Kids in Kathmandu, here we come!

Another year, another milestone. It is amazing how many changes a year can bring, in terms of personal development, achievements, and circumstances one finds oneself in.

Setting up a registered charity was a notion milling in my head last year. I then discarded it because it would mean unnecessary bureacracy and paper work . However, faced with the potential of raising more money in order to help the school, itwas too tempting to resist. With the support of some very loyal friends , we embarked on the journey. Hey presto,a year down the road, we are now a registered charity with the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
For more information please look up WWW.kidsinkathmandu.org.uk


It has been and still is a steep learning curve for me. I experienced the utter frustration of doing the on line application repeatedly through to the early hours of the night. That happened because it kept disappearing from the screen,and I was not IT savvy enough to retrieve it. I am learning to let go of the feeling of urgency, as though I am working full time. I am learning to pace myself. Having a supportive Chair and fellow trustees has meant we share the administratiive tasks of setting up a company, and developing all the necessary systems to enable the new organisation to function effectively and efficiently. We have high hopes of achieving great things in the coming years. Watch this space

And so it is that time of the year again when I am bound for Kathmandu. Once again, bags of sweeties in fun sizes , lots of puzzles and books to bribe the children. It never fails to bring a lump to my throat when I see these children running towards me, hugging me, jumping around calling ' Namaste Lai See didi, namaste Lai See didi' To think they have so little, but really appreciating the tiniest piece of warmth and chocolate is just mind blowing. I guess I go back each year for the 'fix'. Its quite addictive really.

This is my fourth trip to Kathmandu in as many years. I guess I am beginning to train my mindset to a slightly different perspective. I used to just try and survive while I was out there. Since last year, I have been thinking of the demographics. I am starting to look beneath the surface, exploring in my mind what is possible, with Uma's help. The biggest challenge for the charity now is getting a clear vision of what's possible with the constraints operating in the city. This can only be achieved by having frequent and close dialogue with the enlightened Headmistress while I am in Kathmandu. Having seen at first hand how the school day is structured, all parties concerned will need to be very focused and committed to achieve a very clear and workable plan to enable the charity to help to improve its infrastructure to benefit the children.

The first thing we hope to do will be purchasing 4 computers for the school. The charity will also give the go ahead for the school to start both a dancing and Karate class on a weekly basis. Obviously, one class of each is not enough to cater for the needs of its 675 pupils, but it is a start. As the charity becomes successful in securing more funds, we will then be in a position to increase the number of classes. Regular monitoring and review will form part of the 'must dos' ensuring cost effectiveness

Almost there........feeling somewhat anxious of the challenges ahead