Bridges Nepal UK Trust Newsletter 5 Dec 21
Update 2021
With our thanks to you our generous donors we are pleased to report that over the last year our key partners Bridges Nepal NGO have made great progress with their projects in Nepal.
This is despite the last year being a challenge for everyone working in Nepal. The COVID 19 pandemic brought lockdowns and curfews across the country which severely restricted movement around Kathmandu and out of the city. Monsoon rain and landslides destroyed many local roads and tracks up the mountains. All of this has made it hard for people to leave Kathmandu and travel up the mountains to the villages.
Bridges Nepal NGO have, with funding and support provided by you all, been able to make progress on the following projects:
Women's Community Centre
Building of the Women’s Community Centre in the upper part of the district towards the high mountains (20000 ft plus) is complete.
Between lockdowns the materials were procured, delivered and then, with guidance from Bridges Nepal NGO, local partners were able to construct the centre with local people working to complete the construction. All that now remains to be finished is to install netting or glass for the windows.
Water Supply Projects
Phase 1 - Bulk Storage Water Tank
Although it has not been possible to commence building the water tank, it has been possible to make considerable progress planning the development, gaining the necessary agreements from local landowners to secure the location for the tank and the site where water will be extracted from to be pumped up to the tank. Progress has also been made planning and ordering the materials needed to start building. Encouragingly the government has expressed support for the project, although they are keen for the storage tank to be bigger, and therefore more costly, than Bridges Nepal NGO and the local villagers originally intended!
Two months ago Yagya Singh (working for Bridges Nepal NGO) travelled up to the village and met with the villagers involved in the project. They visited the spring site where water will be pumped from and visited the area designated for the tank to be built.
In October there were two major festivals in Nepal, Dashain and Tihar and most employment, shops and offices were closed. As soon as the festivals were over the building of the water tank was to commence, however a further landslide has now covered the spring. Our partners are now looking into commencing the tank build and ways to regain access to the spring or alternative water source.
Once this phase of the project is complete villagers will be able to walk to the tank in 5 minutes to collect water instead of having to a 1 hour round trip to the stream as they do today.
Two months ago Yagya Singh (working for Bridges Nepal NGO) travelled up to the village and met with the villagers involved in the project. They visited the spring site where water will be pumped from and visited the area designated for the tank to be built.
In October there were two major festivals in Nepal, Dashain and Tihar and most employment, shops and offices were closed. As soon as the festivals were over the building of the water tank was to commence, however a further landslide has now covered the spring. Our partners are now looking into commencing the tank build and ways to regain access to the spring or alternative water source.
Once this phase of the project is complete villagers will be able to walk to the tank in 5 minutes to collect water instead of having to a 1 hour round trip to the stream as they do today.
Phase 2 - Piping to the village
We have agreed with Bridges Nepal NGO that, once building of the water tank is well underway, we will release funds for the next phase of the project which is to pipe water from the bulk storage tank direct into the village.
Family Education Project / School Project
Bridges Nepal NGO have successfully run the first year of a schooling support project meeting many potential pupils who may benefit from support and identifying 25 “Extreme” cases in the areas they work. The selection process takes considerable time as the NGO needs to meet and spend time with the families and the schools as well as the potential pupils.
Uniforms have been made and these plus school bags distributed. Schools have been running intermittently through the year as lockdown rules permitted.
There is hope for schools to open more as the second wave settles. (Nepal’s second wave peaked in May 21 with a further rise in August 21).
During this first year it has become more obvious that despite the desire of families to educate their children, there are huge practical difficulties for the family to provide the support needed to ensure the child is able to regularly attend school. Children often provide practical support and help for families which they cannot do if they are attending school. In discussion with Bridges Nepal NGO, we have agreed to extend our support to allow the NGO to provide a range of support to the families as well as to the supported pupil. This will also allow Bridges Nepal NGO to spend time working with family and school through the year to maximise the success of the programme for the children.
The programme has developed from a traditional Schools Project into a Family Education Project.
Sending children to school and keeping them in school (especially girls) dramatically reduces the chances of them being tricked into being trafficked and helps families stay together. It also gives them skills which will enable them to gain work as they get older and thus be able to support their families.
Uniforms have been made and these plus school bags distributed. Schools have been running intermittently through the year as lockdown rules permitted.
There is hope for schools to open more as the second wave settles. (Nepal’s second wave peaked in May 21 with a further rise in August 21).
During this first year it has become more obvious that despite the desire of families to educate their children, there are huge practical difficulties for the family to provide the support needed to ensure the child is able to regularly attend school. Children often provide practical support and help for families which they cannot do if they are attending school. In discussion with Bridges Nepal NGO, we have agreed to extend our support to allow the NGO to provide a range of support to the families as well as to the supported pupil. This will also allow Bridges Nepal NGO to spend time working with family and school through the year to maximise the success of the programme for the children.
The programme has developed from a traditional Schools Project into a Family Education Project.
Sending children to school and keeping them in school (especially girls) dramatically reduces the chances of them being tricked into being trafficked and helps families stay together. It also gives them skills which will enable them to gain work as they get older and thus be able to support their families.
Tailoring Project
This project is to run a Tailoring training programme in Lalitpur (Kathmandu). The women will come from Dhading and Newakot villages to Kathmandu and learn to sew and cut as tailors. The aim is that the women will be able to learn a skill and provide for their families whilst training. It is hoped that eventually they will be able to go back to the villages to pass on the skills they have learnt. This will alleviate the risks of their families trafficking their children.
Bridges Nepal NGO have identified a local girl to run the project and are supporting her to get the necessary training and experience to set up the business. They have identified several potential locations for the project and as soon as life in Kathmandu gets back to normal post the pandemic, they will be able to commence running the programme.
Bridges Nepal NGO have identified a local girl to run the project and are supporting her to get the necessary training and experience to set up the business. They have identified several potential locations for the project and as soon as life in Kathmandu gets back to normal post the pandemic, they will be able to commence running the programme.
Relief Fund
We are inspired by one of our UK Supporters who whenever visiting central London packs sandwiches in her handbag ready for when she meets someone living on the streets and in need of practical support, love, prayer and the gospel.
Our partners Bridges Nepal NGO find that they need to be prepared in a similar way often needing to be able to provide practical help to families at short notice to alleviate immediate needs. For example, during the monsoon landslides often lead to the collapse of homes, damaged roads leave people without access to food or medical attention. During the pandemic, there has been a huge drop in the economic stability and many people have lost their jobs and whatever small income they had.
Bridges Nepal NGO have asked if we can provide a small amount of emergency funding that they can use to bring immediate practical relief to families who otherwise may have to fall back on trafficking family members in times of crisis. We are pleased to say that we have been able to meet this request thanks to the generosity of our supporters.
Our partners Bridges Nepal NGO find that they need to be prepared in a similar way often needing to be able to provide practical help to families at short notice to alleviate immediate needs. For example, during the monsoon landslides often lead to the collapse of homes, damaged roads leave people without access to food or medical attention. During the pandemic, there has been a huge drop in the economic stability and many people have lost their jobs and whatever small income they had.
Bridges Nepal NGO have asked if we can provide a small amount of emergency funding that they can use to bring immediate practical relief to families who otherwise may have to fall back on trafficking family members in times of crisis. We are pleased to say that we have been able to meet this request thanks to the generosity of our supporters.