NEWSLETTER

July 2015
Never let go of the hand that helped you up when you were down;
show appreciation to those that showed compassion to you!
Rashida Rowe
In the haste and hustle of our lives, we are apt to forget, to overlook, the gifts we have
received from so many people whose paths have crossed ours on our journey through
life. We sometimes move apparently effortlessly from one stage of life to another, with
little thought being given to those who have been quietly instrumental in assisting us to
achieve our goals or at least, helping us to take the first crucial steps towards a brighter,
better future.
With your help, it has been possible to assist many people in Nepal over the past five
years. Five years which have been an awakening for me in many respects, bringing
both immense joy and sometimes sadness, into my life. But I appreciate all the
experiences and opportunities that have come my way, and thank YOU profusely for
your support.
BOUDHA SHACK VILLAGE
In 2011, I happened to be in the village when my contact pleaded with me to visit a
young couple whose baby was very ill. I responded immediately and hastened to their
humble home in a shack made from old plastic sheets and bamboo canes. The young
mother, she could not have been more than 15, emerged cradling her infant daughter. It
was immediately apparent that the child was desperately ill and wasting no time, I
rushed them to the nearest hospital.
My intervention was timely, for the doctor diagnosed severe dehydration and
malnourishment, which if left, would have seen the demise of the child within a matter
of hours.
Now, some four years later, I visited the family once again and was warmly welcomed
into a slightly better shack where a beaming little girl of about 5 years took my hand and
led me into her home. What a joy it was for me to see that the once so sick child had
grown into this delightful little girl! Ample reward!!

STREET BOYS
The street boys of Boudha are no more. An effort by a local entrepreneur (Lobsang
Sangbo) to re-integrate the children into society has seen most of the boys enter various
childrens homes in Kathmandu or return to their families.
My involvement with the boys started in August 2012 followed by an 18-month
cooperation with Lalit Shahi (Volunteer Foundation Nepal - VFN) and his shelter
home, which at that time was on the verge of collapse through lack of finance. I
needed a Nepali to become involved with my vision to offer care to at least a few street
boys and Lalit was happy to initially engage with me in this project, which became
known as Papas Home (Papa being the name that both the Boudha Shack Village
inhabitants and the street boys had bestowed upon me). Over the next 2 years and
through the singular support of my friends, Papas Home went from near closure, to a
point of financial stability.

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One particular boy that benefited directly from this project has been Dipu. In 2012
surviving on the streets through begging and collecting plastic to re-sell for a few rupees
for recycling, to today as a responsible janitor in a prestigious shopping mall in the
centre of Kathmandu and once more reunited with his family (mother). His success
story is very much due to the support of my friends, especially Hildy Isenschmid
(Switzerland) who continues to enquire as to Dipus well-being.
My association with Lalit Shahi was terminated in April, 2014; as the welfare of street
children was no longer his priority and we had conflicting views on management style.
Papas Home (it is not an orphanage) continues to care for children from disadvantaged
backgrounds and receives generous support from a UK INGO and individual supporters
and sponsors.
A PROMISING FUTURE
In 2010, twenty year old Shanta was learning the technique of Maithili art under the
auspices of Shanti Sewa Griha (SSG) in Tilganga, Kathmandu. An organisation for the
relief of the physically challenged co-founded by Krishna Gurung and Marianne
Grosspietsch (Germany). Shanta was given this opportunity because her widowed
mother was blind and in receipt of assistance from SSG.
In late 2011, circumstances changed so that Shanta departed from SSG to seek her future
elsewhere. It was at this time that I became her sponsor papa.
Three years later after a variety of occupations and trainings (notably Steiner-Waldorf
kindergarten) and further pursuance of art, Shanta was offered a full scholarship to
attend the reputable Emerson College in the UK, as a Visual Arts student on a 6month course commencing September, 2014. The college follows the indications of
Rudolf Steiner in all aspects of life and learning at the college. This was a unique
opportunity for Shanta. A once-in-a-lifestine opportunity in fact, given to her on the
understanding that she would return to Nepal to share her newly acquired knowledge
and skills with her countrymen in Steiner-Waldorf schools, etc.

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However, Fate was to intervene, and Shanta instead entered into a relationship with a
divorced EU citizen, 24 years her senior whom, to my utter disbelief, she subsequently
married. By so doing, her commitment to return to Nepal and share what she had
learnt, was effectively abandoned.
Sadly, that leaves S.E.N. (me, I guess!) with the moral responsibility to re-imburse
Emerson College at least a goodly percentage of the generous sponsorship (amounting
to approximately GBP8000+ in total !!). A daunting prospect! Hopefully Shanta and
her husband will likewise feel a moral obligation to contribute.
Nevertheless, it is sincerely hoped that Shanta will one-day return to Nepal and share the
wonderful artistic gifts she acquired at Emerson College.
With her unexpected
marriage, my sponsorship naturally ceases. I wish Shanta the happiness she deserves in
the new life she has chosen. I am hopeful that she will continue to communicate with
me.
CONTINUING CHALLENGES
The recent (25 April 2015) earthquakes and subsequent aftershocks, has deeply affected
the lives and livelihood of hundreds of thousands of Nepali. Not least to suffer are the
children, as is always the case with any disaster.
Thankfully, the Steiner-Waldorf schools in Nepal came off lightly. Some buildings
were damaged to various degrees, but no lives lost. In the immediate aftermath of the
quake, the government decreed that all schools remain closed for an indefinite period.
After a clean-up, this left many teachers with time, valuable time, on their hands.
Teachers from the Maitreya Pathshala W.S. in Pokhara and teachers from the Tashi
W.S. in Kathmandu, collaborated in forming a group that would administer artistic
trauma therapy to children affected by the quake. After working together on three
projects in Kathmandu, the Maitreya teachers returned to Pokhara to continue their work
there. The Tashi teachers did likewise in Kathmandu.
When clearance was given for schools to recommence, the Tashi teachers decided that
they would offer 35 children from the most severely effected area of Nepal
(Sindhupalchowk) free places at the Tashi Waldorf School, which would include pickup/delivery of the children from the refugees relief camp some 9km outside of the city,
and three meals per day, one being a substantial midday meal.
Prior to making this visit to Nepal, I had been given various sums of money by wellwishers to help where needed. Trauma therapy was a top priority and what better
use of donations could there be than to support with a gift of NRs20,000, the wonderful
generosity of the Tashi teachers in offering 35 free places in the school.25 of whom
are in the new class one!! S-W education is a therapy in itself!

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BUTTERFLY HOME
Another project inspired by Steiner-Waldorf philosophy is the Butterfly Home
founded and directed by Pushpa Basnet, the renowned Nepali winner of the CNN Hero
of the Year Award 2012, for her admirable work with children of mothers incarcerated
(with their children!!!) in Nepals notoriously filthy, primitive prisons.
Pushpa prides herself on her beautiful Steiner-Waldorf inspired kindergarten, which first
and foremost is a safe sanctuary for prison-traumatised children of all ages. It is her
intent to intensify her work with S-W as a therapeutic tool in the immediate future and a
Nrs20,000 was donated in support of her work.
Sadly, the earthquake made it
impossible for Pushpa to use her kindergarten at the beginning of the school year and as
a result, she has enrolled her four youngest children in the Tashi S-W kindergarten,
which is conveniently nearby!
TO THE NORTH
An eight hour bus journey north of Kathmandu, lies the city of Pokhara with a superb
backdrop of the mighty Himalayan mountains! The air is fresh, the grass is green in this
city, so much a contrast to Kathmandu.
This is the home turf of the Maitreya Pathshala Waldorf Inspired School and allied
Wordganics Farm, the latter supporting the school through sale of produce. But the
recent earthquake has all but destroyed this source of income.
The force of the earthquake was sufficient to totally annihilate the precious growing
houses to the extent that it would costs a fortune to re-establish them, even if it were
possible to obtain replacement bamboo poles, which is very doubtful as they are much
sought after for use in erecting temporary shelter for refugees from remote areas who
urgently need temporary housing.

Before

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Thus the management has sadly and reluctantly decided to forego their precious
greenhouses and instead seek, and experiment, with other plants that can survive and
will give much needed produce for the vegetable market.

After

This has a drastic knock-on effect with respect to the Maitreya Pathshala Waldorf
School that already struggles financially. The loss of the produce on the farm will
result in a loss of some Nrs 25,000 per month to the school (US$245). Or an end-ofyear income loss close to US$3000. A significant amount for the small, struggling
school where teachers already make significant personal sacrifices.
Please consider giving some urgent financial assistance so that project can get back on
its feet as quickly as possible.

Keep track of Social Endeavours Nepal (S.E.N.) via:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/papasendeavours
Website: http://socialendeavoursnepal-93799.logogarden.com/

THANK YOU
SO MUCH
FOR
YOUR SUPPORT
!!!!!

DONATIONS
Donations to any of the above mentioned endeavours can be made
to the following accounts.
Please ensure you identify your gift as:
Tashi or Butterfly or Maitreya or even Emerson !
United Kingdom
Barclays Bank
Address: Launceston, Cornwall
BSB: 20-50-40
IBAN: GB26 BARC 2050 4083 1564 78
SWIFT/BIC: BARCGB22
Acct name: Eric Keith Fairman Nepal
Acct number: 83156478
Australia
Commonwealth Bank
Address: Chatswood, NSW
BSB: 06 2138
SWIFT/BIC: CTBAAU2S
Acct name: Eric Keith Fairman
Acct number: 1000805
PayPal Account
Deposit via: socialendeavoursnp@gmail.com
(check spelling of email address!)

!!!! THANK YOU EVER SO MUCH !!!!

Boudha Shack Village children

Ed:
Eric Fairman
13 July 2015