Do you know a family who could buddy a child in Nepal?
Nepal is in a bad way. Nearly 9,000 new cases yesterday and 214 deaths officially reported, but most never making it to hospital. It is being called a humanitarian catastrophe. The nearest town has had 134 deaths in the last week in an unstoppable curve up. The children are bored and frightened. They don’t have lap-tops or next year’s text-books and we were unable to get new books to the school for them to read. So we are launching our ‘Buddy N’pals’ to create distractions and learning …. Something new to think about for you too.
The photos above show n’pals Sophia in Hangdewa and Jasmine in England – both 4. They are buddies. Sophia is explaining (in English) how to wash your hands to kill coronavirus and Jasmine is explaining that she is out of lockdown, playing with friends. They swap photos, read stories to each other on video and discover new and different things (like Namaste! or Hi!). Jasmine yearns for a kitten and Sophia’s friend has one. Darrel has sent Prabin (aged 7) instructions how to make a rocket out of paper and a straw, with photos of himself making one. Prabin has carefully coloured his, cut it out and sellotaped it correctly. 3-2-1 blast-off! Last time, it was how to make a paper plane.
Students in our top class are n’palling up with students at Millfield School in Somerset, UK. It is an eye-opener to teenagers in the UK that there is no on-line food delivery or Waitrose in Nepal. And our children are amazed at laser-shooting as a sport. Global-savvy children often holiday in places not really that much different from home (possibly warmer!) Our children offer a completely new perspective on life. You eat what you grow. You walk to school. You help your parents in the fields. You help take care of younger children. You respect your elders. You love to learn. You read books. You are grateful for anything! Our children have so much to be curious about too.
Please could you ask your friends and family?
We really need a deluge of Buddy N’pals. We do ask for £20 a month sponsorship as we are also in desperate need of funds. Without tourism and visitors to our luxury Villa this year, we lost 33% of our income and yet with lockdown we paid out an extra 33% (that parents are not contributing) for furlough etc. If everyone who supports us could find us a Buddy N’pal or another Mentor, we would cover our budget hole.
Lesley.warburton@qlearningnepal.com
Sponsor A Child | Q • Learning Nepal Trust CIO (qlearningnepal.com)
Exciting New Developments
New Prefects Chosen for Next Term/ Year and the ‘Be Brilliant’ Partnership with Millfield School UK as part of their ‘Emerging Adults Programme’
Other prefects include: Sports Captain: Rosma; Events Prefect: Suhana; Welfare Prefect: Anusha and Visitor Prefect: Kanun.
Next year, we hope to welcome visitors from Millfield School for ‘WOW’ in our Eastern Himalayas
The six photos above show the students who are partnering with Millfield School in their ‘emerging adults’ programme. We share the goal at both schools for students to ‘BE BRILLIANT’. They are getting to know each others’ lives; and Millfield students will share what they learn in such topics as self-care, personal brand, DIY genius, Food4life, safety online, money management … and hear what our students think. We are open to Buddy N’palling with other schools.
What if we could access world-class, online, learning resources, have access to teachers in the UK and zoom in on practical science experiments?
For several years we have been following this dream. Our WiFi comes from Mumbai, hops into China and meanders across the Himalayas. We’ve researched satellites, loons, other providers, talked to experts world-wide and National figures in Nepal. And now we have a hope: we are paying for fibre-optic cabling to be strung along poles all the way to our school from miles away! So near (here is Chandra, Principal of the Senior School, with a pole and cabling) and yet so far (work has stopped until coronavirus subsides). Maybe soon. We are so nearly there on the basketball court too.
Cookery Competition – a Christmas Cookery Book
Cross curricular lessons in Science and English – for students and Mentors!
Thank you everyone who tried out recipes and sent us photos (could do a page on different shaped sel rotis) and comments. We fed them to Emilia, catering manager at Rupert House School, Henley-on-Thames, who judged who was Ist or 2nd in each class. Results to be announced after the lockdown!
Rupert House School was so impressed that they want to produce a cookery book with some of our recipes in for Christmas. That answers the question, ‘what do I get for dear Great Aunty?!’
Wishing you all a safe couple of months – please do keep giving us ideas of what to do next as well as Kindles, books and MONEY!! We will be going to Nepal when ‘green’ at both ends.
