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WHAT TO FIND ON THIS PAGE How it all started from Andre Renting click here About organisation, location, the house, the children click here Introduction of the Dutch committee click here About more projects click here Bankaccount click here Experience Joke with MCC, november 2007 (medical checks for children) click here Report Camille and Elize, volunteers click here Report Ida and Anneke from the Dutch committee april 2007 click here Report Maria and Joke november 2006 click here Reports Andre click here

How it all started Andre as a hairdresser By Andre Renting NEPAL, I WILL BE BACK After having been in India for about 2 ½ months, I was in Nepal for the first time in 1996. I’d had enough of India and on arriving in Nepal, my first reaction was “never again, India”, “Nepal, I will be back” and “this is where I want to live”. I traveled through Nepal and carried on to a few other countries. After a few more “diversions” I returned to the Netherlands and started working for the travel agency, Djoser. Of course they sent me straight of and yes my first trip was to India and Nepal. At this time I was ready for India again, because of course India remains a beautiful country. I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING FOR THE PEOPLE HERE Being back in Nepal I started caring more and more for the country and its people. After having led several India/Nepal trips I started doing the Nepal/Tibet trips followed by just trips to Nepal. I wanted to do something for the people here. Nepal is one of the world’s poorest countries, while the people are so friendly and loving to each other and to the tourists who come here. I didn’t know as yet what I wanted to do and how I could help, but the answer presented itself quickly. STARTED PERSONALLY AS SPONSOR FOR A NEPALEES CHILD REFUGE In the year 2000 I came in contact with a Nepalese and his family, who had a children’s refuge. I visited the refuge and thought I could help. I started by sponsoring one of the children. This way I could check if everything was run ok and whether the money reached the centre. At that moment everything seemed alright. Following this friends, family and group members from the tours started helping. ……BUILDING A HOUSE ………BUYING A PIECE OF LAND ….. By coincidence I came in contact with Maria from the Netherlands and Heidi from Denmark. Apparently they had been working with the Nepalese family for a while. I had bought a piece of land already with money from a sponsor, and we had the idea of starting a special fundraising action to build a house on this land. Maria started a fundraising action in the Netherlands and made contact with the Wilde Ganzen and the NCDO. I had already set up the Ketaaktetighar Nepaalmaa Foundation, (Ketaaktetighar means children’s home in Nepalese), so we where officially registered. Therefore both the Wilde Ganzen and the NCDO organizations where willing to help. The fundraising was a success and we could get started. The Ketaakeighar Neppalmaa Foundation was now also officially registered in Nepal as well and we could therefore buy land to have a house built on it. The children’s refuge could make use of this house and somebody would be put in charge to help the family become self supporting and to give advice where necessary. THE FAMILY DID NOT WANT TO PARTICIPATE The family did not want to support this plan and argued that the money belonged to them. Several unpleasant situations happened, and we good not guarantee that the sponsor money would be used for the right things, so we continued the project with only the Foundation Ketaaketighar Nepaalmaa. Unfortunate the family did not want to cooperate anymore. Meanwhile the building of the house had continued and we had received a donation from the Rotary Club in Leusden, the Netherlands. With this donation we could buy another piece of land on which we could grow rice and other crops. Because of this, we are partly self-supporting. One of the neighbors works the land for us and receives half of the crop as payment. THE OPENING OF THE HOUSE On the 6th of February 2004 we had the official opening of the house with 6 to 7 hundred people attending. The press was also invited to the celebrations and the opening was reported extensively in newspapers and on radio and TV. People in Katmandu even kept the newspaper cuttings for me. Since last September I have been nearly constantly at work in Nepal, organizing and coordinating events. All the children are healthy and doing well. They are attending school and getting good results in their exams. All the hard work has not been in vain. Let us hope that what the children are now learning they will later on be able to pass on to their own children. In terms of education and hygiene they have picked up a lot. A better future for the coming generations in Nepal. Greetings, Andre *ga naar begin pagina*

The organization Do you want to sponsor, click here for bankaccounts *Ketaaketighar Nepaalmaa, children’s home in Nepal*, is a non-profit organization, which is registered in Holland and Nepal. The main goal of the organization is to support Nepali children who are in need of help. Ketaaketighar Nepaalmaa receives money from private donations and individual sponsorships, there is no government support.

Location The Children’s home “Chitwan house” is located in Sauraha, a village in the south of Nepal. The village is situated nearby the Royal Chitwan National Park, about 165 km from Kathmandu. In February 2004, the Chitwan House officially opened its doors with support of the Foundations “Wilde Ganzen” and “NCDO”.

Main objectives - To give a home and a future to children without any chances in life; - To provide scholarship and a good education for the children - To support the children with a further education when they have finished school; - To support the children with their future job; - To help Nepali children in the neighbourhood whenever direct help is needed; - To support other projects in Nepal - To support health and hygien projects

The children’s home The “Chitwan House” is built on private land, which is about 4700 square meters in size. From the centre of Sauraha it’s a 3 minutes walk to the house. The Children’s home has 2 floors, 14 rooms and 5 bathrooms. There is a study / dining room on the ground floor and a play room on the first floor. Guests and volunteers have their own room on the first floor. each bedroom (4.5 x 5 meters) had enough space for 8 to 10 children. Two Nepali women are responsible for cooking and cleaning and washing cloths. André Renting (a Dutch man) takes the lead of all daily course of things, supported by the members of the Foundation.

The children At the moment we have 21 children living in the house. Most of them have only 1 parent, sometimes 2, but often the father left them and the mother cannot take care of all of her children alone. Than we can look after one of her children, so this child can built a future and take care of the family when he or she is grown up. The children are going to a Private school and each child had its own sponsor for scholarship. We also support some families by giving a scholarship to one of their children. e provide a scholarship until they have reached class 10, at the age of 15/16. After this, the organization will keep on supporting the children by helping them with a further study or job skill training.

Introduction of the Dutch committee The committee 2006, July Namaskar, esteemed sponsor, friend of Ketaaketighar Children’s Home, There is a common denominator among the receivers and the senders of this mail. Both are bound by the heartfelt warmth they feel for the children in the Children’s Home. We, the new committee, would like to thank everyone for the support they give to the children in Nepal. Also we thank Heidi and all her sponsors in Denmark. Heidi is one of the initiators of the Children's Home (with André and Maria). Without you all and the many volunteers who help, the Home would not be able to continue to survive. Your support is of great importance for the future of the children and their environment. Andre and the Nepalese committee in Chitwan are kept very busy with the daily running of the Home and all the work this entails. Therefore in the Netherlands several friends of the Children’s Home have bundled their energies to form a new committee. Our aim is to lighten the load for Andre and the rest of his team so that they have more time to take care of the children. Tasks such as, sponsoring, general and financial administration, promotions, organizing internships and support of projects, have been moved to the Netherlands. When your heart is involved in a project, there is a danger of doing too much and “drowning” in all the work that needs to be done. This costs a lot of energy. That is why enlarging the group of volunteers and dividing tasks is a good solution. Our primary aim is the care of the children, now and in the future. We are convinced that you share this goal with us. Part of this primary aim is good housing, schooling, nutrition and a good social environment. We are also convinced that we need to help the surrounding villages near the Children’s Home. Our help can take the form of support for a good medical post, building toilets and wash areas. We will choose a specific project and of course sponsoring these projects will be a valuable cause. There is also a small change in the address of our bank account. We now have only one bank account: Rabo Bank in Lisse. The account number is the same. The account in Amsterdam will be shut. Please remember to change any automatic payments. The account number is: 107679647 Rabo Bank in Lisse – Stichting Ketaaketighar Nepaalmaa. For introduction and addresses of the new committee in the Netherlands, see the page "contact - bankacc" We and the children of Sauraha Chitwan, hope that we can keep counting on your support. If you have any questions, please mail these to our Secretary. Our heartfelt greetings on behalf of the whole Stichting Ketaaketighar in the Netherlands Eric Esche, Chairman

More Projects Braille paper for blind children At the moment we are supporting a class with 12 blindsided and blind children, by providing them Braille paper. Our future goal is to establish a medical fund. From this fund we can finance medical treatment for children from poor families. We also support little projects like building a toilet where necessarily, repair a roof or whatever is needed for people at certain times. We also share children clothes with the children in the village. Campaigns for raising money for hygiene and health projects in Sauraha in the cities Aalsmeer (benefit concerts) and in Lisse and Lisserbroek. THE TOTAL AMOUNT THAT HAS BEEN RAISED IN 2005 WITH THESE CAMPAIGNS IS: 6.500 EURO. Meanwhile 8 toilets have been built in Thikauli Medical checks for children In 2005, 2006 and 2007 a medical check of our children and many children in the village and surrounding took place. A medical team of the Foundation “Medical checks for children” realised this. Reports about this mission is written on this page Please take a look at their website: http://www.medicalchecksforchildren.org/index.php

Report of Joke; visiting Nepal with MCC the registration In October 2007 I was allowed to go to Nepal for the third time, this time as a member of the Foundation for Medical Check-ups for Children (MCC), under the supervision of Karlien Bongers, surgeon. I came into contact with this Foundation through Ines von Rosenstiel, paeditrician at the Slotervaart Hospital. Karlien and Ines have both given body to the Foundation. We started working together because our Foundation was able to offer the Children's Home as a location for the medical check-ups. In this way the poorest children in the area where able to receive a medical check-up. This time the check-ups where held in Sapana Village Lodge (near to the Children's Home) and in Hardi en Kumrose. Unfortunatly the check-ups where not able to be held in the Children's Home this time. "Our" kids went to Sapana for their check-ups. How does a check-up work: The team in Chitawan consisted of 6 doctors and specialists and 6 people without a medical background. The check-ups are divided into different work stations: registration, measuring and weighing, taking blood pressure and temperatures, urine control, HB control, physical check-up, dispensing of medication and registration of collected data into the computer. If you would like a complete description of the check-ups that the MCC do, you can visit their website, www.medicalchecksforchildren.org Information over food and hygiene This time there was an added work station where soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste where distributed. This was made possible due to the money that was collected during the concerts in Aalsmeer in October. In Nepal 50% of the children still die due to bad hygiene (bowel and lung infections). Educating the children over food, hygiene and the use of medicines is one of the most important part of these missions. Dhurba Giri, who is the manager of the Sapana Village Lodge and also a development aid worker in this area, had recruited several enthusiastic Nepalese students. They helped at the work stations to translate. It is important to involve the local people in these projects so that when the MCC team leaves for home, there are people to carry on the good work. For more information about Dhurba Giri and the work he does, www.sapanalodge.com. After the first day of the check-ups it was obvious that there is still a high percentage of anaemia among the children in Nepal. These children received iron and vitamin tablets for 3 months. In 3 months time another team will be visiting Nepal to control the HB levels again. Good information is Essentials. We discovered that although buying fruit and vegetables is too expensive for most people they were able to find lemons. So that became our advice during the check-ups. Squeeze one lemon a day, mix with sugar and water and drink one glass of this daily. This will provide the children with sufficient vitamin C. Many children where also to small for their age ( Personal experiences: the children in the Children’s Home. I arrived a day earlier than the rest of the team. This gave me a chance to see the children in the Home and make some preparations. It was fantastic to see the children again. We made drawings on how to wash your hands, which we hung up in the area where the check-ups where held. We also learnt the “hand washing” song. They where proud that they where allowed to teach the song to other children. I also stayed on two days longer in Chitwan so that I had some more time with the children and Dilkumary. Our voluntary worker Rob, had also arrived. The last evening Dhurba and Mila came from Sapana village to visit and we all ate Dhal Bat. Mila, who works for Dhurba, sung lovely songs for the children whilst playing the guitar. The children enjoyed it enormously and it was wonderful to see that things are going well. Some of the children in the Home also had anaemia. I discussed this with Dilkumary and Naresh, the children will have to receive more vitamin C and eat more vegetables with a high iron content. Saying farewell was difficult and emotional. I hope I will see them all again next year. During the check-ups: The first 2 days of the check-ups I primarily spent my time managing all the visitors. So that the work stations could work optimally. Whilst doing this I gave the children and parents information about hand washing and other advice. I enjoyed doing this. It is fun to teach the children things by play. They in turn taught me the first verse of the hand washing song in Nepalese. Of course my bad pronunciation was of great amusement to everyone. In this way the long wait was lightened. On the 3rd and 4th day we held check-ups in Hardi, a village that Dhurba had selected. We all piled up in the Jeep to get there. Primarily Tharu people live in Hardi. The Tharu are one of the lowest casts in Nepal. We held the check-ups in the middle of cows and chickens. Here my main task was to dispense medicine and do computer work. The next day I did the blood pressure and temperature measurements. The people where very poor and very friendly. On the second night we where all invited to join a Thary family for a traditional meal followed by local dances. Very impressive. The people are extremely thankful, they have very little but share everything they have. It reminds me that we can learn a lot from there attitude. The work is never done: We returned here for an extra half day because not all the families where checked. The last Friday we also checked an extra half day in Sapana Village. It is difficult to stop for the day when there are still children to be checked. Karlien Bongers, the MCC mission leader knows from experience that it is not possible to check all the children and that you have to learn to accept this. Otherwise this work is very hard to do. A good lesson to learn. A toilet was made especially for us: We also checked in an even poorer village, Kumrose, which is situated next to the jungle. There where no toilets here. Especially for us they dug a hole in the ground and arranged a tarpaulin enclosure around the hole so that we could use the hole in relative privacy. Unfortunately the hole was quite large which meant you had to use a great deal of yoga balance to not fall into the hole! I was surprised how quickly I found the hole normal, things can be so simple sometimes. Never forget those dark glittering eyes: In Kumrose I worked on the computer and measured blood and temperature levels. This took a little getting used to, being a “non doctor”. But my confidence grew daily. Taking the children’s temperature was especially emotional for me. The temperature was taken by means of stroking the child over the forehead with the thermometer, whilst doing this I could look into all those deep dark eyes and sometimes managed to change the crying into a smile. When this happened I felt my heart open up and I felt warm inside. I shall never forget the eyes of those children. It’s true: the smile of a child makes you realise you are alive. Especially with these children who have so little. I was so pleased that I was able to conjure up a smile now and again. Then those apparently white teeth would appear. Apparently, because we discovered quite a lot of tooth decay. Who knows maybe we can collaborate with a dentist team in the future ….? Seriously sick child can be operated: At the daily evening evaluation, it was possible for all the team members to share their experiences and grievances. Two days after the check-ups in Hardi we had a disappointment. In some cases we discover that children are seriously ill. It is especially hard for the doctors to realise that it is not always possible to do anything about this straight away. One of the seriously ill children was a girl of 11 months old. A open duct Botalli was discovered. One of the paediatricians, Beatrijs Bartels thought it might be a leaking hart valve. This child needed an echo and maybe an operation. The family had no money to travel to the hospital in Katmandu let alone money for an operation. Fortunately we had money left over from the concert in Aalsmeer and after checking with the Dutch committee, the money was made available for the operation. Thank you all our sponsors. A drop in the ocean?: Helping one sick child might seem like a drop in the ocean for many people, but in this case it was a very well aimed drop in the ocean. Together we can be strong: And we had more well aimed drops in the ocean during this week. Through everything we where able to do for the children and their parents and through what we learnt from the children and from each other. I wouldn’t have wanted to miss it for the world. Thank you again to everyone who made this possible especially the wonderful Karlien Bongers and Ines von Rosenstiel from the MCC Foundation. I hope that the Ketaaketighar Foundation and Children’s Home can keep working alongside the MCC and that I may have another chance to join the team and work together with them. I would also like to thank Dhurba Giri and his team in Nepal and hope we may keep working together with them also. All together we are strong and can provide a better future for the children in Nepal. That is what it’s all about. Please take a look at the websites: www.medicalchecksforchildren.org www.sapanalodge.com (probably still under construction)

News from 2 volunteers; Camille and Elize Departure and arrivalIn May we formed the plan that it would be fun to do our work placement in Nepal. From then on things went very fast, from meeting Andre to boeking our flight. On the 9th of September we boarded our flight. After a few problems with the road through the mountains, we arrived in Sauraha ready to start our three months of voluntering. The journey took longer than normal, nearly 11 hours. But it was all worth it when we arrived in the Children’s Home.The next day we promptly went along to school and visited the school for the blind nearby.Elise and I soon started to make our time planning for all the things we wanted to do, very Dutch, but soon discovered that this didn’t work in Nepal. For example, the electricity is very erratic and one has no idea when it works or not. So writing reports for school on the computer is not always possible. But we learned to deal with it. Activities in and around het HomeDuring our stay we in Nepal we spent a lot of time doing activities with the children in the Home and from the village. We started with small activitities, such as ball games to get to know the kids better and to let them get used to us. The nice part about working in places like Nepal is that the children are happy with very little and can play for hours. We made contact with a man in the village (Om) who has 2 shops selling home made honey and fair trade wares. He agreed to help us set up an play groep for children who don’t have any opportunity to play at school or at home. We where allowed to use his home and he arranged it so that the children from the village where present at the arranged time. This turned out not really be necessary, as soon as we came tot the house the children would be waiting to discover what for games they would be introduced to that day. We started with 20 children and at the end of our stay 40 children where participating. A big succes. We left behind an activity boek so that Om can continue the play group when we left. We have heard that he enjoys it and that other volunteers have managed to take over the weekly lessons. We still receive enthoustic repports from Om via the mail. During the holiday we decided to create a stage play for all the children who where not able to go back to their homes and families. The story of the play was based on the adventures of the Nepalees frog. Firstly we read the story aloud to the children and got them to make a drawing of the story. After that we bought material for the costumes and rehearsed. This was not an easy task as the children had no idea what a play was and how to portray a frog. During the holiday we spent time practicing, making costums and props for the play, so that we could present it when all the other children came back from their holidays. This went so well and the kids enjoyed it so much that they wanted to do it all again, this time for the whole village. Lastly we tackled the television room. We painted it a new colour, made big matrasses and cushions in all sorts of colours and made a wall painting. All the children made an animal of themselves and cut it out. We stuck a picture of their heads on this and applied it to the wall painting. The room is completely jazzed up and the children can relax there and watch television, read or play games. Happy HouseThe shops Om owns are called Happy House. He sells fair trade products, including products from Janakpur, which are made by the woman in this village. Because of this work the woman have a good life. Together with Om we visited two of the projects in Janakpur.They where intense visits as we saw a lot of poverty. The villages we saw are ot the beaten track. The only way to get there is by walking and the nearest train station is an hour and a halfs walk away. The village is very unhygienic and the villagers have no idea about hygiene.No tourists come here and when we arrived the whole market place came to welcome us and stare. A special experience. The place touched us deeply. To sell the products of Happy House and the projects in Janakpur we designed a folder and logo. With some small adjustments Om used the folder, which is now in his shop. SuminaIs a girl who was sent from the hills to find work because her family is very poor. Om met her in the village and felt she was too young to work. He and his wife Chunna decided to welcome her to his family. Sumina is eager to learn en we decided to sponsor her so that she is able to go to school. Om and Chunna already have two children to support and educate. We hear that things are going very well with Sumina and she has already been able to skip a class level. We where given the chance to visit the village from which Sumina comes and to meet her parents. Quite a climb for all of us, Camille, Elise, Elise parents, Evelien and Cock, under the guidance of Om. Sumina lives on the uppermost point of het hills in Suklim, about 4 hours of climbing, straight up. An experience to remember. We where able to leave clothes and toys in het village. Sumina’s mother was very grateful to Om for taking her daughter into his family. There was a great feeling of love and gratitude. We taped a video message from her mother for Sumina. Who could’t stop looking at it and found it amazing to see her mother on the screen. It was a fantastic and emotional experience. FarewellWe had already said farewell to Andre who had to leave unexpectadly for the Netherlands.Then we had to say goodbye to the children. We knew it was coming because you have to go on although you might not want to. Saying goodbye was very difficult, goodbye to all the people in the village, the children, Om and Chunna and of course Sumina. What a bond you can build with people in such a short time.The schoolbus dropped us of at the bus depot where our bus for India was waiting. The children went on to school and we stood with tears in our eyes as we saw all those happy childrens faces leaving while calling out our names and waving madly. India.A new adventure was waiting for us. We spent a little more than 3 weeks travelling around India. A beautiful country with many faces and moods. We travelled by bus, trains, night trains and of course the tsoe tsoe, meeting a lot of local people. Really the best way to get to know a country. From Varanassi to Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur, Mumbai and last but not least Goa. We made quite a journey in a short period of time.Iafter 4 months we had to say farewell to two unbelievable beautiful places where we saw a lot but more importantly, learnt a lot. We had an experience which we won’t forget for the rest of our lives. A present we will always be able to turn to. Ketaaketighar, thank you for allowing us to experience this and to have been part of it.

News From the Dutch committee toilet in aanbouw Update April 2007 – Ketaaketighar Although there has been little news on our website lately, the committee has been busy. In January and February Anneke and I where in Nepal. There we discovered what an impact it has all over the country when there are children, who are already vulnerable, being mistreated in other areas of Nepal. It bought deep emotions to the surface for all of us. This was also a reason for the committee to repeat and sharpen our aims. Firstly we want to give under priveleged children a beter future. We want to provide a safe enviroment for the children. They have a right to a good education so that they have the chance to build a good future for themselves and others. Joke writes the following: My dream is that when these children grow up they will carry out the mission of helping other under priveliged children and thereby pass on their love and wisdom. In this way Nepal will slowly become a place that can save itself and its people. Our main aim is supporting the children. At this moment 20 children in the Childrens Home and 20 children in the nearby area are receiving a chance for a beter future. As well as this we are trying to start up and support small projects in the area. In January we started with the placement of 8 toilets in Ticauli. The inhabitants wanted 12 toilets, but up to now the first 8 are not ready as yet. This is one of the problems of the Nepalese mentality, they are willing and able but do things in their own way. A lot has to be checked and double checked by Andre, the Nepalese and Dutch committees. We have found a doctor who is willing to give advice about the hygienic use of the toilets. Good health leads to a good future. We also support a worm investigation programme for the villagers. Due to our volunteers we have also started a childrens club for the village. We make music with the children, read books and cut and paste pictures. These children are super enthousiastic because everything is new to them. Om, an enthousiastic parent from the village, thankfully helps us with the organisation and the translation. Our volunteers are our eyes and ears in Nepal. We educate them in the importance of a broad help. Betty and I have personal conversations with new volunteers to discover their motivation for voluntering and to discover their abilities. So that we can use their capacities to the greatest good for the children in Ketaaketighar and Sauraha. The volunteers are important to us and we do our best to keep up a good communication with them. We have made contact with Machhindra, a Nepalese who is very proficiant on the computer. He wants to help our children, and also the children in the area, to become familiarised with computers and internet. As you can see, we are very active. Our joint aim: to provide a beter future for the children, binds us together. Thanks to our sponsors and other spontanious support this is possible. Ida Dedding Committee secretary

Joke and Maria in Nepal November 2006 On 6^th November Maria and I (Joke) started our “mission” to Nepal filled with good intentions. Our “mission” was to better acquaint ourselves with the Nepalese committee, to improve the rapports to the Dutch committee and to stimulate the communication between Andre and both committees. Our purpose was also to see what the best way was to spend the sponsor money of the past year and whether a start could be made to improve the hygiene in and around Sauraha, by building toilets, etc. Maria was staying in Nepal for 2 weeks and I would spend a month here. ARRIVAL We stayed in Katmandu for two days. After only half an hour I was no longer shocked by all the noise and movement around me, motor riders, a lot of taxi’s, rickshaw’s and wandering cows. We spent some time here visiting old acquaintances and arranging matters. I also met up with Tsering a friend from Tibet with whom I have regular e-mail contact. On the 3^rd day we had arranged to meet up with the doctor’s team from MCC in Bodhanath so that we could drive up to Sauraha with them. The drive, which took 6 hours, was the perfect opportunity to get to know the 10-strong doctors team. Maria and I where dropped off at the children’s home while the doctors continued on to Sapana Village where they had sleeping places. It didn’t take long before the children returned from school and where settled around us on our mattresses, eagerly discovering what we had bought with us. Some of them recognized us from 3 years ago. It was a wonderful reunion. MCC The next day the doctors arrived at 08.00 o’clock for the medical check-ups. Camille and Elize, 2 volunteers who had been staying in the Home for several months, helped with the check-ups. They registered the children and checked if there was already a status on file from the previous year. Maria and I helped Marije with the eye test and tried to get some order in the queue. The Nepalese are not used to queuing; they are used to all gathering round what is happening and want to enter all at once. After the eye test and registration groups of 3 to 4 children went in to be weighed, measured, checked on lice, temperatures taken and passed on to the next stage. Blood pressure, blood screening and then on to the doctor to receive a full body check-up. Where necessary medicines where issued. After the first day we discovered that a lot of the children (more than last year) had a low iron count and hemoglobin count. The reason for this will have to be discovered. The next day checks where held in Sauraha. Unfortunately there where not enough children present and it was decided to build up in Sapana Village. Dhurba, the hotel owner who organizes the foundation Do-It had gathered children from all around within half an hour. A wonderful initiative. Maria and I helped till 15.00 o’clock when we had to leave for a meeting with Hari, the chairman of the committee in Nepal. The next day we continued the check-ups Sapana Village. I helped Else with weighing, measuring and controlling for lice (which made my own head itch terribly). Maria helped with the blood screening. Again the low count for iron and hemoglobin was evident. I have a great respect for the doctor’s team who spent 6 days checking hundreds of children, all of whom are registered. I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. MCC in DHARAN? After the departure of the doctor’s team and Maria, I spent a few days in Dharan (east of Katmandu) where Henk and Bimala from Amsterdam, support 3 children’s Home. Karlien from MCC had asked me to investigate whether it was possible to do medical check-ups next year in these homes. Henk and Bimala where interested as there are a lot of poor people in this area. This medical team did a wonderful job as did the team which stayed behind in Katmandu to do check-ups. I am sure they have a rapport of their visit on their own website. THE COMMITTEE One of our aims was to stimulate the communication between the Nepalese and Dutch committees so that the daily organizations of the Home could be improved. We had a meeting with Hari Shankar, the chairman and discovered that both of the committees were not informed about each others activities. We discovered that there where specific rules for Non Government Organizations and also rules and regulations for the Home itself. These rules and regulations are only available in Nepalese and are being translated into English, (for the Home they have now been translated). A second meeting took place with Purna Ryal and Chacrapani (treasurer and secretary) also present. We were able to clear up a lot of misunderstandings and give information about who is doing what. We learnt a lot about Nepalese customs and the importance of these. They found it very important that the children where brought up according to Nepalese tradition as the children would continue their lives in Nepal. Maria and I agreed with them. The last meeting took place with Andre also present. Again things where cleared up and agreements could be made. Everyone is starting with a clean slate. involving the Nepalese committee in the daily running of the Home. So we can continue our work for the children because essentially, that is what it is all about. IN THE CHILDREN' S HOME In between all our other activities, we where fortunate to have enough time to spend with the children. Playing games, taking walks, making music, singing mantra’s and helping with homework. We also talked with Hari about the homework teacher as we are not completely happy with his work. The children, especially the girls are mad about dancing. Bipin, one of the boys, is a terrific singer. Deepesh was very interested in the Djembe and spent hours playing while Sambu was busy repairing an electrical toy car. Each child has his or her own interests and capacities. Ida is busy making a development plan for the children. Looking at what possibilities there are for the children and in which direction they can or want to go. Dulkomary, the housekeeper and presently the house mother is very busy. There is as yet no new washing woman. With the committee we decided to raise her salary till a Nepalese couple was found. Dulkomary was very pleased with this. Andre will be slowly taking a back seat as he wants to go back to his travels and work. During our stay an account/guard was hired. His name is Naresh. He will be paying the bills and sending montly rapports to the Netherlands, financially as about the daily running of the Home and the children. Andre will be supporting and teaching him the coming weeks. The Home is a dynamic place with a lot going on which is to be expected with 19 children present. So far as I can tell all the children are happy and doing well and that pleases me. DHARAN I learnt a lot in Dharan, in the children’s homes of Henk and Bimala, especially through conversations with Henk. He is married to Bimala, who is Nepalese, which means he is more aware of the traditions in Nepal. His focal point is the children and their future. One of the children’s homes is in the center of Dharan and much simpler than the home in Sauraha. It is obvious that there is more poverty in this area. Dharan is not a tourist city and I was probably the only foreigner there. In the long bus journey to Dharan, I was also the only foreigner and people observed me as if I had landed from another planet. I accompanied Henk to another children’s home in Dubahi where there are also several handicapped children. The Home looked good but was also simpler than Sauraha. One of the “musts” of Henk and Bimala is that some of the sponsor money for the homes comes from the Nepalese themselves. On returning to Sauraha I discussed this with the Nepalese committee who agreed with this principle. This encourages the Nepalese to help there own poor people and in Sauraha there are already several families who could help there fellow man. FOR THE VISTI AT THE BARATHPUR HOSPITAL SEE THE BEGINNING OF THIS PAGE BUILDING TOILETS/SUNPANELS In the village Thikauli, where Sambu comes from, a start has been made building toilets. The Nepalese committee made a fantastic contribution in this project. A meeting was planned with the whole community there and Chacrapanie, the secretary, arranged that 8 toilets would be built and families appointed to keep the toilets clean. One of the volunteers, Leon, will accompany Hari to the village at a later date to give information about hygiene. One of our aims was also to investigate what the sponsor money could be spent on. At first the plan was to install more sun panels. But there where doubts about whether this was a good idea or not. One of the volunteers, Elise, was expecting her parents to come and visit. The family Hoogendoorn owned a electrical company and it was decided to ask their advice. NEW PROJECT / CHEPANG PEOPLE The Hoogendoorns, myself, the volunteers, Hari, Purna, Leon and Ohm left on a trip together to a remote part of Nepal, about an hour’s drive from the Home. An area where there is no tourism and where the poorest people of Nepal live. I visited the Chepang People while the Hoogendoorns traveled further and met another similar cast. This is a very poor part of Nepal. I saw a very small house where 10 people lived together. In the middle of the room there is a fire, which is dangerous as the children can fall in, several of the children had burns on their bodies. See the website for Camille’s story of the visit. After this experience, it was decided to start a project to help the Chepang people. It is not yet certain how many people live here as the houses are spread around. Our chairman Hari Shankar came with a plan that has already been implemented in another area where it is working well and the people seem happy and better motivated. The idea is to buy a piece of land, build homes on it, toilets and a water pump. The families can each have there own home. Information on hygiene will be given and improved health will ensue. This will stimulate the families to look for work. If possible sponsor money can be found to buy an extra piece of land so that food can be grown. Both the family Hoogendoorn and myself realized that extra sun panels was in fact a luxury and that the money will be better spent helping these people. The children’s home is luxurious enough, we want to guard for the fact that the difference between the children in the Home and the children in the villages becomes to big. In other words we want to broaden our horizons and with permission from our sponsors, spend the money raised last year on the Chepang people. The plan will be set up by Hari Shankar the Nepalese chairman, and sent to the Netherlands. PHOKARA / TIBETAN REFUGEE CAMP Eveline and Cock Hoogendoorn and I had the possibility to drive with Hari to Pohkara. The idea was to spend a few days relaxing there before leaving for Katmandu and home. Although I had a severe case of bronchitis we still had a pleasant stay. Eveline and Cock bought medicines for me and sent me to bed, which meant I already felt a lot better the next day and we managed to make a trip into the mountains. Cock even went paragliding which was magnificent sight. From my hotel room I had a view of the Fishertale, an icy pointed mountain, beautiful. The next day I had arranged a visit with Tsering, the sister of a Nepalese woman I met 3 years ago in Marpha. Tsering is studying French in Katmandu. She is doing this because she grew up in a refugee camp which was sponsored by a French charity. Now she wants to give something back. This way she can help the organization with translations when they visit Nepal once a year. With her we took Eveline and Cock to the refugee camp where she lives with her mother and two brothers when she is not studying in Katmandu. Her father has died and her mother struggles to get by but is determined that her children will study. The money that Tsering gets also goes partly to help her mother. The refugee camp is well organized and structured. The people there have built up everything together. There is a Tibetan convent and a few school classes. When the children saw us, they sat up straight and sung us a song in Tibetan, English and Nepalese. We said our goodbyes to Cock and Eveline. I spent another half day with Tsering and left the next morning on a 7 hour bus ride to Katmandu. KATHMANDU . THE JOURNEY HOME This city was too much for me. I quickly bought a few gifts, without bargaining which I find impossible, and found a roof terrace to relax in the sun and watch people. I had a meeting with the brother and cousin of Hari in Terrai Tours and Travel. The cousin was going to translate the rules and regulations of Ketaaketighar into English. In the 2 days I was there he finished the translations and I was able to take everything back to the Dutch committee. I spent the last evening having dinner with Richy a Nepalese guide that we know. I felt right at home and if I had spent years living here. But it was time to go home and I must say I was ready to go. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED A bridge has been built between the two committees and the daily management of the Home and my faith in the projects and the things we can do for the children has grown. Mission definitely accomplished. PHOTOGRAPHS There are photographs accompanying all the articles. I hope you have enjoyed these and the stories. And last but not least thanks to all the people who keep sponsoring the children in Nepal Much love and Namaste, Namaskar Joke

newsletter june 2006 the doctor in action NEWSLETTER JUNI 2006 Hi, STAYED IN THE NETHERLANDS FOR AWHILE After having been away for 3 weeks, I returned home last Wednesday. I had to leave the country for a short while to get a new passport. Took advantage of this opportunity to visit my family, friends and a few sponsors. Unfortunately there wasn’t enough time to visit more people. Next time I want to plan things differently. ALL IS WELL AT SCHOOL All the kids are going to school and they are doing very well. They are still enjoying school and are doing there best with their studies. POLITICAL SITUATION Since the King’s influence and power has been restricted and a new government has been installed, the political situation has improved considerably. The government and the Maoists are on speaking terms and since then the strikes and road blocks have stopped. Both parties have laid down arms and are meeting to discuss ways of bringing peace back to the country. Although things are moving slowly, the population is positive about the future. LAND AND CROP The temperature is 35 to 40 degrees and now we are waiting for rain. The rainy season is due any day now. We hope there will be less rain than 2 and 3 years ago. The rice is being harvested and there are plans to plant again. We are not sure yet about what we are going to do on the land. We would like to plant mango and lychee trees. However this means having to erect fencing so that the herds cannot enter. COMING MONTHS In a month’s time I am leaving for China and Tibet. I will be leading 4 groups for Djoser (a travel agency). I have seen that Dillkumary is capable of looking after the children. Someone from a hotel and the doctor will come by regularly to check everything is going all right. Dillkumary and some of the children are doing the washing because the washing woman has stopped working here. For years she has had problems with her arm muscles and the work is to hard for her. It is a pity because she was a good worker. We are looking for a replacement and also making inquiries into purchasing a washing machine. This wasn’t possible up to now because of the frequent power cuts that the government found necessary. Now that the political situation has improved the power only cuts out when there is a rainstorm. The last 2 months the power has nearly never stopped. As you have read, peace has returned, so please come and visit us in this country of high mountains and beautiful and kind people. I can guarantee that you will enjoy it. Greetings, Andre

Newsletter may 2006 Manita Hi, POLITICAL SITUATION Finally after a long time it seems the demonstrations and strikes have come to an end. During the children’s holiday there was a 4 day demonstration announced, directly followed by a mass request to the population by other parties, to demonstrate and strike again against the King. Naturally most of the demonstrations took place in Katmandu. Although there where also demonstrations in Sauraha itself, even in front of our door, and also in Tandi which is 5 kilometers from here. Later on the demonstrations moved on to Narayangarth, about 15 kilometers from here. We where able to do our shopping but had to use the back door. SCHOOL RESULTS/VOLUNTEERS JOZEFIEN AND DAGNY Even the school results were delayed and didn’t arrive till a week after the demonstrations. All the children, except Bipana, went to the next class. Rabina and Prakash are allowed to skip a class. Some of the children have managed to get nearly top marks in their classes, something we can all be very proud of. Since Monday the children have gone back to school. Now we can get on with the chores that need doing. Always easier when the kids are not around. Jozefien and Dagny are busy painting the inside of the woodwork. Another 3 days and the job will be done. During the long school holidays these volunteers have been keeping the kids amused. They made faces from material on which we later sewed buttons for eyes. With wool we made hair. The children where allowed to finish the dolls themselves and even give them clothes. The boys where soon finished and easily satisfied while the girls had fun with the project and there where some nice dolls made. Half May Dagny and Jozefien are leaving to travel around Nepal. We had a lot of help from them and we hope they will not forget us quickly, which I can’t imagine they will. NEW SPONSORING CHILDREN During the holidays we received a new addition to the home, Manita. She lived with her mother and 3 sisters near Pokhara, which is about 50 kilometers from here. You can read her history on the website. At the moment we are busy going through the requests for sponsoring for other children. The people who want to sponsor a child and who are on the list, will receive word from me soon. If there are more people who are interested in sponsoring a child for schooling, please let me know by sending me an e-mail. SPENDING DONATIONS FOR BETER HYGIENE For the Doctors practice we have bought some things to modernize and update it. His practice will be demolished soon and a new practice built behind the present building. With the rest of the money that was collected for better health and hygiene, we want to build several toilets and water pumps in Sauraha. We also want to see what we can do for one of the villages where one of our children comes from. I was there during a strike and I noticed that there where no toilets for the 15 to 20 families that live there. There are a few water pumps but still far too little. Last year we received a donation to buy a solar system for electricity. We have received the folder, but the installer is busy with other work and will be with us as soon as he has finished his back log of work. Before the strike I went to the oculist with Rajina, our wash woman, to see what the possibility is for placing an artificial eye. Unfortunately the available “eyes” where not suitable for her. The oculist is in Katmandu now to see if he can get a suitable eye for her there. We hope he will be able to find a suitable eye as this will also increase her chances of getting married. Unfortunately that is still the way things work here. FUTURE PLANS At the end of May I will be coming to Holland for about 3 weeks. I want to be back here at the end of June and will stay about 4 weeks before I go to Tibet. It is starting to move along here and within a short space of time somebody will be coming by daily to check on things. For me this will be the opportunity to pick up my work as travel leader I will be accompinying 4 Tibet travels and returning to Nepal in the 2^nd week of October. Somebody from here will keep you posted with news from the kids. Till the next newsletter, greetings from the kids, Dillkumary, Rajina, Kari, Scooby Doo, Scraby Two and Andre

Newsletter april 2006 the kids at Holy party Hi, SITUATION IN NEPAL Once again a newsletter, this time from a turbulent Nepal. The children are all ok and nobody has to worry about them. Since last Friday everything is on hold. First we where going to have 4 days of strikes and demonstrations, but since then we have had daily demonstrations against the King and his followers. They want him to leave and to have democratic elections. In Tadi, 5 kilometers from here, there a road blockages and demonstrations. Since a few days we have also had demonstrations in Sauraha, but thankfully no rebellions. The people are keeping it peaceful en we hope it will also end peacefully and soon so that life can go back to normal. The children where going to receive there exam result on Wednesday, but due to the unrest the results are not yet ready and even the school is not able to resume on Monday. The school holidays have therefore been extended. *ga naar begin pagina* NEW OCCUPANT Because of everything going on we have not yet been able to select any new children for joining the home or for schooling. We have managed to welcome Manita Darai, 9 years old, to our home. She is being sponsored by a Danish woman’s group. Heidi, our Danish sponsor, was here a while ago and we went to visit Manita. She lived near Pokhara, 50 kilometers from here, in a place called Damauli, with her mother and 3 sisters. Her father committed suicide because he wasn’t able to pay of his debts. Her mother worked in a roadside restaurant where I always stop on my way to Pokhara. Her picture and story are to be found on the website under “children and history”. SPENDING DONATIONS We want to place several toilets and was places in Sauraha and make improvements to the Doctors local practice. Unfortunately due to the political situation, we are unable to do anything at the moment. Recently I was in Sambhu’s (one of our children) village and was shocked to see that although there where 15 to 20 families living here, there where no toilets and I could only see 2 water pumps. You can find pictures of this village on the internet site under “latest pictures”. When everything gets back to normal we want to build toilets and water pumps here. At the end of December we received money to buy a solar system so that we can produce our own electricity. We have had contact with the installeter and he will be placing the solar system when the strikes, etc. have stopped. TWO VOLUNTEERS At the moment we have 2 volunteers who have just finishes a trek. They came back during the strike in Pokhara en couldn’t reach us by public transport, so they took the plane. They are busy with all sorts of chores, such as covering school books, sanding the inside woodwork and taking the kids swimming every two days. They enjoy doing things with the children and because the school holidays have been extended, they are able to entertain the children. MANY DELAYS BECAUSE OF STRIKES We hope the strikes will end soon so that we can get back to doing the things we are planning to do. We hope you understand this and can wait patiently just as we have to do, for what the future holds for us. Eventually the situation will calm down, as yet we don’t know when. Nobody can answer this question. Greetings from a beautiful, warm and turbulant Nepal, The kids, Dillkumary, Rajina, Scooby Doo, Scraby two and An

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colofon The english page is translated by: Karen Schouten _________________________________________________

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