Namaste everybody!
I have just returned from my trek in the Everest Region to
raise money for the PoD Charity (a full blog post coming soon), I'm still
slightly sore and achy, but am back to work in Pokhara.
Before I left for the trek I visited the SOS Bahini Village
which is looking absolutely incredible and the girls have finally moved in!!! I
went and spent a Saturday with them, eating dal bhat, singing and dancing and
it's great to see how quickly they have all settled into their new home. As you
know, the Bahini Cafe shut down a few months ago, but they now have a large
kitchen where they will continue their bakery training, and sell the produce in
the village and also to local restaurants which means volunteers no longer need
to survive without those incredible Brownies!! I was so impressed with the set
up of the center, the houses are beautiful, they have a health center, a
community room, tonnes of outdoor space, a basketball court, veggie patch, and
everything made out of natural materials. Unfortunately I didn't take my camera
up with me, but I'll make sure to get some snaps for you all next time I'm up
there.
All the Schools are now back after what felt like a very
long New Years Holiday (they celebrate New Year in April), but I'm pleased to
say yet again, all our kids did exceptionally well and have all moved up a
year. In fact the vast majority of the Street Kids came top of their class!
Speaking of the Street Kids, whilst I was away, both Pawan
and Nissan have left the center and been reunited with their families. Whilst
this is extremely positive news and great for their future, I was a bit sad
that I didn't get to give them one last hug. This will be a huge change for
Pawan who has been at the center for over three years (and he's only 6), but we
all wish them the best of luck and they both know they have a home with us
whenever they need.
The next bit of exciting news I have is that Bindu is up and
walking again! You may remember she got knocked over by a motorcycle over six
months ago, it's been a long road of recovery, which is still continuing, but
this is very positive and we hope to have her running around in no time.
If you think you would like to join our team in Nepal
and volunteer with PoD, please email Gemma on gemma@podvolunteer.org for more
information.
