Kamal Subedi and our Remedial Classes

Kamal (far left) with a women's group

Our Remedial Classes - By David Walton 

WELNepal’s chief obligation is to ensure the success of ALL of our projects with the women in Nepal.  A failed project is a waste of money — money donated to us with the expectation that we will spend it wisely. We felt that creating libraries for the women’s groups that completed our literacy classes was not enough to keep as many women literate as possible. To remedy this we came up with the idea of offering those groups the chance to meet once a week and practice literacy skills by taking turns reading from an article or story pertaining to women’s issues, discussing the material and then answering some questions in written form — all under the guidance of a supervisor.  Since there was no project like this for us to base our idea on, we had to chart our own course. We called it our Remedial Class.

We asked our good friend Kamal Subedi, a teacher of English in the Nepali government school system, to create a curriculum for our literacy class graduates. Kamal became so interested in the project that he not only created the course, but also worked with the women who we hired to run each class. That was three years ago.

Before you read Kamal’s report to WELNepal on our Remedial Class project, let me tell you that almost all of the women wish to continue with their weekly meetings and the groups that are completing the last months of our literacy classes are lining up to start their first year of Remedial Class. Kamal will now have to create a new Remedial Class for those groups who will be just completing their third year. 

We are sending you Kamal’s report, without any edits or changes:

KAMAL’S REPORT

I am very happy to be able to write you my final report for this year's all the three remedial training for female teachers. I have observed very Good attendance and active participation in the training. Most of the teachers are eager to continue this remedial course in their villages and keep the old folks interested in their studies!

They say they have seen significant changes in the lives of these people because of these post literacy classes. The mother-in-laws have started to take good care of their pregnant daughter-in-laws, and have become aware about the health hazards from smoking or working in the kitchen that uses timber for fuel, started to take part in decision making process at home, and talk openly about health issues related to sex! Now they are not shy any more while talking to a stranger or to a government official! I think these feedback I get from the teachers I deal with is more than sufficient to prove and justify the success of the course, training  and all the efforts that have been in effect from home and abroad. I am confident that such post literacy programs will definitely bring out positive changes in rural villages of Chitwan.

Big thanks for your work, time and resources directed towards changing the lives of under privileged Nepalese !

We at WELNepal are overjoyed by the success of our Remedial Class project and are so very thankful to have Kamal Subedi on the WELNepal team. Kamal also wanted to say a few words about me and Nepal, so take a look at his first blog:

David: A Change Agent (Catalyst) in Chitwan, Nepal

I’ve known Mr. David Walton for last 15 years before WELNepal came into existence. However, it was in its conception long ago in David’s mind. Mr. Walton used to volunteer in the school where I was (and still am) an English language teacher. It was great pleasure for me as an English language teacher to know and get help from someone whose first language was English so that my pupils would get an early opportunity to get familiarized with a native speaker’s voice, which is an asset for ESL learners.

David was a selfish person. He wanted to see Nepalese life be [as good] as he could imagine and he was in no confusion that it could only be changed with an educated child. Besides, teaching English in school he started to gather funds for making TRUNK libraries in government schools and later in communities as well. I was there with David to choose, buy and send books to the chosen schools. I vividly remember the day back in 2002 when David was honored by the then-minister of Physical Planning and Works for his work and contribution in the area of educational and infrastructural development in Nepalese schools.

At some stage, David realized that an official institution was necessary to continue the work he had been doing for so long and to keep things in order and for its validity. WELNepal was set up, and its main focus was women’s education. David asked me to spend some time and develop a course, a remedial one for the advanced literate people. I shouldered the responsibility with such an interest that it was easy for me to allocate some time out of my busy schedule to materialize the dream of making Nepali women literate.

We have now four remedial series for advanced literacy classes designed to be held once a week. I know there is strong dedication and unfailing support in this mission from many people from home and abroad and it is for a good cause.  I’d love to see this amazing work being continued until every Nepali is literate. There is no doubt everyone’s input is to execute the goal of eradicating illiteracy from Nepal effectively. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the supporters of WELNepal, be it financial, moral or support of any form; it has brought a silent revolution in the corners of Nepali society which will eventually eradicate illiteracy – a root cause of all the evils of the Nepalese society!

Holiday Cheer from WELNepal!

Women using sewing machines

This year has been good for WELNepal. We have now helped over 4,000 women in the lowlands of Nepal learn to read and write in their language for the first time in their lives. We are also launching some great new projects — our vegetable shop and sewing machine projects — in 2014. None of these projects would be possible without the generosity of our loyal donors and supporters. We — and the women we work with — are incredibly grateful.

With the holiday season fast approaching, we've been thinking about how to generate more help for more women in our project area. While searching for ways to raise funds and awareness, we came across a new and inspiring movement — Giving Tuesday.

According to Giving Tuesday’s website, “It is a new Canadian movement for giving and volunteering, taking place each year after Cyber Monday. The ‘Opening day of the giving season,’ it is a day where charities, companies and individuals join together to share commitments, rally for favourite causes and think about others.”

When we first heard about this movement, we knew we had to get on board. The event, which takes place on December 3, will allow our supporters to make a donation to WELNepal on Giving Tuesday’s website.

If you’re interested in making a holiday donation, simply visit the website and click on “Give to Any Charity.” Once you click, simply type in WELNepal and wait to be taken to a link to our donation page. You can donate any amount. A little (just $25 teaches one woman to read and write) goes a long way in Nepal.

In other holiday news, WELNepal is also offering supporters a chance to make a donation in honour of a loved one. Anyone who wishes to give to WELNepal on a friend or relative’s behalf will also get the opportunity to send an original WELNepal Christmas card (featuring photos of the women we work with) to the person to whom the donation is dedicated.

So, if you donate $25 in your mother’s name, we will send her a card letting her know what your donation will do for the women we work with.

To dedicate a donation to someone, follow these instructions:

1)    Donate Online by clicking the Canada Helps button on the page.

Simply follow the instructions and indicate the amount you wish to give.

In the message/instructions box, please provide us with:

-The donor’s name

-The recipient’s name

-The recipient’s mailing address

-A personalized dedication (optional)

And last but not least, WELNepal wants to give a BIG THANK YOU to All Saints Catholic Elementary School in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

Earlier this fall, David Daai proposed hosting a small clothing drive for the children in our project area - a village where so many children shiver through icy evenings and chilly mornings because they lack warm clothes in good condition.

WELNepal managed to get in touch with Dufferin Peel Catholic School Board trustee Sharon Hobin, who put us in touch with All Saints. The clothing drive was a great success! Now, children in Nepal will have hundreds of items of clothing to keep them warm over the next five to 10 YEARS!

Thank you all for giving the children in Nepal a tremendous Christmas gift that will last many, many years.

Happy Holidays!

Our 12th Annual Benefit Bash

WELNepalis (left to right) Barry, Anton, Ashley, David Daai, Anh, Diana, Betty

WELNepal recently threw its 12^th Annual Benefit Bash, and what a bash it was! It was our first time in Toronto’s famed Tranzac Club and the venue was perfect. There was a plenty of room to meet, mingle and dance (and believe us, dancing was a big part of the evening!).

Auction tables

We welcomed about 100 guests to the party and treated them to delicious food donated and prepared by “our” chefs Mike and Max and popular Toronto restaurants The Roastery and Mt. Everest. We also showcased live entertainment, including performances by Nepali musical group Aryan and Band (fronted by adorable three-year-old drummer Aryan), belly dance troupe Tribe MayaFire and high-energy afro-pop band Njacko Backo and Kalimba Kalimba. DJ Simon provided the perfect soundtrack in between performances.

Aryan and Band

We also received a great response to our silent auction, and some lucky guests walked away with hockey tickets, original art, Nepali and Canadian-made jewellery and more. Guests also liked our colourful grab bags, and for the first time ever, we offered attendees the opportunity to sponsor two young women that we work with in Nepal.

Thanks to some very generous donors, both girls will be starting post-secondary school soon.

Njacko Backo and Kalimba Kalimba

All of us at WELNepal — and all the

women we work with — are incredibly grateful to everyone who took the time to come out and celebrate our work with us. The benefit is so much more than a simple fundraiser. It’s about raising awareness of the issues so many Nepali women face and doing so in a fun, memorable and meaningful way. The night is a celebration of our mission, our women’s groups, Nepal and our incredible donors. We hope everyone had as fantastic an evening as we did and we hope to see you all next year!

We’d also like to take this opportunity to offer a very, very special thanks to the people who dedicated so much time to making this benefit the best it could be.

Tribe MayaFire with Aryan

A heartfelt thanks to our Maitre D and host Michael, all of our performers, Anneli, Pat, Anh, Jennifer, Big Guy Shane, Meesh, Hideki, Eli, Suzanne, Betty, Isabelle, Holly, Ethel, Celina, Chip and Nancy (for her famous noodle salad that she kindly provides every year). If we forgot anybody, feel free to call us out in the comments!

We’d also like to offer a huge thank you to our wonderful MC and dedicated donor and fan, Barry Flatman. His speech about his trip to Nepal helped boost the profile of the tiny country we all love so much.

So to everyone who came out to enjoy eating, drinking and partying with us — thank you! Your donations will give so many women the gift of literacy.

Namaste,

WELNepal

Our Benefit is TONIGHT!

Tribe MayaFire

After weeks of preparation, we're beyond excited to be welcoming friends, guests and supporters to our 12th Annual Benefit Bash tonight!

In case you missed our past blogs, here's a brief rundown of the details:

Monica McKenna's 12th Annual Benefit Bash for WELNepal

Friday, October 4 (that's TONIGHT)! at 7:00 pm at The Tranzac Club (292 Brunswick Ave, Toronto)

There will be live entertainment and performances by:

DJ Simon

A Nepali percussion and flute duo

Belly dance troupe Tribe MayaFire

Afro-pop band Njacko Backo and Kalimba Kalimba 

Oh, and did we mention that there will also be a fantastic complimentary buffet dinner and a silent auction featuring hockey tickets, electronics, jewellery, art and more?

We'd absolutely love to see you at all at what promises to be a fun and memorable celebration of your generosity and, most of all, the incredible achievements that the women in Nepal have made with your support.

Visit our website for more information on how to buy tickets for tonight's event (minimum $40 donation suggested).

See you tonight!

Namaste,

WELNepal

Barry's Time with WELNepal

President David Daai: I met Barry many years ago when he came to my studio for his promotional photos.  After leaving the photography business, I did not see Barry for some years.  We met again at a small fundraiser thrown for WELNepal by a mutual friend. 

As other guests listened intently to stories about my work in Nepal, Barry would wander by cracking jokes.  I wondered why my old client even bothered to come. At the end of the evening, some of the guests gave me cheques for $25 or $50. Barry then sat down beside me and asked “how much did you say it costs to cover a whole women’s literacy class for one year?"

I told Barry that we would need $450 to do that, and Barry took out his cheque book and wrote me a cheque for that amount.  That was eight years ago, and Barry has been supporting a literacy class every year since then.  The money and the hockey tickets that he donates to our silent auction have helped literally hundreds of women learn to read and write.

That’s my friend Barry. Please enjoy his lovely recap of his incredible trip to Nepal this past winter. 

Barry Flatman with his class in Sauraha, Nepal

Sept. 20, 2011: After waiting nearly twenty years, I had both my knees replaced at the same time. For much of those twenty years, I had been “bone on bone” – that is, no cartilage to buffer the grinding of the bones inside my knees. I had become bow legged, developed numerous bone spurs, had two distended knee caps, was riddled with arthritis, had ground my teeth down from the constant pain and moved about the Earth more like an angry, hobbled 80-year-old than the almost 61-year-old I actually was. 

The rehab was very hard, very painful and very morphine-filled, but after several months, I found myself walking without crutches and back at work once again - PAIN FREE! One does not entirely realize just how much suffering you have endured until the pain is actually gone – a revelation to be sure. But in the larger picture of the real world, I was soon to discover how little I truly knew about hardship and suffering, or, for that matter, the revelations arising from their absence.

I began to plan for one year ahead, when I knew my knees would be the best they would be for the rest of my life. Looking back on what I was unable to do for the past two decades, it became apparent that climbing in the Himalayas was at the top of my wish list. I further reasoned that if I was to make the journey to Nepal, I would also be able to visit my friend David Walton and see firsthand the extraordinary work of WELNepal – an organization I've supported for many years.

A few of the Himalayas

After much careful planning, I found myself winging my way to Nepal! Upon entering the village of Sauraha, where WELNepal is headquartered, I was immediately struck by how clear and direct the people were. I consider myself to be a pretty open and honest person, but I was not prepared for how they looked straight into my eyes, seeming to look into my soul to see who I really was. There was none of the “filtering” I was used to in my western urban environment – no sense of being on guard, of wondering “who is this and what does he want from me?” or “what can I get from him?”. If they decided they would be your friend – that was it! You were friends and you would obviously be coming to their house for dinner that night! They had so very, very little in their lives compared to us but they would, literally from that moment forward, give you the food off their plates and the clothes off their backs without a second thought.

The emphatic greeting of “Namaste,” shared a thousand times a day between

Barry preparing for his motorbike ride to the village

all men, women and children, is deeply rooted (they teach it to their babies in diapers) and is an essential exchange between two wondrous creatures (them and you) that recognizes the unifying divinity within all of us. It is almost always accompanied by a big, open, gorgeous, pearly-white smile transforming a brief encounter into a blessed event – a loving exchange between two human beings.

Another thing I was not prepared for was the sheer physical beauty of the Nepalese – seemingly every man, woman and child. From the most extraordinarily beautiful eyes, hands, and faces to the startling colours of their wardrobe to the flowing grace by which they move - they are simply stunning people and a joy to behold. Given our western preoccupation with youth and beauty, it was initially culturally bewildering to me to see women, who would be described in the west as having “fashion model” looks, appearing to display no awareness of their beauty whatsoever. They, quite obviously, did not seem to attach the same importance or value to such things.  I would soon discover one disturbing reason as to why.

The people I met and befriended in Sauraha demonstrated such warmth and caring in a reality that is so very harsh and unforgiving – especially for the women. From what I observed, the women work from well before dawn to long after dark. They do the cooking, the cleaning, the sewing, the mending, the washing, the scavenging for wood and the hauling of water. They raise the children, tend to the livestock, work the fields and run the shop if there is one. A young, uneducated girl is often viewed as just another mouth to feed and, as soon as possible, will be married off to another family where she will work in servitude to them for the rest of her life. Beauty has little or no useful purpose in this existence.

WELNepal is making a difference and it is breathtaking to behold. All over the region, women are coming together in small groups and, under WELNepal’s guidance, are learning to read. By educating themselves, they are finding hope and fresh possibility in their lives.

Barry in Sauraha

Since David Walton began this work 17 years ago, 67 women’s groups have formed in the Chitwan region. WELNepal conducts basic literacy and advanced literacy classes and has created some 15 libraries along the way. The women have created a micro bank for themselves, supporting each other to develop (with WELNepal's help) small income generating enterprises: mushroom growing, candle making and organic farming. Next year may see the digging of wells for year round irrigation and the creation of marketplaces for them to sell the goods and vegetables they have created. And they do all this in addition to their day-to-day work in their homes and communities.

David is known as David Daai in Nepal – a term of endearment and respect – a cherished “older brother” in their family. A quote from a woman brought stark clarity to my understanding of WELNepal’s vital work. She said “I owe a great deal to WELNepal. Before, I used to feel like an animal. Now, I feel like a human being.” There was no attempt to make you feel sorry for her and no sense that she was angry about her lot in life. It was simply a fact.

We must continue to support WELNepal. This, too, is simply a fact.

Oh, yes. I did, also, finally climb in the Himalayas. I embarked on a ten day trek to Annapurna Base Camp in the valley know as The Sanctuary – alt. 4,200 metres. In seeing the sunrise there, I said goodbye to the last twenty years of my life and welcomed the next twenty.

I will never again complain about my “suffering”. 

Barry Flatman is a Canadian actor who has appeared in numerous films and television shows. He has starred in ReGenesis, The Kennedy’s, Murdoch Mysteries, Defiance, and Saw III. He is also a longtime friend of David Daai and a generous and loyal supporter of WELNepal’s work.

  

WELNepal's 12th Annual Benefit Bash!

Monica McKenna’s 12^th Annual Benefit Bash for WELNepal

7:00 pm on Friday, October 4 2013

The Tranzac Club

292 Brunswick Ave

Toronto, Ontario

Last year's bash

It’s that time of year again! The time when WELNepal’s dedicated friends and supporters can gather at a hip Toronto hotspot to celebrate yet another year in the life of WELNepal. Over the years, we’ve helped more than 4,000 women in the lowlands of Nepal master literacy. Now, we’re dedicated to helping them tackle even bigger and more challenging projects.

This year, we worked tirelessly with our Nepali coordinators and women’s groups to hammer out plans for a vegetable shop that will be owned and operated by the women themselves. We watched the women tackle candle-making with inspiring enthusiasm. We also decided to start investing in well-digging and sewing machine projects, as our women’s groups are demanding more income generating programs. 

Our new candle-making class

We grow bigger and bigger every year, and it’s because of YOU and your generous support and encouragement.

To show you how thankful we and the women are, we’re inviting you to a fundraiser that will raise awareness, help the women in our project area further their goals, and — best of all — show you a good time complete with complimentary food, live music and entertainment and a silent auction.

We’re excited to host our beloved bash at The Annex’s famed Tranzac Club for the first time, and even more excited to welcome back, by popular demand, the beautiful women of the belly dance troupe Tribe MayaFire.

Tribe MayaFire

You can also expect delicious food donated by T.O restaurants Mt. Everest and The Roastery. The rest of the food will be generously supplied by our loyal “Chefs de la Maison Extraordinaire” Mike and Max. Guests will also be able to, for first time in our benefit’s history, purchase myriad boozy beverages from the establishment’s cash bar.

This year, our much-anticipated silent auction will showcase jewellery created by Nepali and Canadian designers, Nepali and Canadian art, restaurant gift cards, hockey tickets, cameras, authentic Nepali crafts and more.

Stay tuned to our website and Facebook and Twitter pages for more info on musical performers! 

Last year's silent auction

If you plan on coming to the benefit (and we sincerely hope you do!), you can RSVP to David Walton by email or by calling (416) 603-4399. If you sign up for our mailing list (which you can also do by emailing David at the email address above), you can donate by clicking the “donate” link in our latest newsletter and be automatically added to our guest list (our suggested minimum donation is $40). You will also be automatically added to our guest list if you donate on our website (please leave your name to be added). You can also pay by cash or cheque at the door the night of the event (sorry, no debit or credit!).

It’s also not too late to contact David if you have any silent auction items you wish to donate!

The women we work with have come so far, and we couldn’t have helped them if we didn’t have all of you generously supporting our cause. So come out this fall and give a little bit to a woman in need — and have a great time doing it!

We hope to see you all there!

Namaste,

WELNepal

Sharmila

You may remember hearing about Sharmila in our previous newsletter. She even has a page dedicated to her on our website, but we want to talk about her here, too. We can also show you more pictures of her and her incredible work for her community and WELNepal!

Several years ago, Sharmila came to our organization and asked us to fund literacy classes in her district of Pithuwa.  She asked us to sponsor many classes, and we were able to fund three. When I (David) returned the following year, I was informed that those three groups were doing very well. In fact, they were the top performers among all our classes.  Why? Because Sharmila made a point of regularly visiting “her” classes to ensure that they were being run properly.  She even took it upon herself to fire an under-performing teacher.

    

Sharmila teaching

With commitment like that from a woman with such leadership skills, we did not hesitate to give Sharmila all the literacy classes she could handle. We have now sponsored 12 classes in Pithuwa, and under Sharmila’s supervision, they are all fully involved in our Advanced and Remedial classes.

    

But sponsoring literacy classes was not enough for Sharmila. She wanted ALL of WELNepal’s other projects to be made available to ALL the women’s groups in her area. She also refused to wait for all the women’s groups to finish their two-year literacy classes before tackling other projects. Sharmila wanted even more opportunities for her groups and she wanted them NOW.

And now, in Pithuwa, the women have a library. Most of the women’s groups have been involved in our three-day health training. Women’s groups are growing and selling mushrooms. All of these projects operate under the watchful eye of Sharmila. And all projects in Pithuwa are incredibly successful.

Sharmila taught me an important lesson — projects run by driven, passionate alpha female leaders are the projects with the highest success rates. Now, WELNepal works with other dedicated women such as Ahilia, who lives in Majuwa, Binita, who inspires the women in her group in Kathar, Tan Kumari, who ensures successful projects in her village of Badahara and Samjhana in Lothar, who oversees and motivates a number of women’s groups.

Sharmila has been an exceptional addition to the on-the-ground WELNepal team for several reasons. Firstly, she works efficiently and effectively to ensure “her” groups are benefiting from our classes. Secondly, she models the qualities we hope to instill in the women we work with. She’s ambitious and she’s not afraid to advocate for herself and her community. She shows everyone that rural women from the lowlands of Nepal have the potential to be great leaders who value education, community and personal growth. For anyone looking for a success story to link to female literacy in the developing world, look no further then Sharmila.