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.
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| 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
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.
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| Barry preparing for his motorbike ride to the village |
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.
