Ritu and Betty

Ritu and Betty

I met Ritu in 2010. She knew of me and I knew of her as one of David’s stalwarts. I went that year with Max (my and David’s son) for a stroll in the Himalayas and after that, we of course visited the Chitwan Valley.

It is truly a place of beauty and for me, very exotic with camels or elephants passing beneath my hotel window. The air was also clear enough when we were there that from the village we could see the mountains we had recently left.

Manis, Ritu, Shiva and Mamata

David thought it would be a fun idea to surprise Ritu with our visit. He never told her that Max and I were coming to Sauraha. We rented bicycles to take the pocked and stony road to Ritu’s house. I remember the acres of chartreuse yellow mustard fields and little villages with large animals docile, sitting down amongst people, dogs and chickens. As we rode up to the house, Ritu was outside and was very happy to see David. She smiled when she saw other guests coming with him. Then David introduced us. “This is Betty.”

I never saw such an expression of love pour out from a face as what appeared on Ritu’s. It was as if her whole heart tumbled out onto her face and smothered her vocal cords, making her speechless. We hugged a long time. She cried. She laughed. She forgot all her English.

This woman did not even know me, yet she welcomed me like family.

Ritu lives with her husband Shiva and two children, a daughter, Mamata and a son, Manis. They made us a delicious daal bhat dinner of rice, lentils, vegetables, a spicy pickle and tender, delectable chicken. Shiva cooked the meat on an outdoor fire and Ritu prepared everything else over a one-burner kerosene stove.

The memorable mustard fields

After dinner, Manis searched the radio for some music. Ritu insisted on teaching me how to dance Nepali style and wanted us to dance together. Our captive audience enjoyed my clumsy attempts until eventually I got the hang of it. Of course, I got more hugs.

When David first met Ritu, she was working in a micro bank but lost her job due to downsizing. She found another job in a larger micro bank and decided to continue her studies even while working. Raising and feeding her family were ongoing, with Shiva as a supportive partner.

Ritu finished her secondary education, which led to work in the accounting office at the large micro bank. To add to their income, Shiva and Ritu built an extra room on the house so that they could lodge guests. Ritu loves the company and she can polish up her English.

Ritu and the orphans

Close to where they live, there was a family tragedy. The father of five children died and the mother, who could not cope, simply ran away and deserted her children. Ritu and Shiva could not sit by and watch this. First, Ritu started feeding the children. Then Shiva helped build a small home for the family of five. In a way, Ritu adopted the family. They now come over to her house all the time to eat with them. She holds the young ones on her lap and has a whole new family to love and laugh with.

Ritu and Shiva were also lucky to get a little help. All Angels Nepal, a charitable organization based in Holland, (www.allangelsnepal.nl) was fully financially responsible for the building and over seeing of their house and care of this orphan family. Furthermore, All Angels Nepal is continuing to support these kids on an ongoing basis.

I am always impressed by how people with less means than most of us have in this part of the world can be so generous with whatever they have and with their love. I felt rather privileged that I was on one end of that stick. I know that Ritu’s capacity for love is boundless. Those who fall in her wake are very lucky…as was I.

Betty M Walton

Sustainability

The women of Bhokaha

Most of you have heard it said: “You can give someone a fish, or you can teach them how to catch fish.”  But it is only when they continue to catch fish after you have taught them that makes the project sustainable.

Since farming comes naturally to all those women who take part in our projects, we thought of vegetables instead of fish.

All Nepali village women know how to tend their gardens, but

learning how to grow vegetables without the use of pesticide and insecticide sprays is important. Now, the women can grow healthier food and earn an income, since many Nepalis are aware of the advantages of chemical free produce and are willing (and able) to pay a little extra for it. 

Our plan was simple; the women’s groups involved would rent a small piece of land, equivalent to the size of two thirds of a football field, paid for by WELNepal, along with the seed and the furrowing and the water pump and the training in growing chemical free produce.  After three years, WELNepal’s funding would end and, hopefully, the women would continue renting land and growing healthy vegetables; a sustainable project.

Let me tell you about the women of Bhokaha. Six or seven years ago the women of this little village, who you can see in the photo above took part in our first chemical free farming project.

Son Mathi

This year, those same women, under the motivation of the resident Alpha woman, Son Mathi, are renting FIVE FOOTBALL FIELDS of land.  They have also opened their own vegetable shop to sell their goods and, to put ALL their produce to good use, they have opened a catering company to feed the folks at festivals, weddings and any and all of the many other reasons Nepalis love to gather, sing, dance, and of course eat.

How is that for sustainability?  I think that the women of Bhokaha have blown “sustainability” right out of the water.