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| Serving the People of Nepal |
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In Nepal poverty governs life.
Villagers subsist from meal to meal, their water makes them ill, and "lights out" is whenever the sun goes down.
Government education makes barely a dent in illiteracy.
They know no books, and have no insight into the outside world.
With less than $200 per year income, they have little hope and making plans for the future is not part of their lives.
In a house the animals live on the ground floor, while the family lives upstairs in a stark, wooden room with little or no furniture. A contaminated well is the only source of water near a village. In one village at least one member of each family had hepatitis. In other villages water must be fetched from distant springs and rivers. New water treatment systems and deep wells can provide tap stands with clean water in the immediate vicinity of their homes. Projects of improvement, though seemly bare-bones to us, isignificantly change the lifestyle of the people. Their gratitude is boundless; they thank you with flowers and praise. Education is one of Nepal's weakest institutions. Their facilities and resources are so limited that little is accomplished. Providing new classrooms, teaching aids and books to lift them from poverty and ignorance is a crucial effort. Nepal's needs are so basic that young girls are forced to drop out of school by the 5th grade because no toilet facilities are provided. Young boys do not suffer the same fate as a field works just as well for them. Education is halted because of something as simple as a toilet. To improve living facilities for the elderly, something as basic as a single fluorescent light brightens their dismal surroundings, brings comfort and allows them to perform worthwhile activities into the evening. |
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