Patti Shales Lefkos
For The Morning Star
Helping others doesn’t need to be limited to the holiday season. There are countless opportunities to spread compassion and assistance all year.
On a recent trip to Nepal, I had the chance to witness first hand the huge difference a few people from Canada can make in the lives of 225 children in an area devastated by the 2015 earthquake.
My husband Barry Hodgins, my fellow Rotarian Mary Jackson and I were accompanied to Aprik, a remote Hindu village in Gorkha province northwest of Kathmandu by Prem Khatry, director of NGO Sambhav Nepal.
Gratitude shone on the faces of the teachers and parents as Mary and I cut the ribbon under the flag of Canada to officially open the first four new classrooms of Devi Jal Kumari School, a project initiated by Vernon’s Nepal One Day at a Time Society along with substantial financial support from Kalamalka Rotary.
Later that day, students were mesmerized as they poured over their first library books, purchased with money raised by Seaton Secondary School Interact, a Rotary club for ages 12 to 18, and Kelowna Rotaract, a club for ages 18 to 30.
Laughter and giggles filled the room as we played English alphabet bingo and distributed sought after prizes, brand new toothbrushes donated by Vernon’s Aberdeen Dental and Apple Creek Family Dental in Armstrong.
Travel to places like Aprik Village isn’t easy. We jostled for two days over rough roads, slept in tents and took bucket showers from a pail of hot water with a dipper.
Uncomfortable as it was at times, it was worth it. We spent the week listing and carding library books, playing games with the students and were even guests at a village Hindu wedding feast. We gained a great deal more from our experience than we gave. Our feelings of satisfaction were immense.
Warmly welcomed by the villagers, we made new friends and were introduced to many aspects of the Hindu culture that makes up 80 per cent of the population of Nepal.We also noticed their incredible respect for the traditions of Buddhism, whose followers comprise most of the remaining 20 per cent.
Barefoot village men plowed fields behind sturdy buffalo teams. Women bent for long hours in the sun to weed fields of corn. These subsistence farmers greatly value education for their children and are thankful for our help. Our time at the village reminded us of our good fortune to live in Canada, a country where teachers are well trained, a solid education system is in place and a wide variety of cultures is celebrated.
Thanks to continued support from Kalamalka Rotary, the next four classrooms are currently under construction. Funding is still needed for an additional four classrooms, a toilet block and a fence around the area. In mountainous Nepal when a soccer ball goes out of bounds from a school playground, it can disappear 300 metres or more down into the valley. It slows down the game.
As a member of Kalamalka Rotary, I am honoured to play my small part in raising funds for local and international projects each year at the annual Dream Auction. Proceeds from the Dream Auction support many local projects such as Habitat for Humanity and the Starfish Pack program, which provides a backpack of food each weekend to 84 North Okanagan elementary school children.
Other international projects supported by Kalamalka Rotary include a hostel in Ethiopia to allow girls from remote areas to complete their secondary education and KIVA, a non-profit organization that allows people to lend money via the internet to low income entrepreneurs in over 80 countries.
To learn more about trekking in Nepal and the construction of Devi Jal Kumari School, adventurers of all ages are invited to a Trekking and Volunteering slideshow featuring highlights of our trip to Aprik village, as well as the spectacular Manalsu Circuit Trek with a side trip to the recently opened magical Buddhist area, the Tsum Valley. Special guest, Prem Khatry, director of Sambhav Nepal, will speak briefly and be available for questions. Jan. 25, 7 p.m. at the Schubert Centre, 3505-30th Ave. Admission by donation. Original photo cards will be available for sale.
