Happy New Year! 2016 got off to a flying start with Sisters for Sisters now that we’ve increased the number of schools we are helping. We are busier than ever! Although tiring, it’s so motivating to see more and more girls supporting one another to stay in school and continue learning. This is all because of your wonderful support, so thank you so much.
Ann leaves a legacy
Recently my fellow Sisters for Sisters VSO volunteer and dear friend Ann Marcer returned to the UK at the end of her two year placement. It was certainly very sad to see her go, but she’s left a legacy in the schools she’s been helping in the rural region of Besisahar in Nepal.
Ann (far right) and I in a planning session with some of our wonderful team
When Ann did a final return to the schools she had been supporting through her two years, she was delighted to see so many issues resolved thanks to her help. Previously there had been a big difference between how girls and boys were encouraged to participate in the classroom; boys would be praised for shouting out answers, and teachers would always turn to them, yet girls were scorned for doing the same and were widely ignored. They were also separated to different sides of the classroom, with girls often at the back of the classroom. When Ann and I first arrived, witnessing the difference between girls and boys was particularly tough, and we resolved to take steps to stop this.
Through Ann’s encouragement, teachers began to use mixed gender seating arrangements, and ensured girls were given the chance to participate too. In all the schools she visited at the end of her placement, girls and boys were learning beside one another, and very few girls had dropped out of school – this is the progress we dreamt of!
Girls and boys learning side by side
It is really inspirational to hear Ann’s news on the difference she’s made to girls in the Besisahar region, and that our steps working with the teachers are indeed working. Through my continuing work over the coming year I know I too can leave such a lasting legacy on the next generation of Nepali women in the Lamjung region.
A VSO placement told through a five year old
Ann was returning to her Devonshire home, and was very excited to go back to her village school where she was a headmistress for years and to tell the kids all about her work and the girls in Nepal.
Ann definitely captured her former pupils’ curiosity; so much so that five year old Frieda made this video summing up her old teachers’ time in Nepal. Ann was so touched by it that she has shared it on VSO’s Youtube channel. It’s very sweet, and I know you’ll love it too!
Nepal hit with another challenge – a fuel crisis
Since the end of 2015, Nepal has also been struck with a block on fuel from its southern border with India. This has meant cooking fuel, which the vast majority of families rely on, is now extremely scarce. Fuel for vehicles is also very hard to come-by; meaning essential medicines are now not reaching rural areas, nor construction materials for buildings badly damaged by the earthquakes. Currently all transport is hampered, leading to very few tourists visiting the country at all, which has caused great issues for villages who relied on the income it brought in. Local cafes are unable to cook any food, meaning they are forced to close.
In some of the larger cities, schools are heartbreakingly closing too, as teachers and their pupils relied on public transport to make their journeys - but all services have now stopped. We are relatively lucky in the Lamjung region that the best way to travel is always by foot due to the mountainous terrain, therefore all teachers and their students can continue as usual.
The block has continued for months now, which has lead to the country’s second crisis after the earthquakes. Everyday life is unfortunately getting tougher. We can only hope the politics behind the blockade at the border is resolved soon, I will keep you posted.
The girls’ bright faces are thanks to you
Despite the challenges Nepal is currently facing with the fuel crisis and rebuilding from the devasting earthquakes, progress is still being made with education for the next generation here. Ann’s final report shows how small steps for improvement have encouraged more girls to stay in school and keep learning.
The team of VSO volunteers, past, present and future couldn’t be making the difference to children’s futures around the world without your incredible loyalty and support. I am certainly very proud of what we are achieving together - and I hope you are too.
Best wishes,
Judith
