It is hard to know how to say all that has happened in the last 2 weeks. It seems enough to fill a small lifetime. I have already finished in Palpa, and all that is left to do with CCODER is make the final trip to Kathmandu to tie up a few ends at the head office and hopefully also arrange the meeting with the UN.
I got back here to Pokhara yesterday, just in time to celebrate Easter with the children as I had hoped. I'm excited to (attempt) to make their first Easter egg and have a chocolate hunt, also hopefully climb the hill here to see the sun rise over the Himalayas.
Yesterday started with a surprise goodbye ceremony with neighbours, colleagues and friends, who turned up at sunrise with garlands and handfuls of flowers and red paint to make tikas, just like when I arrived a lifetime ago. Rupa Ama had even woven me a bag which she had filled with food. The goodbyes were horrible, but I have promised to return when I next visit to Nepal, whenever that will be.
It was unbelieveable how quickly it was possible to achieve everything planned over the last 2 weeks and even more...Here we are with the govt agricultural office vets, visiting a cow farm in the hills
Milk collection centre
Demonstrating the grass cutting machine
Cow farm proposal for Khorbari just waiting for some extra specialist info and then will be submitted to govt offices for funding. Offices were keen to support it when spoke with them so looking hopeful...The hill village was quite inspiring in all it was doing - here was a rain water collection system
Coffee bean production. These would be exported, even as far as Europe. They were also producing tomatoes, papaya, bananas and cannabis (although apparently not as a cash crop) as well as goats.
On old lady, somehow managing on her own
Back in Khorbari - it has come to the dry season and all personal water sources are drying up. The community tap has become the main social point where everyone takes it in turns to queue for over an hour...
Even Jiwana with her little sprite bottle
Another day was a scramble down steep hillside and rice terraces with some nimble village elders to visit two springs which they hoped to pump up to the village. They would supply all the households and be diverted at night for some much needed irrigation. Two springs happily gurgling away and vanishing down to the drying up river in the valley bottom. Handy electricity supply right beside them to be tapped into to power a pump.Govt district offices keen to give funding for the plans and get an expert in. All is in the pipeline and excited to hear what happens.
Piglets! Sidetracked by the baby things when going over to Mun's to arrange for him to give training in pig and hen breeding.
Festival one night when everyone in the area got together to eat buffalo and dance.
3 day cultural show in Tansen with local and national singers and dancers
Tilak's friend who organised it in the middle
Mun training on pig and hen keeping
Community Representative Tara training on tomato production
Some of the participants, with varying degrees of interest...
Someone walked off yawning as I explained they could achieve 14 times larger agricultural incomes from the enterprises they were about to get training for, enough to increase overall household incomes by 4 times for the poorest and more than the total average sum for household foreign incomes - so an opportunity for men to return home.Despite what we were offering being all they had said they wanted, it was a little disappointing to see some lack of enthusiasm to take on new initiatives, particularly amongst the poor. Those who were interested were mainly the most enterprising who already ran several businesses.
Financial records training turned out to be more of a success. CCODER keen to implement my household survey in all districts/villages where it operates, and since it had to rely on people's memories for their financial figures (not the most reliable, in fact could double when asked the next day) needed some initial training.
Last day in Khorbari - visiting all households in the area to identify new intakes for the community school.
All that is left to do is finish off a research and evaluation manual and some ideas for a national plan for micro enterprise in Nepal that CCODER was keen for me to produce and discuss with UN and national govt.... crazy but thought I would do what I can and see what happens. Will be interesting to discuss it at the national level if it gets that far.More in a moment...
Lots of love xxx
