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2009-2010 NAFA - President's Report

Submitted at the AGM held on the 4th May 2010 by NAFA president Rod Setterlund

2009 was another very big year for NAFA, celebrating 20 years of development aid achievements since being established in 1989. It was big both in terms of the total amount of funds allocated to projects in Nepal and in terms of the breadth of NAFA’s project portfolio.

NAFA’s projects in Nepal

Nearly $100,000 was allocated to projects in Nepal. However, unlike the previous year, when over $44,000 was allocated to two significant infrastructure projects, the breadth of the projects to which funds were allocated was a significant feature of NAFA’s support this past year. A total of 27 projects are listed in the 2009 audited financial statements as being supported through the generosity of NAFA supporters.

NAFA’s portfolio of ongoing projects continues to focus on health, education and rural development, with women, children and remote communities being the priority target groups. All NAFA projects are locally managed and undertaken. NAFA also expects that the local community makes a contribution towards the project, for example, volunteer labour to bring materials to the site. NAFA executive officers also try and visit all projects to assess the need and also revisit the project to confirm completion of the project.

Health

As has been the case since NAFA’s inception, NAFA sponsored a remote eye screening and cataract surgery clinic run by the Tilganga Eye Centre. This year’s clinic was in the Kavre district, with 1,053 local residents screened and 163 patients undergoing successful cataract surgery. Over the years, these clinics have restored the eyesight of thousands of cataract patients living in remote villages who could not afford to travel to Kathmandu for their operation.

Since co-funding (with AusAid) the construction of the health clinic approximately ten years ago, NAFA continues to subsidise the salaries of three health workers at the Tawal health centre, which provides primary health care to over 4,000 people living in this village and other villages nearby in this hilly region area near the Ganesh Himal.

In 2009, NAFA also subsidised monthly health clinics conducted at a carpet factory in Thimi. This subsidisation includes free or subsidised medicine for families who cannot afford the medication.

It was a particular busy year for distributing jumpers and beanies that are knitted by approximately 80 knitters in Brisbane. In 2009, thanks to these knitters, Thai Airways and Singapore Airlines and NAFA supporters who bring the bags of jumpers over to Nepal as excess baggage, over 900 jumpers and 900 beanies were distributed. Students, orphans and young children in schools and child care centres at Kophu, Patale, Lapsephedi, Pokhara and the very remote and cold district of Dolpa now have jumpers to help keep them warm in the Nepal winter.

Finally, NAFA provided funds towards the establishment of the Thimi Elderly Care Centre to provide social, recreation and health support to older people in Thimi who do not have extended family in the town.

Education

I can’t imagine how we are ever going to be able to match the breadth of education-related projects that NAFA supported this past year.

NAFA has two child sponsorship programs at Prisoners Assistance (PA) Nepal in Kathmandu/Sankhu and Vinayak Shiksha Niketan (VSN) School in Thimi, with the number of children sponsored for education by NAFA donors now totalling 112 children, representing almost $35,000 or 35% of NAFA’s total allocations to projects in 2009. Over the years we have seen what a big difference this program has made to the children and their families.

NAFA’s focus now is beyond the student’s successful completion of their school leaving

Class 10. They face enormous disadvantages from their backgrounds. in the case of VSN the families are poor with most working and living in a local carpet factory. Children in PA Nepal either do not have a family outside the children’s home or their parent(s) are in prison. Children at Tawal come from poor subsistence farming backgrounds and have had to attend Grades 9 and 10 that involves over 2 hours of walking a day getting to and from a school. In Tawal, there are no computers and few opportunities to practice one of the core subjects, English.

NAFA’s Further Education and Training (FEAT) program aims to partner with child sponsors and families to provide opportunities for young people involved in NAFA and Joy supported projects to undertake vocational training or post Grade 10 study to improve their employment chances. Through the program, NAFA is now supporting young people in PA Nepal study Pharmacology and in VSN school Nursing and Business. NAFA has also supported a young man from Tawal complete an electrical wiring course who has gone back to Tawal to set up a shop and apply his trade in the community.

In 2009, a second home on PA Nepal’s Sankhu site was completed from NAFA and private funds to house the older boys. A significant part of the $26,000 funds from NAFA was raised in the successful “Build a Home in One Night” concert held in October 2008 at Churchie and the generosity of the musicians, artists, and NAFA supporters helped make this part of PA Nepal’s Executive Director, Indira Magar vision a reality.

NAFA also supported the VSN school at Thimi in ways other than through the child sponsorship program. In 2009 funds were provided to purchase science equipment for the school and tents for the scout troupe based at the school.

NAFA also provided the funding to construct two classrooms in the lower secondary school at Kophu, a village in the Solu Khumbu district in the Everest region of Nepal. This funding was raised by Kylie Gilbert in her Climb for Nepal Children (Mt Cooroora) challenge in September 2009 and she later visited the school in February 2010 with other NAFA executive members to officially open the two classrooms.

NAFA partnered with another international aid organisation based in Austria on two rural school projects that replaced two lower secondary schools (four classroom) at Ladap and Kutal, neighbouring villages of Tawal. NAFA also provided the funds for roofing materials in the construction of classrooms at Patale in the Okhaldunga district in the Everest region.

NAFA continues to sponsor two teachers at the school in Tawal. It also supported the start-up of adult literacy classes in four villages in the Tawal area, paying for the installation of solar panels for the evening classes and the salaries of the adult literacy teachers. These classes were very well attended and the program has since received financial support from the Nepalese Government.

NAFA also funded and organised, in conjunction with VSN Thimi school, a very successful teacher training program for 20 primary school teachers, 10 teachers from remote villages in Ganesh Himal ,Solu Khumbu, Okhaldunga and Lapsaphedi as well as 10 VSN teachers. This training was initially commissioned for remote teachers who traditionally have little or no teacher training. We decided that it would be good for the remote teachers to mix and train with city teachers for the exchange of ideas and skills. The training covered experiential learning, teaching through rhymes and songs, the psychology of learning and class management as well as stimulating classroom decoration. Written evaluation feedback from the teachers received at the end of the course was all positive.

A follow up on all the rural teachers was achieved when NAFA executive members trekked through the remote areas in January and February 2010. The members were pleased to note that most teachers had already implemented the course ideas and additional resources brought for the teachers would help the others apply the additional knowledge and skills they had learned at the program.

NAFA also started to become involve in improving the libraries of disadvantaged schools in Nepal. In 2009, NAFA supported a project that built shelving and purchased books for a school library at Lapsephedi, a rural village near Sankhu.

Child care

NAFA continued its financial support to two child care centres operated by the Butterfly Foundation in Pokhara. These centres support low-caste families who have moved to Pokhara from villages in search of casual day labour work. NAFA also provided funds to purchase equipment for the Balkumari child care centre at Thimi.

Water and electricity infrastructure

NAFA supported a number of remote water infrastructure projects in 2009. This included repairing 10 year old water infrastructure constructed with NAFA funds in Tawal as well as repairing and extending water infrastructure for the village of Dushene near Tawal. NAFA also provided the funds for a water infrastructure project at Patale in the Okhaldunga District of eastern Nepal. In all these cases, it saves families many hours a day from having to cart water from their nearest water source.

NAFA also provided the funds to install solar panels to 13 houses in Patale, as well as repair the generator used to provide lighting in the village of Mulkarka. Finally, NAFA provided funds for engineers to undertake a feasibility study for a hydro-electric project at Tawal that would provide electricity to the school, health clinic and to villagers. Electricity is an economic, education, health, recreation and general communication issue for people in remote villages. It saves money that would need to be spent on kerosene. It is a safety issue that enables families to cook with light. It provides light for evening study. It also connects families with the outside world, from listening to the evening news on the radio to the charging of mobiles so that family members in the remote villages can connect with family members in Kathmandu.

A look to 2010

Our theme for 2010 is: - Achieving positive outcomes for disadvantaged communities and individuals in Nepal and the focus for fundraising will be - "Sustainable health, education and development projects in Nepal".

These projects will include a new Nepal Hearing Project established through the efforts of Sue and Lew Tuck, two committed NAFA supporters who operate Whitsunday Hearing in Airlie Beach. Projects will also include other health, education and water infrastructure projects already planned or being assessed by NAFA for 2010 in the Tawal, Solu Khumbu and Okhaldunga areas.

The reference to “sustainable” in the focus statement communicates NAFA’s underlying belief that people in the key services of health and education are as important as buildings and other infrastructure. It also promotes the need for ongoing financial support of some of NAFA’s core projects that involve ongoing expenses such as salaries (teachers, health workers and child care assistant), rent (child care centre) or commitments for an annual sponsorship (remote cataract eye surgery clinic).

NAFA had some successes in 2009 in attracting a number of new donors who have make generous commitments to make regular donations towards NAFA’s health projects in particular. While this does not cover all NAFA commitments, they are a significant contribution towards those core projects that are so important to the lives of remote villagers in Nepal. In 2010 we will continue to seek regular donors towards the salaries of two teachers that NAFA has supported in Tawal, to add to regular, generous donations from existing NAFA supporters.

In addition to an increase in regular donors, 2009 also provided, through Kylie Gilbert’s efforts, what a committed NAFA supporter can achieve in conjunction with the broader support network that NAFA provides. Kylie will be involved in another challenge with Ray Baker, on Mt Glorious in June. In addition, our Child Sponsorship Coordinator, Helen Zada, is planning a fundraiser in July and August 2010 where she will be inviting individuals and groups of people to participate in their own personal challenge, raising funds for NAFA’s projects in Nepal at the same time. These innovative fundraising ideas and others, along with all those NAFA supporters who make regular donations or one-off donations will help provide the funding base for NAFA to continue to send over significant resources for health, education and development projects in Nepal in 2010 and beyond.

Thank you for supporting NAFA

Although NAFA is a small association, its projects are making a real difference in improving the lives of particularly disadvantaged children, families and communities in Nepal. However, these improvements wouldn’t be realised without the dedication, commitment and plain hard work of volunteers here in Australia and some very competent and committed staff and volunteer boards that comprise our Nepali partners in Nepal.

There is the NAFA executive and other Committee members who come to meetings every month, make decisions and undertake management, administrative and organising tasks associated with our fundraising efforts and for example, NAFA’s child sponsorship program that continues to make such a difference to the lives of children and their families in Nepal.

Executive members, in particular Ross and Brenda Hazelwood, also spend significant time each year in Nepal, at their own expense, identifying and assessing new applications, visiting and assisting with all of NAFA’s projects and inspecting completed projects to ensure each $ donated in Australia is used wisely and as intended in Nepal.

This Committee is supported by a large number of volunteers who help with events and other fundraising efforts. These include the distinguished “Red Shirts” that are visible at the Nepalese New Years Dinner and Hike for Help Nepal.

But it also includes many others, including: those wonderful women who knit jumpers and beanies and NAFA supporters who willingly agree to take their knitted jumpers and beanies to Nepal for distribution; those Committee members and volunteers who help raise funds through the market stalls, the sale of chocolates and other fundraising ideas such as raffles, dinners and information talks to community groups.

Supporters do this volunteer work without recompense and in fact incur costs personally because they believe in NAFA’s mission. This allows NAFA to realise its promise to those making tax deductible donations that every $ donated will be spent directly on projects in Nepal.

NAFA has a 21 year history and there are many who have contributed over the years to its success. However, this year, there is one Nepali supporter whom I would like to specifically acknowledge as he has indicated an intention to step back in the next few years from his volunteer commitments and that wonderful person is Hari Khadka.

Hari, with support from his wife Rajani, has been supporting NAFA for over 12 years, including many years in the role as Vice President and the main contact person between NAFA and the local Nepalese community. Over the years, Hari has demonstrated an enormous commitment to supporting newly arrived Nepalese and giving back to his home country through NAFA and I would like to formally thank him for all those efforts.

In Nepal, our Project Coordinators volunteer their time to help their communities. I would also like to thank the staff (Ramita and Pradip) and board members of Joy Foundation Nepal in Kathmandu for helping to assess, monitor and provide cultural advice on NAFA projects in Nepal, again without any recompense. Joy provides NAFA executive members and volunteers with office space. It also is a joint-funder of the annual remote cataract surgery eye clinics and the FEAT program.

In completing my third year as President of NAFA I would like to thank all of you for supporting NAFA in 2009. Deborah and I look forward to continuing to make a small contribution to helping NAFA achieve its mission of making a real difference to people’s lives in Nepal.

UPDATE FROM NEPAL : 6th February 2010

NAFA executive members, Ross and Brenda Hazelwood, Deborah and Rod Setterlund, and members Lew and Sue Tuck and Kylie Gilbert are in Nepal, monitoring and progressing NAFA projects. Highlights to date include:

Teacher training program. Completion of a very successful program for 10 teachers from remote villages and 10 teachers from VSN Thimi. At VSN all sponsored children's profiles and thank you letters completed.
PA Nepal, Palpa. Visit to Palpa and meeting with older boys showed all boys enjoying rural life and working well at school.
PA Nepal, Sankhu. Brenda continues the popular knitting and craft program, to the benefit of the children who are learning many skills including creative knitting without patterns. A total of 12 children are regularly involved in this program. All sponsored children's profiles and thank you letters completed.
FEAT Program: Three students from PA Nepal and four from VSN Thimi are being
supported to undertake post SLC higher education through NAFA's FEAT program.

Hearing Nepal project initiated. Sue and Lew Tuck tested a total of 73 Nepali people from disadvantaged backgrounds, for NAFA. As a result 17 people received hearing aids, donated by Sue and Lew, Tawal (14) and VSN School , Thimi (3); 4 Tawal people will receive listening devices; and 30 (Tawal – 19 and Thimi – 11) were referred for medical follow up from ENT specialist. Sue and Lew also provided hearing tests (37) and hearing aids (14) at Kopan Monastery.
      Hearing testing and fitting of hearing
      aids; training of senior health worker
      Beg to provide follow up assistance; and hearing medicll equipment left with health
      clinic.
      Visit to Tawal. The 5 members and Joy liaison
      officer (Ramita) travelled to Tawal staying three
      days. Outcomes include:

Set up library and science lab equipment in new multi-purpose room funded by NAFA.
Conducted library orientation sessions for students and teachers in classes 1 – 8 and orientation to science equipment conducted by science teacher for classes 5 – 8.

Evaluation of the health clinic service.

Visit to goat project and new schools partly funded by NAFA in Ladap and Kutal.
Site visit to proposed hydro-electric scheme and water infrastructure programs.
Conducted meetings with HRDC members, school teachers, and health workers. Rod
officially opened the multi-purpose room and the school toilets. NAFA members were treated to an unforgettable welcome/thank you cultural program featuring dancing, singing, comedy and a traditional 'horse dance' performed only once a year. The dance tells the story of an ancient battle between Tibetan army cavalry and Tamang mounted soldiers. Students from all classes were included and it was very satisfying to see how the confidence and skills of the children has grown over the past 5 years.

NAFA/Joy remote area cataract eye clinic at Sipaghat (Kavre district) completed, with 1,053 screened and 163 patients underwent successful cataract surgery.

A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SUPPORTERS!

UPDATE No. 2 FROM NEPAL: 5th March 2010

pic: Kylie opening new school class rooms

NAFA executive members, Ross and Brenda Hazelwood, Deborah and Rod Setterlund, and member Kylie Gilbert are in Nepal continuing to monitor and support NAFA projects. Recent highlights include:

Two new classrooms at Kophu were inaugurated by Kylie Gilbert during a large and colourful ceremony organised by the village and school. The classrooms are near completion and will be finished in time for Kylie and her mother's return visit in April.
Meetings with Kophu school and community representatives were conducted and additional assistance was requested for the school with the funds to come from Kylie’s climb funds. Kophu also completed an application for books from Room to Read and these will be delivered by Kylie and her Mother in April.

The Mulkarka residents gave us a warm welcome and Lohsar party to thank NAFA for our assistance with their water infrastructure implementation and repairs.

In 2009 Patale village received funds from NAFA for solar
lights and water pipes for houses, and new roofing for
the school. During this visit members were able to observe
and talk to the residents and school teachers on the
difference this had made to their lives. Many residents said
that the solar “had turned their night into day”, and the
water taps near to their houses meant they did not have to
walk 1hr to get water up to 7 times a day.
Room to Read books were given to the Patale school library
and a brief introduction on how to set up a library and look
after the books was given to the teachers by Deborah and
Brenda.
Meetings with Patale school and village representatives identified the need for school toilets and skylights in the very dark school rooms. They also advised the need for a community health post; however further discussion on this has to be conducted between the community and the local government before they make a formal application to NAFA.
In Kophu and Patale over 500 jumpers
and beanies were distributed by the
NAFA members to the children in
both schools. Prior to this jumpers had
been distributed to the children
at Lapsephedi school, orphanages
and Butterfly Child Care crèches. Also
90 jumpers and beanies were sent with
a social worker who teaches in the
very remote and cold district of
Dolpa. Thanks to the people who brought
the bags of jumpers to Nepal in their
luggage, over 900 jumpers and beanies
were distributed.
Follow up on the Teacher training that was conducted a
t VSN Thimi for 10 rural teachers and 10 VSN
teachers. During our visit to Tawal and the schools in
that area, Kophu in Solu Khumbu and Lumsa & Patale
in Okhaldunga we met the teachers who attended
the program and noted that some had implemented
the course ideas and others had not due to lack of
local resources. New resources were given to the
teachers and follow up meetings were held. The
written feedback received at end of the course was
all positive which justified NAFA/VSN holding this first
course.
The Lapsephedi school submitted an application for a drinking water supply to their school from a nearby spring. Funds were allocated by NAFA and after two months work by the community and teachers, this new supply was completed. NAFA members were happy to visit the school and see how well this work was done and officially open this new benefit for the children.

UPDATE FROM KYLIE :23 Feb 2010
see cover story Home page

Pic:Kophu School

Dear Supporters,

We are back from our trek to Solu Khumbu/Okhaldunga region and spent two days at Kophu village on the 9th and 10th February. Kophu is a beautiful little village on the side of a hill overlooking the Solu River.
We had views of the school as we walked down to the village. The new classrooms are to the right of the school yard. There are about 300 children attending the school and students walk to Kophu school from all of the surrounding villages. We arrived on the afternoon on the 9th in the rain but we went down to the school for a tour. There were men working on the new classrooms and a female porter carrying the rocks a short distance. It was very exciting to see the actual building of the classrooms and the builders are nearly ready to start on the roof. They have said the classrooms will be finished by mid April for when I take my mum back to the village for a visit.

The old classrooms are very basic and dark and the blackboards are pieces of timber nailed together and painted black. There is also a very small library that NAFA have previously contributed to. With the extra funds raised we have decided to purchase 7 skylights for the existing classrooms, 10 whiteboards for all the classrooms and also “Room to Read” books to extend the library for the students. (Three other schools in the Solu area have applied to NAFA for “Room to Read” books and these applications may be covered by the extra funds as well.) We met all the Teachers and gave them the final instalment to go towards the building of the classrooms. The morning of the 10th we set up the jumpers ready for distribution and put up the posters on the classroom doors so the students could read how the money was raised for the new classrooms. They were very interested in these posters and in Australia. Most students can speak some English so it was fun to talk to them about how the money was raised. (There was a joke going that new born babies in the village would be named ‘Kylie’ J) The welcome by the students and teachers of Kophu was definitely the highlight. We were given so many katas and flowers by the students. This was very special for all of us.

We gave out jumpers to most of the students and once we ran out of jumpers we gave beanies. These jumpers and beanies were knitted by over 100 women in the NAFA knitters club in Australia. The colours and patterns of the jumpers and beanies were just amazing. I also gave each student a shell on a string that they could tie round their neck. (Thanks Taylor and Darcie for collecting these shells for me J) The students loved the jumpers, beanies and shells. The school had put together a program for us where the students danced and sang. We also had the unveiling of the sign by Rod (president of NAFA) and I cut the ribbon to officially open the new classrooms. We had speeches (Phurba, our wonderful guide, translated for us) and the school presented all of us and NAFA with a certificate of appreciation. (PIC View into Kophu)

It was a very memorable day and definitely made the hard slog up and down Mt Cooroora worth it. The villagers, teachers and the students are very very happy and so appreciative for the contribution by NAFA and NAFA supporters to their school.

Before we left for the day, Deb (Vice-Secretary) and Brenda (Vice-President) spent some time in the nursery classroom drawing with the children. They all drew a picture and then we hung their drawings up on a string in the middle of the room. The little ones are so cute…. but then all nepali kids are cute! That night we gate crashed a wedding party that was going on at one of the local homes and we danced with the locals. This was the perfect way to end such an amazing day! The morning of the 11th we packed up and said our goodbyes. I was very sad to leave the village as we had such a wonderful time and we were made to feel so welcome. I am really looking forward to returning in April with my Mum and seeing the finished classrooms.

regards, Kylie

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