On July 2011, the Arupokhari Volunteer Program (AVP) hosted its first official volunteering mission. The volunteering team, organized through the University of New South Wales' Global Village, comprised of six university students. The program, which took place from July 1 through 8 (2011), was successful and was greatly lauded by both the students and the staff at Dharapani Secondary and Bhairabi Primary Schools. The three main subjects the volunteers taught were English, Science and Mathematics, besides outdoor games. The participating students from the Global Village Team were:

• Caitlin Sien Ming Cowan
• Cecil Anthony Javellana Moll
• Eva Yi Fan Zhang
• Katlyn Louise Jones
• Samantha Jean Cooper
• Shanuka Prasan Samaranayake

The volunteers were responsible for mainly teaching and contributed greatly not only inside the classroom but also in outdoor games and activities as well. The students of the host schools were very enthusiastic and participated with great interest. Although the program was in the peak monsoon season, the volunteers showed resilience and through dedication they were able to make the volunteering program a success.

The volunteer program gave an opportunity not merely for the students to learn in a new system, but also for the faculty members in learning ways to implement and reinforce what they were taught by the Rotary Teacher Training Team earlier in 2011. Despite the language barrier (albeit occasionally with the help of translators), the volunteer kept their graceful composure in handling the toddlers, most notably in Bhairabi, as well as older students. The team made learning very interesting and engaging for the students by using various non-conventional techniques such as by singing a song, acting out stories, demonstrating science experiments (otherwise only theoretically taught through rote learning), playing games like hangman and so forth.

In addition to teaching in the schools, the volunteers were exposed to the local culture and the way of life in the remote village. They also paid a visit to the local blacksmith, temples, a hilltop with a stunning view of Arupokhari and neighboring villages, the Stull River and the Arughat market. The witchdoctor (the village shaman) who performed a ritual of casting spells and warding off the evil was quite a spectacle. Hiking through the woods and visiting Sambhav Nepal's projects in Balodaya Primary School and Sitala Primary Schools were also some of the highlights of the program. The locals, especially the children, were very hospitable towards the volunteers, as they entertained the guests with folk songs and dance. The short mountain biking trip on the muddy tracks in the outskirts of Kathmandu and the farewell dinner concluded their ten-day stay in Nepal.

The schools and the next-of-kin of the students convey their gratitude and have also congratulated the UNSW volunteer team for their outstanding contribution. They have expressed their interest and are eagerly anticipating the next volunteering mission through the Arupokhari Volunteer Program in the coming months, thanks to the UNSW volunteer team.

The Arupokhari Volunteer Program - launched through collaborative efforts of Sambhav Nepal and Ace the Himalaya (a trekking company) - have met the expectations of the volunteers. We would like to heartily thank the volunteers for their dedication to share their knowledge. We are grateful for their benevolence, despite the inaccessibility and hardship of the region during the troubling monsoon season. Sambhav Nepal, on behalf of the schools , the community and Ace the Himalaya, would like to wish the UNSW Global Village Volunteer Team all the best for their endeavors.


The following is the picture gallery of the volunteering trip. There are four parts to this series:

• Getting There
• Official Meeting and Volunteering Activities
• Arughat Excursion
• A Visit to the Village Shaman

Getting There

0. Six volunteers from UNSW Global Villa...

1. So began the journey to Arughat from ...

2. It was during the monsoon time, but w...

3. The roads though were completely inun...

4. Trucks and buses splashed water all o...

5. The worst was over as we neared Gorkh...

6. But the jeeptracks from Gorkha to Aru...

7. The driver tries to mull if it's too ...

8. Apparently a small landslide was behi...

9. And so we walked

10. The UNSW Global Village volunteers, ...

11. We'd have missed some nice sceneries...

12. We'd have missed some nice sceneries...

13. We'd have missed some nice sceneries...

14. Rajendra and Gyanu - Ace the Himalay...

15. It was a long but pleasant walk

16. The volunteers walked through farms ...

17. ...past buffalos

18. The hills to the north and patches o...

19. Looks like an endless chain of hills...

20. Entering Arupokhari village

21. Resting in Bhairabi for a while

22. ...and the beautiful rainbow over Sa...

23. The landslide on a hill in Arughat f...

24. The volunteers finally reach Dharapa...

25. The volunteers finally reach Dharapa...

26. The children in the school greeting ...

27. The toilet project in Dharpani due t...

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Official Meeting and Volunteering Activities

1. The first official meeting with the s...

2. The volunteers being welcomed by the ...

3. The volunteers being welcomed by the ...

4. The volunteers being welcomed by the ...

5. The volunteers being welcomed by the ...

6. The volunteers being welcomed by the ...

7. The volunteers being welcomed by the ...

8. The volunteers being welcomed by the ...

9. The volunteers being welcomed by the ...

10. The volunteers being welcomed by the...

11. The volunteers being welcomed by the...

12. The volunteers being welcomed by the...

13. The volunteers being welcomed by the...

14. The volunteers being welcomed by the...

15. The volunteers being welcomed by the...

17. The volunteers and the staff introdu...

18. Getting ready for a group picture

19. Getting ready for a group picture

21. Guides from Ace, Gyanu and Rajendra,...

23. Mr. Ramhari Khanal, another teacher,...

24. The morning assembly at Dharapani Sc...

25. A short welcome ceremony starts with...

26. All set to teach

27. The students look on as the voluntee...

28. Classes begin in the foggy morning

29. Samantha on her first teaching sessi...

30. Eva passes the ball on for a fun rou...

31. Sam and Eva start off with English

32. Sam and Eva talking with the princip...

33. English class in the fifth grade wit...

34. The English teacher, Mr. Om Khanal, ...

35. Engaging the students in the class

36. Playing a game during the short rece...

37. Playing a game during the short rece...

38. Playing a game during the short rece...

39. Playing a game during the short rece...

40. Playing a game during the short rece...

41. Playing a game during the short rece...

42. Playing a game during the short rece...

43. The ball rolls off a cliff...

44. Playing a game during the short rece...

45. Heading back to the classroom

46. Shanu and Eva check the in-class ass...

47. More fun and games in the English cl...

48. The students of the eigth grade are ...

49. Hangman! Eva against the eigth grade...

50. Eva finally wins

51. Katlyn and Caitlin head to Bhairabi ...

52. Katlyn teaches about the parts of th...

53. Checking the assignment

54. Covered in chalk dust by noon

55. The third graders in Bhairabi are fi...

56. Grabbing some lunch after a tiring s...

57. Back to the class for Maths

58. Time to go home. Kids surround Katly...

59. Drinking water on their way home, po...

60. Eva starts the class with some stret...

61. ...and a song

62. Anthony is teaching Science in the t...

63. Acting out a story - the kids loved ...

64. Acting out a story - the kids loved ...

66. They've finally settled down, thanks...

67. Everybody's quiet and enjoying the g...

68. Waiving the kids goodbye! Time to go...

 

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Arughat Excursion

1. A pleasant walk down to the Arughat m...

2. Takes about 45 mins to to get there, ...

3. A quick picture and...

4. ...the suspension bridge over the Stu...

5. The bridge connects Arupokhari to Aru...

6. Time for some fun in the river

7. Taking a dip in the river in the hot ...

8. Taking a dip in the river the hot day

9. Taking a dip in the river in the hot ...

10. Swimming in the river is very popula...

11. Taking a dip in the river in the hot...

12. Taking a dip in the river in the hot...

14. Hiking in and around the market

15. The bridge over the Moti river

16. The bridge wasn't as bad as it looke...

17. The bridge wasn't as bad as it looke...

18. This interesting advertisement was a...

 

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A Visit to the Village Shaman

1. Reached the shaman's house after a sh...

2. Excited about the performance

3. The shaman is ready to perform his ri...

4. Chanting prayers

5. Casting mantras on the spectators

6. Casting mantras on the spectators

7. Casting mantras on the spectators

8. Casting mantras on the spectators

9. Casting mantras on the spectators

10. Putting holy power

11. Putting holy powder

12. The dance of the witch doctor

13. Sam joins the shaman's dance

14. The show is over

15 A group picture of the shaman and the...

16. Heading back to the camp

On behalf of the Dharapani Secondary School, the community of teachers and the humble well-wishers of the Arupokhari village, Sambhav Nepal would like to express our heartfelt appreciation and gratitude towards the Australian Rotary Volunteer Team for its significant contribution to enhancing the educational infrastructure of the region through the Teacher Training Program 2011. The advanced and powerful pedagogical methods and materials that have been presented with such great generosity will invariably embellish the future of the children. We will ensure what you have professed will achieve its purpose. Arupokhari is forever indebted to your gratefulness that has had a tremendous impact in the progress of this otherwise forgotten village.

A one-week Teacher Training Program was conducted in Dharapani Secondary School of the Gorkha district Nepal from December 31, 2010 to January 7, 2011. The team of 4 trainers and 2 organizers, all of whom have extended expertise in the educational field, are members of the Rotary International Club, Australia. It was a great honor for the entire village to have celebrated the New Year's eve with the generous and selfless volunteer team. There was a turnout of more than 60 participating teachers (of 21 schools) from Arupokhari and nearby villages. Some travelled as long as 5 hours each day, to and from the training venue, which in itself is an indicator of how valued and successful the training program was.

Following are the Aussie experts who spent their precious time, far from their family and in the remote village of Nepal, professing their knowledge and experiences on teaching:





Mary Brell ( Rotary Club of Orange Daybreak ) BEd, DipEd, GradCert in Mgt, Certificate IV in Workplace Assessment, is a free lance learning and development consultant and trainer.

Denise Flockton ( President of the Rotary Club of Wagga Wagga Sunrise ) BA, DipEd, GradDipCompEd, MEd is Head Teacher of Social Sciences at Wagga Wagga High School.

Richard Jackson is the Chair of International Service at the Rotary Club of Wahroonga, District 9680. He is one of the main supporters of Sambhav Nepal's projects and also a member of the organization's team.

Dr Anne Prescott ( Rotary Club of Wahroonga ) BA, MSc, MEd, PhD, DipEd is Senior Lecturer in Mathematics Education in the Centre for Research in Learning and Change at the University of Technology Sydney.

Dr Graham Tyson ( Rotary Club of Bathurst Daybreak ) BSc(Hons) MSc, PhD, FAPS, is Associate Professor of Psychology  and Sub-Dean for Graduate Studies, Faculty of Arts, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst.

Judy Tyson BEd(Hons), Dip Ed teaches at La Salle Academy in Lithgow.


Mr. Sridhar Chettri (the Sports Department Head of St. Xavier's School - Jawalakhel, Lalitpur, Nepal), Mr. Amit Gurung (a teacher at Bhimodaya Campus - Arughat, Gorkha, Nepal) and Mr. Prakash Aryal (Ace the Himalaya staff) were the prime translators who ensured that the lessons were well heeded by the participants (teachers), and that the trainers were aware of any issues the participants might have had.

The teachers were divded into groups based on the level they taught: Primary, Secondary or High school; and on a couple of occassions by the subject matter they taught. This method proved very effective as the trainers needn't be redundant, in addition to not having any trainee get left out. All the trainees unanimously maintained that the training program was immensely helpful in their careers. The innovative and advanced techniques, using appropriate education materials, were unheard of in a village like Arupokhari. Moreover, the books, puzzles and other studying materials donated to the Dharapani Community Library by the trainers will go a long way in attaining intellectual prosperity in the village.

Welcome Ceremony






Training Session






Closing Ceremony





The program was facilitated by Ace the Himalaya which was responsible primarily for providing the camping, food and transportation services to the trainers as well as arranging translators for the event.

Key Donor Allan Waldon, his daughter Samantha Waldon and the donors Warren Sly, Dympna Sly and Ray Sleap visited the project site. During their trip in the village from January 9 to 13, 2011, they visited nine schools in Arupokhari and one in Aruchanaute. They observed the progress of the projects as well as assessed further needs of the schools and the community. The possibility in which the projects could be expanded was also mulled by the donor team. The support they have been providing to this backward region is phenomenal. The locals, especially the school children, were very exhilirated during the donors' presence and were eager to socialize with them.