The World Through My Eyes & Ears & Mouth & Nose.

Finishing up at Hope for Himalayan Kids & Future possibilities for HFHK...

2010-02-02T17:28:00.000+11:00

So this week my time at HFHK has finished up and I feel I'm about to leave family behind. I conducted my last workshop and the staff were hard at work as usual, appreciating every piece of knowledge I could give them in the dying minutes...

They put on a beautiful going away afternoon tea with speeches and gifts, I felt overwhelmed with gratitude.

My colleagues/students and friends all attempted to express their thanks in English. A request that I had asked, that even if they could try one word I had taught them they would have succeeded and it would be the best gift. In order increase their confidence I translated my long speech (if you know me you know I don't mind the spotlight), however this was different as I know that I was attempting high level Nepali with rubbish pronunciation!

(Me trying to pronounce...)

(My colleagues trying to understand...Although at the end they swore they really did understand so I was stoked..even tested them on it!)

So then we celebrated with some traditional Nepali Masala Tea and Nepal's version of samosa....so good!

In the last few days since then Hope for Himalayan Kids has moved offices as we have outgrown the small headquarters we were in. This has been an exciting time for all staff as this was the first HFHK office: (Nicki's briefcase 6 years ago...)

Then over the years as more donors have come on board and HFHK has been able to hire more case workers to care for the children, they moved (from the briefcase) to Nicki's spare room, to a small one room office, then to the office I was in...... And now we say goodbye to this office:

And we look forward to the new range of possibilities that our new office can bring for the children of Nepal currently residing in institutions.

To merely move into a new building means greater capacity for work, influence and productivity. It means the deistituionalisation process will happen quicker and the children will receive the much needed support a lot sooner, so everyone is excited about this. One of our children, Ashis, whom we are currently finding alternative care for (as he is living in one of the residential centres associated with HFHK) came to visit the new office. I asked him what he thought of all his new helpers (his big brothers and sisters-social workers) and the big new office...I didn't need an interpreter this time, I understood he was as stoked as us.

So we look forward to the new realm of future opportunities for all the children like Ashis. My favorite Blog will be introducing you to Ashis' new family when we find him foster or adoption parents, or any of the alternative care arrangements we are piloting. It's then he will get the individual love and care he deserves.

Doing the best with what you have....

2010-01-24T21:25:00.000+11:00

Work has picked up at a rapid pace after the dramas with the disrespectful English language teacher. I got my money back and am now looking for a better teacher...One who treats adults like professionals, not boot camp attendees....
But in the mean time I have combined my normal workshops on best practice Child Protection with their English language learning...Teaching has been been a lot of hard work and taken me out of my comfort zone...

(My collegaues hard at work with the challenges I set them...)

My main objective in this teaching is to boost their confidence again about learning English, to create an avenue for enthusiasm and a culture of encouragement. I wanted to reinstall the initial induction they were given about professional development and becoming passionate about the deistituionalisation process to see the lives of the children changed for the better.
So with the use of some scrabble tiles (Doing the best with what you have!), we have worked through the alphabet building up a gambit of verbs and adjectives.

For example to attempt to combine the global best practice information, boost their confidence and enthusiasm, teach them english and reinstall their belief in the values of Hope for Himalayan Kids we simply worked through the alphabet and learned words like:

A for attempt: If you merely attempt to speak English in my class, even if you think you got the grammer wrong, then you have succeeded.

B for belong: At HFHK you belong to a team and despite your role, caste, religion, gender, etc you are all treated equally.

C for confidence: We talked about how you can grow your confidence...

D for determination: Not giving up until we have acheived our goal together, deinstitutionalisation oif the child residential centres in Nepal.

E for equality and encourage...

O for observation: Looking with the intention of learning something....

P for protection: How are we protecting the children?

Q for questioning: What are appropriate questioning techniques?

R for rights: What are human rights and child rights?

S for support: What does it mean to support the children, each other, the organisation?

(Every verb, adjective and noun we have learnt so far keeps them thinking about these little monkeys! I love visiting them and cannot wait until they all have proper small families to call their own. Soon they will.)

So we have been discussing everthing directly involved with their actual roles as case workers, accountants, office and data managers, in order to reveal that every role is necessary and important...(This is not a commonly communicated culture in organisations and businesses over here. Heirachy, caste and inequality are everyday, normal practice.)

So I am happy and my colleagues are looking forward to using the words they have learned and moving on to the vital step of using their new vocab in reports by learning past present and past tense rules next (I will start with them and hand over to the potential new teracher for when I leave very soon.) My next challenge is to hire a good teracher and hand my other work (research/policy development etc) to some new interns arriving soon, and the relevant staff at HFHK.

The common challenge of staying on my toes and being thrown into situations that are out of one's comfort zone have been both difficult but equally rewarding. I'm learning the art of making do with what you have, I think it is a beautiful skill to learn, keeps you out of that aweful comfort zone...Plus who dosn't think scrabble is the best game ever created?! Me and my Mom do so why no the Nepalese...

So it is with cautious optimism that I say bring on the next few weeks of challenges, a sprint to leave behind something of worth....

(I was in the mood to include a corny cliche motivating happy touristy picture, nice to get out of the office....feel like I'm in a post card sometimes.)

To pour your heart and soul into something…and have it almost slip away…Challenges only make us stronger!

2010-01-20T23:53:00.000+11:00

You may remember me talking a little about my roll at Hope for Himalayan Kids being one in regards to capacity building with the new and existing staff members including case managers, data mangers, the accountant etc. The way in which I feel that professional development is going to benefit the organization and in turn the children the quickest was to send 8 of our staff to English Language training at certain reputable institution here in Pokhara. So off they went last Wednesday for their first day of school

(I was like the proud mother sending her loved ones to school,

even made these profession case workers and accountants do a group photo…)

I had spend a majority of the last two months researching best practice deinstitutionalization documents for the teacher to incorporate into the curriculum once they got past beginner level so they start to use and comprehend global best practice report writing and case notes (about the kids) in English.

The challenge came (to make a very large and emotionally charged story short) when I sat in a couple of lessons this week and was a completely shocked by both the style of teaching and the content of the curriculum. This teacher has (what we now realize a self created excellent reputation in Pokhara). Both my self and my director screened him several times and talked about expectations and what we needed him to provide. We wanted them to be able to read, comprehend and write for the reports and case notes on the orphaned, abandoned and at risk children they will be working with. We wanted this training to be in line with the values and in the context of child protection, equality and human rights.

After sitting in on a couple of classes I realized that reputations and first impressions can be so terribly wrong. The two areas of concern I observed and which were reinforced by staff feedback were about: a) The style in which the teacher was conducting the class, and b) A lot of the English curriculum he was teaching was actually wrong (hard to sit in the corner and observe while biting my lip….more on that in moment)

So first point: The atmosphere and environment in the class room (and this is while I was there so I can imagine he was altering it to be more profession with a foreigner in the room) was like army camp for preschoolers…no more like puppy school actually, but with less love or rewards like schmackos (metaphorically speaking-just a “well done, that was correct, great effort would have done…”)… Anyway, hand gestures to stand up , sit down, stop…He would be an excellent drill sergeant, or king in the 1900s who likes to read dictionaries, pretend to know all the words in them, and then brag even though he doesn’t know the meanings….

What made me most upset was that after only one week in this school the motivation of these new green case workers as well as the existing staff to learn English and develop themselves professionally was peaking on Wednesday…and it had been sucked from them by Sunday. I had worked so hard to teach them about how important professional development is and the mutual benefits for them, the children and the NGO. I worked so hard to set up a culture for them and explain to them about how we will be investing into them and supporting them to be the best they can be to change the lives of the children they will be working with. I had worked so hard to explain in the induction that we value equality and respect and do not distinguish between gender, caste, village group or age in our organization…And to have this contradicted by this training was gut wrenching. Not really the capacity building I was after.

The second point of concern (and if I hadn’t just had the meeting to sack this man this morning I could find some of this funny) was that some of what he was teaching was sooooo wrong!!! He would stop my colleagues mid sentence with NO! Wrong! And proceed to give an alternative sentence, to the one they were trying so hard to say. This occurred even when what the student was saying was correct! And then he would either give an alternative way of saying the same thing, or give an incorrect alternative!…

I didn’t bite my lip in those instances I would ask the teacher “Sorry guru, is that a Nepali word you have just given?” He would respond with: “No, English”. I respectfully would answer “Um actually no its not a word guru, that sentence does not make much sence”. Of which he would respond, “Yes it is.” And move on with the “class”. (Yep, that’s right, the Nepali teacher, with English as his second language was telling me, little English woman in the corner-with English as her first language that he was right and I was wrong). For those who know me well, don’t worry, this man is still with us today with dignity intact and only for the reason that all my precious colleagues were in the room and I have learned that biting my tongue is delicious and useful in international development.

So this morning I professionally went down with my director during what would have been our normal class time to give the feedback, (in a respectful manner-Army camp was only mentioned once by my Nepali Director) and deliver the news that we were pulling our students out of what would have been 3 months of classes with them. When giving the reasons why my ability to deliver constructive feedback kicked in thank the Lord and civil war did not erupt. In fact he took it quite well and I was impressed with his demeanor as Nepali culture as many Asian cultures do, has an element of saving face so he took it well given the cultural context.This challenge took me and is keeping me way out of my comfort zone. This will make me stronger and more well equipped for this type of bump in the road in the future. So new challenges this week:
1)Make an appointment with the manager of the institute in an attempt to get my money back!!! (Policies don’t really exist here, especially when it comes to consumer refunds.)

2) Find a new English Language teacher ASAP
3) Prepare the English Language classes I will now be giving every day until the new and improved teacher is found. PS: My Nepali will be put to the test!

Being taken out of my comfort zone so often has forced me to dig deep to find out just what I can achieve when I focus and not allow irrational draining emotions to get in the way. The capacity I have when options have seemed hopeless has been drawn from some of the amazing people I have met since being here. This week I will come out on top and be stronger for it. Bring on the whole gambit of emotions that will come this week with the challenges that lay a head, satisfaction, happiness, stress, tears and all. Here I feel. Here I am sentient. Bring it on!

Pokhara Street Festival and HFHK Awareness Campaign

2010-01-14T15:04:00.000+11:00

So much has happened since Christmas so I'm going to squeeze in everything to get you up to speed. First up the Pokhara New Years Street Festival which has run for the last 6 years and was an absolute riot. Full of different ethnic groups, their music and dancing, many carnival activities (and carny folk-turns out not reserved for the West).The festival was also graced with the presence of the HFHK stall, the platform for an awareness campaign and fundraiser selling some gift cards the children had drawn pictures for and we had prfessionally printed....I will learn to use shorter sentences when I don't have so much to say.....

As the street could get a little crowded with the dancing and festivities........You Just had to learn to hang out with the right type of person....

The Stand did well and we sold a few cards but more importantly we began the epic task of playign a part in educating both the locals and tourists that large children's residential centres (orphanages) are not in the best interest of children and deinstitutionalisation is starting and needs supporting. Because of the miscopnception amongst tourists that cometo Pokhara that the children's centres are these happy places and should be donated to, they don't realise they can be misguiding their resourses of which usually does not reach the children.

The Broshure we printed and handed out (The What, How Why and Who of Deinstitutionalisation) reached the hands of some key individuals, including some key local business owners, some international development students, and also some children's residential centre owners, so I was happy about this.
Once it was dark and the stall was packed up it was time to enjoy what the festival had to offer...

(Thier version of hooky, try and get the bamboo ring over the prize...)

Check out the politically incorrect prizes: ciggies, mini bottles of wisky...super strong red bull cans...100 rupee notes...great for the kids...I loved it!

Great Places to eat... You leave feeling...happy...when not food poisoned....

Places to avoid.....Although I think it is just a trecking business...
And the jusxtoposition of certain atmospheres to soak up:

(Traditional Nepali Dress, so beautiful...but I feel like a giant over here...)

A little bit about Christmas night….

2009-12-31T00:49:00.000+11:00

After the most beautiful start to the day, mentioned in the blog below, Jessica and I took some rest before helping prepare for Christmas Dinner at Gauri Shankar Guest House with my family away from family….

Just like being at home...

Well sort of...

The menu for the evening was: Entree:

Broccoli Soup with a tomato and onion relish:

Main: Which I helped prepare was stuffed capsicums with a tomato, rice, onion and buffallo cheese mixture, served with a baked vege and chick pea salad with a dill and lemon juice dressing....mmmmm vegetarian based Christmas!

Then dessert was a meringue kisses cake, so it felt a bit Aussie as it reminded me of pavalova!

Dinner with all the long term guests and staff was such a great night, we did crackers, danced, and replaced each other as we all missed our family.

And of coarse the giving of the gifts!!!

Thank you Mom and Nai for the packages they made me cry!

Happy little Vegemite!!!!!

(My Guari Shankar Family and their new drum)

A Beautiful Christmas!!!!!!

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

LET ME TELL YOU BOUT' CHRISTMAS!!!

2009-12-27T03:18:00.000+11:00

So this Christmas was bitter sweet in the truest sense of the saying. On the one hand I missed my family terribly at what is my favourite time of year in getting together with the ones I love the dearest. They know that I would have loved to be with them during this festive time.

(My beautiful family- I love you!)

However this Christmas day gone was one I will never forgot. I visited every child associated with Hope for Himalayan Kids (both currently still residing in children's centres, and those who have already been integrated into smaller family based alternative accommodation) to deliver gifts to everyone of them. We shared also shared the spirit, culture and story of Christmas with all of them!!!! So as a team we delivered about fifty presents, which are funded by the same international donor every year.

The first group we visited was the George Ella girls group. This is a supported accommodation (rented house) where teenaged girls live with a mentor. They had all previously lived in Sahara Children's Centre since they were young, now they live almost independently, worry about normal things like what cool clothes they get to spend their Christmas cash on!!!!!

(The girls patiently listening to my colleague interpreting the culturally adapted Christmas story I told... tried to make choose to as many local adjectives as possible...)

(I think they got it once I told them that when they couldn't find any room at any of the guest houses Jesus had to be born in the goat house and then the three gurus turned up with gifts.)

(The happy girls, their cash for buying their new clothes- we didn't want to assume we knew what was cool!)

The next house we visited was the family group. Again, a successful deinstitutionalisation case, as the 6 children who have been "fostered/adopted" by a mother and father live as a small family now. Here they are so greatfull for their gifts.

At that point in the morning I also got to go pick up my American friend Jess who is visiting me for Christmas and she was thrust into all of the festivities!!!
So we moved onto New Ray of Life Children's Centre. An institution with with about 18 children still residing in it. So amazing to see the expectation on the faces of the children as this is the only gift they get for themselves for the whole year. They sat patiently through the Christmas story and then the chaos erupted when the gift giving started.... Back packs, hand bags, hacky sacks, wrist watched, trucks, transformers....And the gratitude was at a level I had never seen in children before!!!!

The last stop was Sahara Children's Centre where there were about 25 children waiting for us and we recieved a beautiful greeting of a decorated poster of a tree with fairy lights and everything (very fancy!).

We were waiting for a long time and we did not know why there was a delay in getting all the children in the room to give out the presents..Not usually a problem... then we realised they has been dressing Swikritee (the youngest child at Sahara) up like Santa! It was the most delightful and mildly destrubing thing I had ever seen:

Again an eruption of wrapping paper and smiles from ear to ear. This was the last of our visits and we spent the most time here, dancing and celebrating with the children. This Christmas taught me a lot about gratitude. I want to learn the gratitude of these children. And I look forward to seeing my family and friends again. More about these special children soon. I wish you all a festive season. xoxoxoxo

(Happy boys with their Hacky Sacks!)

From Data Gathering to Capacity Building to Awareness Projects.....

2009-12-23T00:20:00.000+11:00

My first month recommendations for the strategic directions of the deinstitutionalisation project was around the data gathering system...One barrier to this process is that for this to be global best practice then it will need to be stored in English....

Which brings me to the capacity building for three new case workers and the existing staff who will be gathering and storing this vital information. I have put together a suit of key global best practice documents for an employee induction package (which I will also adapt later for a volunteer and intern induction package.) The pack includes HFHK key documents including their 2009 annual report, memorandum of agreement with the Nepali Government and the current monthly report. The package also includes key UNICEF, Save the Children, and Hope and Homes for Children fact sheets and summaries.
In selecting and summarising the documents to include in the package I had to balance the need to properly familiarise and contextualise the importance of the work of the 3 new case workers starting in a weeks time, with their current ability to comprehend English. All the documents and best practice evaluations I have selected for the pack are written in English and are not available in a Nepali translation.
Which lead to my second recommendation and allocation of some fundraising I did before I came: English language training!

(Big shout out to all who came to the fundraising gig as you are changing children's lives for the better!)

The three new case workers as well as 4 existing staff will be commencing 6-8 weeks of intensive English training. This will cover a basic refresher of English grammer and vocab (as all have a very basic level of English communication from school), and then progress to more advanced comprehension, and report writing skills. This will build their capacity to gather and store their reports and notes on the children in English. Furthermore, I have requested the English training centre to use the induction package I have created as examples to work through for reading and comprehention training. This will allow the staff, both new and old to create a culture of professional development in a team environment while learning English and global best practice, all simultaeniously! I am optimistic about the training as it will be sustainable development for HFHK.

I’m currently sourcing actual folders and plastic pockets (a few common stationary items we take for granted in the west but a little more difficult to get hold of quickly) to compile the packages for the training. The roles and responsibilities documents along with the code of conduct and other HR documents will be added ready for the case workers to commence their training. This capacity building is very exciting and the existing staff are anticipating the training with great optimism. They understand the opportunities and potential that the English language brings with it for their current roles in the impact it has on the protecting the children they work with. They are excited about a future where they will only take a couple of hours writing up their case notes on their field visits to the vulnerable children. As it stands now they spend all week translating simple case notes and reports into English. Increasing the efficiency of data gathering means that the gaps we have in the needs analysis of the existing children we are working with get filled quicker. This in turn brings us closer to creating individualized care plans for each child’s reintegration to the community and into family settings where they can get the love and attention they deserve.

The organistion of the English language training for the staff at HFHK has been sorted but will not start until the first week of the new year due to several scheduled Maoist strikes this coming week. However it is set and ready to go for the seven staff who will gain access to a high level capacity building skill over the next two three months.

Productivity and optimism at Hope for Himalayan Kids has picked up considerably in the last two weeks. Not only due to the impending employment of the new case workers mentioned but also due to an upcoming street festival where we will be doing an awareness campaign.

In a Nepali context for work to be achieved in an efficiently timely manner at a Westerners standard is highly significant because there is so many barriers to productivity eg: the load shedding schedule has increased again ie: We have no electricity, for about 8 hours a day, in two or three hours blocks; the internet is painfully slow; and the Maoist strikes shut the city down for full days at a time. So to have achieved what I have in the past week is quite satisfying.

The street festival starts on the 28th through to the New Year and we are having a stall in the street for awareness around deinstituionalisation. So every pamphlet and sticker I wanted printed had to be developed this week and taken to the printers as there are more scheduled Maoist strikes next week where nothing will get done. There are always "shortages of things here: petrol, hand sanitizer, electricity, water etc...

But the funniest shortage I came across was yesterday when trying to put in our logo to the printers for stickers. The challenge I came up aginst this time, while interpreting through my adorable office manager was that apparently across Nepal there is a PURPLE shortage. Yep, a shortage just in the ink colour purple for the stickers. I had not slept or eaten properly for days leading up to trying to get all this done, so I nearly lost it when he said this...(if you look at our logo the majority of the logo is purple!)

...Anyway, we negotiated to get it printed on more expensive paper to use a different type of purple ink and resolved the issue....

There is almost always a way around the barriers. It's just more of an issue of how many Nepali people Beth comes close to murdering along the way...Thus creating another shortage…Nepalese people....

So what have I been doing at HFHK????

2009-12-22T18:02:00.000+11:00

Now that you are all well educated in deinstitutionalisation.... I’m going to attempt to summarise what I have done in the last couple of weeks to assist the process... so here goes:

My initial induction to the organization was to become and expert through research on deinistituionalisation in the context of children’s residential centres (often misguidedly called “orphanages” or “children’s homes”- as they are rarely filled with actual orphans as the children will have one or more living parents, and they are definitely not a home environment.)

From this research I realized a more comprehensive data gathering and monitoring system needed to be created for the children in the centres already associated with HFHK so we can continue the deinstitutionalisation process with these children as it has already started with a couple of pilot projects.

(A pilot project example: These boys previously lived in Sahara Children's Centre and now live as housemates. Initially supported by a mentor who case managed this alternative care, however they are all living independently, and attending higher education, with minimal support from HFHK.)

So a component of my role has been to assist with the development of this data gathering system. Another Australian volunteer, Gemma, who arrived here before I did has created the information system data base by which monitoring and evaluation will also be stored and updated. Currently there are three data bases, one for the children, one for the staff/volunteers and one for donors.

My role in the creation of an information gathering process primarily relates to the child data. The children concerned are those who are still in the two homes associated with HFHK, and also those we are receiving referrals for in regards to our preventative program.

(An example of a rural family that HFHK has supported so this young girl did not end up institutionalised and separated from her parents.)

So far it is difficult to comprehend the process by which both quantitative and qualitative data will be gathered and stored as there are many barriers to overcome (which I'm sure to highlight in future posts). Ideally, a consistent template will be created by which all demographic data, physical health histories, mental and social welfare histories, education histories, family histories (genograms) would be stored in a manner that can be easily updated and monitored during the reintegration process. Some of this information we already have for the children in the homes, some is missing and will have to be gathered.
More importantly though for the eventual evaluation of the deinstituionalisation project is the gathering and recording of the actual needs of the child ie: The reasons they ended up in the children's centre in the first place. This information is more difficult to obtain, especially for the children who have been institutionalised for a majority of their life. Examples (by no means an exhaustive list) of the reasons children end up in the residential homes are: Poverty ie: the family misguidedly believes the child will get basic needs met in centres, actual death of one or more parents, abandonment at birth (for a variety of reasons: gender, disability, unwanted), and one of the most disturbing and common reasons is that a child centre (under the guise of an “orphanage”) is often created by an ill-intentioned person and poaches children from villages. They tell the parents that the child will be better off in the institution where they will get needs met. When in reality it is someone exploiting the children in many ways, usually to get money form well intentioned tourists. Here in Pokhara this is rampant as it is a tourist haven, being the trecking mecca and a lot of tourists want to do a stint ‘helping’ the children, not really knowing that they are enabling a corrupt, money making middle man. They have essentially taken children from their parents in order to pocket the money tourists come and contribute. It is a real problem here in Nepal.

Anyway, back to my job…

Surprisingly from my research of deinstitutionalisation case examples, mainly through central Asia and Africa, information systems rarely recorded the needs that the services intended on meeting. I intend on creating a best practice system of gathering the information on how and why the children ended up in these institutions, in order to mould the process of meeting that need by finding the most appropriate form of family based care, back in the community.
Keeping data gathering focused on the primary need of the child will ensure the evaluation post deinstitutionalisation in Nepal remains accurate and quantifiable.

We will see how this all goes…

The what, why and how of deinstitutionalisation...A background of info so I can tell you what I've been working on...

2009-12-22T00:00:00.002+11:00

I sat down to summarise what I had been working on at Hope for Himalayan Kids for the last two weeks as it has been very busy. Then I realised I would be talking about a bunch of stuff that would not make sense to average Jo, as it was unknown to me a couple of months ago myself.
So todays lesson is Deinstitutionalisation 101!

The What, Why, How and Who of Deinstitutionalisation in the context of Children's Residential Centers in Nepal.

Quick facts and figures about child centres in Nepal:

• The majority of children living in children's residential centres (commonly referred to as orphanages/children’s homes) in Nepal have family or relatives with whom they could live if given appropriate support.
• There are more than 523 registered (many more unregistered, approximately the same number again) children’s residential centres in Nepal.
• More than two thirds of these centres have been assessed by the Nepal Government as being sub-standard thus placing thousands of children at risk.

Deinstitutionalisation

What?

• Deinstitutionalisation is an internationally recognised method of ensuring child protection.

• It is the process of transforming child care from an institutionalised system to a community and family based care model.
• Deinsitutionalisation focuses on preventing unnecessary admissions to child centres, finding alternative care for those already residing in child centres, and continuing to support the children and their families in the community.
• It results in less reliance on child residential centres which are not in the best interests of children.
• Deinstitutionalisation provides a wide range of integrated community-based

and small family based care. It gives children the individual care and love they deserve and need to thrive.

• Deinstitutionalisation is the overall objective of the work of Hope for Himalayan Kids in Pokhara and the surrounding districts.

How?

1) Family support program: HFHK works with at-risk children, their families and the community to prevent children being unnecessarily institutionalized in Nepal. This includes providing an integrated support service, advocacy and awareness so that the child can remain in their home and community.

2) Alternative care development: HFHK finds and develops appropriate alternative care for Nepali children in the community instead of institutions. This involves working cooperatively with the Nepali Government to

implement legislative change for formal care arrangements. A Memorandum of Understanding was developed and signed between the Nepali Government and HFHK in regards to deinstitutionalisation becoming child protection policy in the future. Until such time HFHK works with local authorities and the community to develop informal alternative care arrangements.

3) Alternative care management HFHK formulates long term care plans for each child currently residing child centres. Individual assessments lead to sourcing the most appropriate permanent alternative care arrangement. This may include tracing and reintegrating with original family, foster care, small group homes or supported independent living.

(To view recent case examples of alternative care success stories please visit the website)

Why?

• It is globally accepted from a child protection perspective that institutions or child residential centres are harmful to children and a wholly inadequate system of caring for children.

Key reasons to deinstitutionalise:

• The negative effects on children’s health, development and wellbeing: In many institutions, the standard of care is poor. Many children are abused and neglected. Children under three, in particular, are at risk of permanent developmental damage by not being cared for in family based situations. For all children, long term stays in institutions can have a lasting negative

impact. CHildren in institutions are at a far higher risk for human rights atrocities including physical, sexual abuse and exploitation.

• The financial burden: It is a common misconception that institutions are a cost effective model of care. Research has shown that institutions can be up to six times more expensive than family based care. Donors who support institutions are inadvertently diverting essential resources away from more positive and cost effective family based options.

Who?

Hope for Himalayan Kids (HFHK) has been registered with both the Nepal Government and the Social Welfare Council since July 2006 as a Non Government Organization focusing on child protection through deinstitutionalisation. HFHK's

registration allows it to work anywhere in Nepal. Currently, HFHK is based in Pokhara and its work area is focused in

the Western Region. HFHK also has an Australian entity which focusses on awareness and fundraising.

Email: info@hopeforhimalayankids.org

www.hopeforhimalayankids.org

Maoists, conflict, strikes and protests…A blog for my politically minded geeckish friends….

2009-12-13T21:36:00.000+11:00

This week in Nepal there has been a spate of complicated strikes and conflict involving the Government and the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (UCPN-Maoists). It is hard to explain the cause and effect of the recent conflict. Firstly, because conflict of this sort is so entrenched and has a long history here. And secondly because you tend to have to put the picture together from word of mouth about what is happening in the country at any given time.

(PS: Mom, just for your sanity: most of the photos in this blog are from the local media, I wasn't at or anywhere even remotly close the conflict- breath easy!)
A basic and rough history of the interaction between Maoist rebels and the Government goes a little like this:

The civil war, coined the “People's War” (by the Maoists) erupted between the Maoist rebels and government forces. The majority of the conflict took place between 1996 and 2006. It commenced when the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists) attempted to overthrow the Nepalese monarchy to establish the "People's Republic of Nepal." It ended with a Comprehensive Peace Accord signed in 2006 which is now monitored by United Nations Mission in Nepal. During this period an estimated 13000 people were killed and 100,000-150,000 people were displaced, but of coarse actual numbers are always estimates and are different depending on what you read.

The 2006 peace agreement signed by the major political parties had spread cautious optimism about future peace in Nepal. The 2008 Constituent Assembly elections reinforced this confidence for peace. However there has been recent sporadic conflicts including an incident that took place last Friday the 4^th December in the West of Nepal.

“Reports” (and I say this with hesitation as details are still sketchy) recount that there was police action against some Maoist aligned squatters in the Kailali-based Dudhejhadi forest. Between three and five people were shot dead in the conflict which has been described by UCPN officials as heavy handed and as Government officials as necessary action for driving out the landless squatters.

The Unted National People’s Movement of the UCPN-Maoist called an unscheduled Banda (closure/strike) that took place on Sunday in protest of the event on Friday, along with many street marches. There are also scheduled Bandas (over the next few weeks- in regards to the political process and talks in general). The impact this has on everyday life for people in the bigger cities like here in Pokhara or in the capital Kathmandu relates to the effect of total closures of transport.

(Also for your sanity Mom!)

A banda (essentially a strike that forces closure) involves the shutting down of all public and private transportation, local shops, businesses and schools. This in turn stops people from being able to get to work or school as local and tourist buses, taxis etc do not run. Therefore economic exchange, tourism, industry etc comes to a grinding stop very quickly. Fuel does not turn up to petrol stations, food does not get delivered to villages, children go without the limited education they have already. Pokhara was like a ghost town on Sunday. There was some action though that brought a smile to my face. The children running around (stoked as they have the day off school…again) were kicking soccer balls and playing hacky sack all over the roads because there are no cars or the throngs of motorbikes that are normally fanging around. There are not many flat concreted areas for the kids to play so they were out in force! The Pokhara children’s world cup soccer festival….And I’m sure I’ll see it again when they are not aloud at school next week.

It is hard to explain how or why the Maoists have the ability to do what they do . It is sometimes a reaction (or consequence they are enforcing) to unmet demands they may be making during discussions with the Government. Or protests to what they see as unfair treatment toward their followers (who are generally uneducated, uninformed rural people). But it seems like Maoist initiated Banda, car bombs, violent protests or civilian murders and the like are all attempts to assert their self perceived level of power over the country. This kind of intimidation and interruption to the nation is having devastating effects for unnecessary reasons, and with no result or positive political reform. The future of the Nepali political climate is uncertain as no party is even close to abandoning partisan politics, even on issues of critical national importance.

I think I’ll just stick to playing soccer with the future world cup Pokhara soccer stars during the next strike...

A blog specifically for Sale Primary 545 Senior class S…

2009-12-09T20:02:00.000+11:00

Here is a big shout out to Sale Primary School 545

Senior Class S!

Not long now until the end of school, you must be getting excited. Thank you for checking out my blog so far. I heard Mr. Shingles was talking about making decisions now about the type of person you want to be, and what you want to do with your future.

I am glad that you are creating bucket lists for yourselves, it allows you to think outside the box about the extraordinary opportunities you have in life. I would like to challenge you to think even bigger than you are now. Not necessarily about better, more exotic/expensive things to do, but thinking bigger about the influence you can have on those around you. Thinking bigger about the positive impact you can have on the world.

I’m sure Mr. Shingles has said this to you before but you can be whoever you want, it just takes good decisions and learning from the mistakes. You can also do whatever you want in life, it just takes good decisions and learning from the mistakes. Deciding now about whether you will be a person who works hard and gets as much out of every opportunity given. Or whether you will be a person who cruises along without working hard, drifting through life wondering why nothing positive or extraordinary happens to you. Not every child has the luxury of thinking in this way. Not every child has the opportunities that you do. You can create your own destiny. You can decide what goes on your bucket list.

Will you tick off a university degree from your bucket list? Will you tick off that you learned from and influenced people from many cultures in the world by traveling? Will you tick off that you climbed the highest mountain in the world?

Will you tick off that you contributed towards the cure for a disease? Will you tick off your bucket list that you went Paraharking (trust me, that was a good one!)? Will you tick off that you helped save a life by becoming an aid worker, or a nurse, a doctor or a paramedic etc? Will you tick off that you went to space? Will you tick off that you raised a healthy family? Will you tick off that at every opportunity all through high school you stuck up for the kids that got picked on? Will you tick off that you represented Australia at the Olympics? Will you tick off that you influenced a generation by becoming a teacher? Will you tick off that you painted a picture that ended up in a gallery?

Will you tick off that you invented something that every person in the world will be using by 2030? Will you tick off that you learned another language? Will you tick off your bucket list that you contributed toward turning around climate change and global warming? Will you tick off that you were the first female Australian Prime Minister? (Sorry boys!)Will you tick off that you wrote a book? You get to decide what goes on your bucket list…

Will you tick off that you visited your grade six teacher in 2059 when he is an old and wrinkly man sitting in his rocking chair wondering what you did with your life? Ha Ha Ha…

(Mr. Shingles)

My point is, think big! Think enormous! Bigger than my examples, because it is only our minds that limit us. Think about the influence you can have on the world. Because you can start making those decisions now. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t achieve much because you are young. Some of the most amazing, hard working and inspirational people I have met since being in Nepal have been your age. They keep smiling even though they are impoverished and of ill-health. Most don’t have adequate education and most children who do go to school endure backbreaking work before and after school on the farm, family home or business. They don’t have the opportunities you have but they have a spirit and energy that does not give up and that hopes for a brighter future. You can be part of a bright future!

Congratulations for finishing a successful 2009 and I hope you are thinking big about 2010!

Give a kid a hug...

2009-11-29T16:33:00.001+11:00

This week was health camp for all the kids currently living in homes associated with Hope for Himalayan Kids (HFHK). A Dutch International NGO called Medical Checks for Children have been visiting yearly for the last three years. The children form Sahara Children’s home, New Ray of Life Children’s Centre and from the family group (some children who have already been through the deinstitutionalisation process and have been reintegrated with a family Mother) were present.

(Welcoming the guests with ticka and poinsettia.)

All together there were about 40 children who experienced physical developmental progress checks, basic health check ups and basic medication and/or vitamin and mineral prescription. Common findings included anemia and other mineral deficiencies, colds, flu and respiratory infections, as well as some skin and hair issues resulting from a lack of protein. Nearly all the children will now be taking some vitamin and mineral supplements. There is a strong correlation between stunted or below average development physically, socially and psychologically in children who are institutionalized, especially from a young age.

The findings from health camp showed signs of below average physical development in some children and a few were found to be stunted in their physical development.

These results are significant for the work we are doing in HFHK. They indicate that even with improved standards and credible NGO influence it is not in the child’s best interest to be institutionalized. These are actually fantastic results in comparison with other children’s centers (orphanages). Here are 40 children who are examples living in a couple of the best orphanages in the country in regards to standards, thanks to the work of HFHK. So if these are the health results of the children who are receiving a high level of care in the Napali context then you can begin to envisage the health and development of children who are housed in the other centers which may not meet the same standards of care.

This reinforces the need to deinstitutionalise as quickly and as carefully as possible. Doing so in a manner to develop best practice and overcome barriers of funding, lack of professional personal (psychiatrists, social workers, OTs etc) and the slow process of legislative change. The harsh reality I am struggling to reconcile is that we sit and watch children suffer from preventable illness and below average development unnecessarily. Children with special needs presents a whole new level of challenges for care.

For example, one of the young boys in one of our homes is about 7 (We shall call him Vickram for this blog .) Vikram presents with mild autistic behaviors and learning difficulties. He is such a beautiful boy but gets in trouble a lot because he seeks his attention though socially inappropriate behavior and general naughtiness (I know I’m not meant to have any but he’s probably my favorite!). While there is no way of getting any proper diagnosis in the near future, there is really not much point as he would not get the assistance to allow him to lead a functioning independent life regardless. He does not attend a normal school like the other children, and if he was in a developed country he would merely need an integration aid, and probably not for very long. As it stands at the moment his future is one of institutional care dependant on others for the rest of his life. But for the grace of God and the optimistically relentless care of the people associated with HFHK, hopefully this will not happen for him. As mentioned there are many barriers to overcome in the next few years to see Vickram and all the other children head in the direction of their potential.

To watch the case managers, office staff, house mothers, volunteers and directors working on these projects is so humbling, they are amazing people. They do it because there is a need. There is endless need here, but somehow they don’t get put off by this fact, they are focused. They are keeping their eyes fixed on creating sustainable macro change in one area of need without getting overwhelmed by the plethora of complicated issues in this country. Whether Nepal or Australia, this is a difficult concept to reconcile in one’s mind and be moved to action. Each day I ask myself how my colleagues are persisting with unwavering focus to roll out the process of deinstitutionalisation in Nepal, without getting deterred by the many other areas of poverty, corruption and human rights issues going on all around them.

Then I go and have a game of cricket with Vikram and the other children and am reminded why it is not at all hard to stay focused on the bigger picture.

Until next time…Give a kid a hug (preferably one you know…and knows you.)

If we could all be a little like Bob….

2009-11-28T18:31:00.000+11:00

Before starting work for Hope for Himalayan Kids two weeks ago I did my one “touristy” activity I had been waiting 5 years to experience (since the last time I was in Pokhara). It was worth the wait…

(My new friend Bob- the egyptian vulture.)

Not only is the horizon in Pokhara one of the best panoramic views in the world with the Annapurnna ranges on my doorstep, but the skies are also graced with the presence of many birds of prey. Eagles, hawks, kites and vultures with their giant wingspans, hover and glide above in the trade winds of the valley.

“ParaHawking” combines paragliding and falconry which created an experience that I will never forget. Bob is the Egyptian Vulture that I had the privilege of flying with. (His friend Kevin-the white vulture in the photos was flying with my friend.)

(Kevin, Bob's mate)

Once in the air with my tandem pilot, Bob is released from the land to show off his skills. Two whistles from my pilot lets Bob know that he can come and perch. With my leather gloved hand I stretch my arm out and Bob comes and receives some buffalo meat I have place in the glove from a fanny pack I have at my waist.

The first time I could hear Bob coming I almost wet myself with excitement. He gently landed his set of two inch talons on my wrist, sitting at least a foot and a half tall. He pecks away at his delicious Buffalo goodness and takes off with confident independence and an assertiveness that shows he belongs in the wind. So we follow Bob as he is the expert of the sky. Bob knows where the good trade winds are, Bob knows how to hover effortlessly for hours. He is inquisitive though, checking out the dozens of other paragliders in the air that morning to see if they had a snatch pack of buffalo too. But I, queen of the sky, was the one with the meaty bum bag so I was his best friend that day. He hears our wistle again from 1 or 2 hundred metres away and he begins his U-turn to swoop in from behind our chute. Bob and I had a connection that morning. We had an understanding where we both knew who was the liberated being. We both knew who was jealous of the other, who was the kindred spirit and who’s acrobatics and regal presence in the sky was to be admired. But Bob let me pretend I was a little bit like him that morning. He was very humble about it too. Only showing off a little. He allowed me to share the sky for the small price of a few chunks of manky meat.

(Bob and I sharing the sky.)

Bob and I may meet again before I leave and if we do I may ask him to marry me as I have never met a bloke quite like him. Generous, humble, adventurous, secure, knows what he wants in life, never stressed, doesn’t sweat the small stuff (like when he got stuck for a few seconds in the lines of my chute). Doesn’t mind that his hair-do is business at the back, party on the top. He enjoys the journey and cares little, if at all, about his destination. All these qualities far outweigh the minuscule concern I have that Bob may get impatient and scratch my face off if I run out of steak. Not that different to an Aussie bloke.

(I Love Bob)

Until next time…Be a little like Bob.

A brief introduction...a steep learning curve...

2009-11-25T20:21:00.036+11:00

My hesitation in starting this blog lays in the mammoth task it takes to attempt to portray the many contradictions of Nepal. On one hand, the exquisite beauty and hospitality of the people, the breathtaking geography and rich culture sits paradoxically against rampant poverty, as well as political and civil turmoil.

(View from the end of my street!)

My time and blog entries for the next three months will be focused around the work I am contributing to with an NGO called Hope for Himalayan Kids (HFHK). I am privileged to be a small part of something amazing here in Pokhara and soon to be rolled out across the country. The project in which I am involved is attempting to establish and implement a best practice process of deinstitutionalizing children's centers (orphanages). This involves establishing a country wide system of safe alternative care for the thousands of children across Nepal who have been institutionalized. There is no functioning structure for alternative care like fostering, adoption or small family groups. This is where HFHK is focusing it's efforts. Already they have piloted some of these alternatives and seen great health outcomes with the children who have been reintegrated into a family setting. As this process is both grass roots at a 'welfare' level and systemic at a legelative level it is a crucially slow process, ensuring children are supported psychologically, physically, financially and socially in the transitions. The project also consequently means preventing children entering these centers unnecessarily in the mean time.

(Some of the children associated wih Hope for Himalayan Kids)

While this may sound large and theoretical, I hope to paint a picture of what is happening in a tangible day to day story. A story that has so far been exhilarating, frustrating, hilarious, sad and often mind blowing. Come and I'll tell you some stories...

(Srikithi- The youngest child at Sahara Children's Home.)

If you would like to see other photos of the children visit our link below and click on gallery

http://www.hopeforhimalayankids.org/