If anyone can remember, that was the title of my very first post when I set up the blog while I was training in Birmingham in August 2005. When I started writing this post it was 5 weeks to go before I leave Nepal -it's now only 4 because I got sidetracked by Tihar, so I've removed what I had written and started again.
The two weeks between Dashain and Tihar, which last year were very quiet at work as the new DEO took over and the RPs were all hiding in their resource centres wondering whether their jobs were safe, were very busy and I began to feel envious of Doreen having the opportunity to see some of the new initiatives through - though I feel some success in that they ever got off the ground in the first place.
The first programme was supposed to be a refresher course for the women who attended the women SMC members' training out in Hatiya back in March. As only 5 of the original participants were there (with 8 others) it was more of a repeat than a review,but it was good to hear one young woman say that after the first programme, she had felt able to tell the other members of her management committee (the men)what she saw as her role. The highlight for me was one of the women showing us how the men react when she speaks - the body language was so expressive- she is obviously very perceptive but very frustrated. I think we have realised that while courses to support the women are important as they give them an opportunity to say things they would not say in front of the men, training involving them as well is necessary.
The following day I had been invited to be the 'special guest' at a musical chairs event at the resource centre at Mayurdhap. The journey out there is always enoyable - tempo ride, wade across the channels in the gravel beds then walk up the Nepali equivalent of a country lane.This time it was made more interesting by the company of the RP's daughter - an articulate young lady in grade 7 at Hetauda's Christian run English medium academy. The private schools did not go back between the two holidays, so she was having a day out to with her mother and she was also going to meet her aunt, another teacher who was taking part in the musical chairs game.
I learnt that the event was to recognise the contribution of female teachers (patronising or what?)and there was one teacher from each of the schools in the resource centre area (had they had a run off to see who was going to take part? - I didn't ask). I soon realised this was going to be very competitive - there were prizes of 200, 150 and 100 rupees for the winners.
On the first circuit I took what I thought would be a short piece of video. It turned out to be nearly a minute before the 'music' (a blindfolded pupil sitting in the centre of the circle with the school 'bell' - an oblong piece of metal and a hammer) stopped.
On watching it afterwards, one teacher is seen very cleverly hurryng between the chairs and then slowing down so that she will have a chair in front of her (no going backwards). She turned out to be the eventual winner, though not without jutting elbows, a couple of stewards' enqiries and a reinstatement. There was a good lunch afterwards!
After the weekend I had the pleasure of an hour's bus ride out to the east, a delicious daalbhaat at the headmadam's husband's shop (it really was like being in the zoo with children coming and peering over the counter at us) then a 11/2 hour walk with Umamadam (the RP) and headmadam to another mothers' meeting. The way took us through jungle, across countless streams (we had waited to hold this programe as the way had been flooded for several weeks)and finally along a gravel bed with tall cliffs - the scenery of the road south.
The school had been built by the community several years ago, but had only come under the DEO's authority two years ago, when the head had been appointed. There is one other teacher (the wife of the SMC chair). There are 52 children in grades 1-3, but only two classrooms, though a new Japanese-funded building is under construction. A group of women and children was waiting for us and over the next hour they were joined by many more until there were 43 women and at least as many children, some perched on the planks which made up the walls of the classroom, their heads almost touching the tin roof.
Four women admitted to being able to read and write and two of them were chosen to record the 'group' discussions (there wasn't room to make four groups). There was obviously a good awareness of the value of sending children to school and of the need for them to have equipment and uniform and it was also clear that this would be a struggle for most of the families.I would love to see the school in operation, but when the RP wrote in the school record book, she showed me that she had been there twice in the previous year at 6 monthly intervals, so we shalln't be going again in the next month - but headmadam does the walk twice a day!
The next day I was back in Hetauda for a long-awaited training session for PTA chairs. This had been suggested when we did the original women's training at the beginning of the year and although I had been frustrated that it had never happened because the RP was absent, I had to admire him for finally insisting that we do it before I leave. I had to leave before the last session as there was still planning to be done for the following day's big network meeting with all the (I)NGOs working in the education sector in Makawanpur district.
This was a really big event which had been suggested by the DEO after seeing one that had been run in Parsa when Shannon was there (talking of whom, she was involved with bombs and bus accidents in Nepal and now in less than 6 months in Bangladesh she has encountered a possible tsunami and a cyclone).
As there is no record of which organisations are working in which schools or resource centre areas, it is quite possible that some schools are receiving support from several donors, while others are going without. Monitoring the effectiveness of scholarships and retention programmes is also going to be easier if communcation channels are set up. The DEO was present for some of the day and also took the opportunity to launch a newsletter from the resource centre in the far east (where I haven't been) which just happens to contain an article by yours truly. He is really a great guy, not a faceless character at all!
The meeting gave me an opportunity to meet some of the people I've met along the way - Prem from PLAN (now promoted to a post in Kathmandu), Pemba from GAN (saying Sandy may be coming back in the new year and asking me to go to Palung before I leave),Purna's brother Ganesh representing their organisation NEST and gave Mahendraji a chance to ask me to say a few words at my last programme - no need to remind me!
The network meeting was also an opportunity for Laura, a volunteer who works on advocacy and networking projects in Kathmandu, to come out to the country and I spent a couple of evenings with her at the Avocado. The staff up there were beginning to think I'd moved in as I was there almost every night the previous week.
The first of my visitors was Richard, on his way back from the Annapurna Circuit with tales of crossing the high pass after the snow that we had experienced in Muktinath and hearing of the death of a young Frenchwoman from altitude sickness. While we were at the Avocado, we met Duane (ex International Red Cross, now UNDP)and I spent the next night with him and Jo. The following day there was a meeting of programme office staff and one of the new partner organisations, so I was invited for daalbhaat. Just like buses - three nights out came along at once!
I think that's just about caught me up to this week, when I've spent time in the office writing up all my reports. The RP told me schools would be open from Wednesday, but in fact they are closed until tomorrow, so next week I'm going to spend some time in the school round the corner from the office observing (and hopefully supporting) their initiative to introduce grade teaching ie not a separate teacher for each subject, but like our primary school system. I've also promised to take Richard to video the nursery we visited when the volunteers came to Hetauda as he wants an example of good practice to show his RPs and I want to squeeze in a visit to Jose's village - yes he's back again.
Yesterday was Chhatt, a terai festival which is gaining popularity across the country. After presenting large amounts of food at specially erected puja places along river banks women worship the setting sun, standing in the river often with lamps. They then stay awake all night in order to worship the rising sun the next morning (and if last night was anything to go by use a lot of firecrackers to keep themselves awake!). There is a great belief that after doing this wishes will be granted - perhaps that's the reason people other than the madeshi are celebrating - they've tried everything else and there is a great desire for a settled nation. The new session of parliament starts on Sunday, lets hope Prachanda and Koirala lit a few lamps yeterday!
And I've started packing.
