepal with the finest vocational skills training possible.”

You can find their products in almost every fair trade shop in Nepal. The father in-law got an excellent side bag.

Fibre Weave Nepal – Kupondole, Patan
This is a new store that we stumbled upon and coincidentally stumbled upon a workshop where the owners were teaching local Nepali women how to weave. Interesting and beautiful hand-made woven products.

Related Organizations in Nepal

Fair Trade Group Nepal – Fair Trade Group Nepal (FTG Nepal) is a consortium of fair trading organisations working with the aim to uplift socio-economic status of underprivileged and marginalised producers of Nepal. It was informally established in 1993, was formally registered as an NGO in 1996 and in 1997 the FTG Nepal secretariat was established.

Association of Craft Producers - a non-profit group that provides design, marketing, training and technical services to low-income artisans of all ethnic backgrounds – 90% of whom are women.

Ten Thousand Villages

World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO)

Posted on November 15, 2009

A Year Later in Nepal

Last week marked our one year anniversary in Nepal. Amazingly on one hand, time has really flown by. On the other hand however, considering all the changes we have experienced, our time here has felt much, MUCH longer.

I can say one thing for sure, I have definitely learned and grown a lot since I first stepped off that plane, more than I could have ever imagined. Perhaps it is because I had the chance to step away from the rat race and the normalcy of my daily life back in Vancouver. While adapting to life in Nepal, I also had the time to reflect about what I really wanted out of life, what my real strengths and weaknesses are, and what really matters to me the most. I don’t want to sound cliché, but it has truly been a tremendous “soul searching” experience for both me and my wife.

What do I miss most from back home?

Doritos chips and high speed internet.

The things that I have come to love about Nepal?

The people, it is definitely the people – the people who I work with, laugh with, learn new things with, and at the same time the people who sometimes drives me crazy, my uncanny neighbours, and the fruit vendor down the street who occasionally tries to charge just a little extra for a kilo of apples.

What they all have in common though is their unconditional perseverance. Along with the political instability, the surmounting daily problems and barriers to basic opportunities that we often take for granted, are unimaginable to endure in my mind yet it is a normal part of their daily lives.

And so, they keep moving on, routinely going through the motions of their daily lives often either day-dreaming of a better life or apathetic or indifferent. Yet they are always “present” and “grounded” living each day one day at a time.

Regarding my work and challenges

I work in VSO Nepal’s HIV/AIDS programme as an IT Advisor. However, I feel like I have been more than what my ID cards says I am. I have worn “many hats” as they say, played many roles, and adapted a MacGyver style of working when it comes to helping people grow and learn. Working along with several local Nepali NGO’s regarding information management and related technologies, I have acted as a capacity builder, a trouble shooter, a teacher, a coach/motivator, a mentor, a facilitator, and even a councilor (that’s long story).

Depending on my colleague’s needs, activities have ranged from brainstorming ideas on how to build and maintain their library, developing policies and best practices regarding computer usage/maintenance to testing out new software and going shopping with them to look for the best computer deals and services. So far, my work has not only been interesting but genuine and authentic in way – real, raw, and down-to-earth grassroots.

Of course, the culture and language barriers were difficult at first, but it definitely got easier as time went on (and as my Nepali got better). However, the most challenging aspect of my job is actually figuring out how to learn and work in a totally different way that I am used to working back home.

On being a volunteer

I’ve learned that to be a volunteer (or any type of job that sees you working in different cultures), you really have to be flexible, adaptable, and creative since “anything” can unexpectedly happen. Most importantly I had to learn to be comfortable about “letting go” of some of my own expectations and convictions. On many occasions it has been frustrating and I felt like saying “Arggh, just let me do it and it will get done.”  I had to remind myself, it is not about me but about the community that I am helping.

“Change” can be excruciatingly slow but it is definitely happening. As a “changed” person myself, I am simply along for the ride, supporting my colleagues through their necessary growing pains.

Highlights so far…

Work-wise, one of my most proudest moments is seeing my colleagues excited about the projects that we are working on. It’s amazing but simply teaching someone a new skill or trick on the computer, it feels like you are bringing water to a community village.

One colleague was ecstatic that she can now call herself a “Web Content Manager” after learning how to blog or edit their organization’s web site and another is jubilant that he can now optimize the performance of their computer networks. No longer do they say that the computer is just an expensive type writer.

Sometimes I found that a person just needed reassurance that the existing knowledge and skills that they have learned on their own is not inadequate. They often see me as the “Expert” but I often say, “Hey now, you are an expert as well!” I also found that often encouragement is needed for them to continue to explore new ideas, think critically, converse with their peers, and most importantly to not be afraid to make mistakes. It may sound easy to us “Westerners” but in reality, the concept is sometimes foreign in some cultures.

Finally, like any job, I look forward to vacation time. To be tourist when technically you are not one is such a great feeling. Let’s be honest here, travelling, seeing the sights, and learning about new cultures is a big plus about volunteering overseas.

It has been such an amazing experience so far and even though our placement ends in January, our adventure isn’t over yet.

Posted on November 14, 2009

VSO Nepal Goes Green

Volunteers reports on VSO Nepal’s latest green initiative.

by Rex T., Edited by Stephen Massey, and with the help of Hilary Wright.

Last September, VSO Nepal made a bold decision to ban the use of plastic bags within the office premise. Although causing extra inconvenience and being initially unpopular with some staff and volunteers, the decision was morally an easy one to make.

Staff and volunteers who venture to the office each day do not have to look very far to see the environmental consequences of society’s addiction to plastic. The nearby Bagmati River, a river that splits Kathmandu from Lalitpur and is considered a “holy river” both by Hindus and Buddhists, is literally choked with plastic refuse. The sad visual display is part of everyone’s morning commute to work – a constant visual reminder that plastic bags are detrimental to not only our natural environment but to our overall health and well-being.

So when our programme support manager suggested, “let us just ban plastic bags in the office all together”, although people were astonished at first (myself included), we quickly realized that it was the most common-sense thing to do.

A month or so later, anyone working or visiting the VSO Nepal office found themselves unable to bring plastic bags onto the premises. If any one does, or accidentally forgets that they brought one, they are asked to check the plastic bags at the guard post. There is even a prominent sign mounted on the gate depicting the office’s commitment to banning plastic bags in order to protect the environment.

Some might say that this ban is extreme and an inconvenience. Some people have even challenged the credibility of the ban and have brought up points about purchasing products that use excess plastic packaging or even purchasing milk that comes in plastic pouches. I can even imagine people have been thinking “How far will this ban go?”

In the end however, no-one can show that plastic bags are a good thing and we welcome the discussion that this ban has caused. In fact we want to see more of these types of discussions and debates, to force us to think critically about our work and lifestyle practices and how they impact on the environment. Staff and volunteers together have also started thinking about other issues such as energy, waste, and paper use reduction.

Since the ban, there has been a noticeable change in the office. The guards and kitchen staff now venture in and out of the office with reusable cloth bags and people often make it a game to spot and taunt anyone that accidentally brings one in (at least I do). As we all know, change can be difficult but it is slowly happening.

The banning of plastic bags was the first of many small steps to come – but also a symbolic gesture that sends a strong, thought-provoking message.

Posted on October 31, 2009

Trekking with 3 “little” Sisters

It was an amazing, awe-inspiring trek at times and one of the most labourous workouts I have ever experienced. The 5-day Ghorepani – Ghandruk Loop Teahouse Trek had just the right number of days for us novice trekkers but it also was enough to make me salivate for more.

Along with the spectacular scenery and the immerse cultural experience, I was also impressed by our 3 little companions, who in the end made the difference in our trek.

Renuka Kaki, our mother hen along with Maina Thapa and Indra Rai our steady porters were our Nepali guides from 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking. Renuka has been working with the company for a few years, Maina for 1 and Indra was just starting out as it was her first trek after training.

To have a guide, to not have a guide?

Our trek route is also part of the Annapurna circuit. After talking to a view other trekkers (ease-dropping on another one) and thinking back on seeing how the route is pretty much commercialized, it is safe to say that pesronally I think you “can” do the Annapurna circuit trek “without” a guide.

The trails and paths are “well traveled”, every 2 to 3 hours you are bound to either stumble upon a village, tea house/accomodation, or small market of some sort, and without a doubt you will definitely run into our trekkers or guides to ask for directions. The trekking maps are very accurate as well.

However, having porters and guides is quite convenient as they can: provide local information about the area, quickly find and reserve for you decent accomodations (ie, during the very busy tourist season, you cannot make reservations so they often can run up ahead, sometimes a day a head, to grab you a room at the best places – you’ll definitely need this perk at Annapurna Basecamp), take care of all your trekking paperwork/permits, take the load off your backs so you can enjoy the trek, and of course English/Nepali translation.

In my mind, you are employing someone and in our case helping out young women, and contributing to an admirable, charity organization (who is in my opinion doing very, very well for themselves).

Photos of our trip can be seen on my FB Photo Album.