August 2017

Nepal Hub
"Little by little one walks far."
Objective:
Improve local facilities to support learning goals.
Summary

You will often hear our staff reminding volunteers they are all part of a bigger picture and whether they are
here for a week or a year, their contributions are significant. Each little part helps us to move a great distance
as long as you have a goal and plan in place. This was very much the case over the summer period here in
Nepal where we had a fantastic number of volunteers all of whom worked towards our goals and certainly
made a difference.

Report
Our story starts with the arrival of a group from Bainbridge Island Washington. This group
started work on renovating a Government School in the village of Pame. The group cleaned,
scrubbed, patched and repaired. It wasn't long before two classrooms were entirely
refurbished and had an amazing new look. This team was joined by our construction
volunteers who also gave the school grounds a makeover and repaired playground equipment.

This team set the standard for our next group, 20 under 18s who had travelled from various
corners of the world. This group had five days on their service project and in that time they
completed two more classrooms doing the job equally as professionally as the first team. Like
the first group, their dedication to the task was commendable. Between these groups there
was the marvelous achievement of providing a positive learning environment for the students.

Across town, it was busy at the Tibetan school as well. Many of the students live at the school and it was time for a
makeover of the hostel including bathroom facilities, bedrooms the dining area and the outside space. It was significant
that AFS USA team were part of this makeover, their 2016 team refurbished three classrooms at the school.

So what did we achieve at the Tibetan school? Our AFS USA team repainted the dining area including a beautiful tree
mural. The room is friendlier lighter and much more conducive to a dining hall and study area. Our second under 18s
team gave the bedroom spaces an overhaul much to the delight of the boarders. Our construction volunteers cleared the
gardens, repainted some of the outdoor areas, refurbished the sports room and did some much needed repairs to the
taps and water pipes. Our healthcare volunteers repainted and repaired the bathrooms and Sick Bay and followed with
lessons as part of the WASH programme. A group of boys from Dubai worked on outside washing areas and made some
great improvements the hygiene and sanitation. All of these teams were part of a chain which went together to make a
significant difference to the school environment. This contribution was appreciated by the community.

It was a busy but productive summer and there is no doubt these are two examples of how together, we can make a
difference.