Shanti Upadate

Shanti is developing into a very confident and interesting young lady. She is currently in Grade 5 at school and has completed her first mid-term exams and awaiting his results. Her teachers are happy with her efforts at school and she came 1st in her class recently with 84%.  Shanti is very good at badminton and enjoyed playing for her school in March.  In the badminton competition she came 1st!  She also enjoys running and came 2nd in a relay race and 1st in short distance running for Maybert School.  

Shanti is very good at dance and performed for the school for parent's day and teacher's day.  Shanti has stated that when she is older she would like to be a teacher. Enclosed is a letter Shanti has written for you.

Kalpana Chaudhary Update

Kalpana is developing into a very confident and interesting young lady. She is 16 years old and is currently in Grade 12 at college and is studying Sociology.  Kalpana is undergoing work experience at Marybert in the hope of improving her skills and future employment opportunities.  She helps the school with teaching Grade 1 students.  At college Kalpana took part in a Quiz contest and her team came 2nd overall.  In Marybert, Kalpana is often found helping her younger brothers and sisters with cleaning and washing their clothes. She also often leads the nightly 'devotion' gatherings and enjoys attending church every Saturday.  She is in the choir!  Kalpana has stated that when she is older she would like to be a social worker. 

Peru Update

Hi, I just would like to share one of the passions I have, and it my be your love too.  In December 2012 I took most of that month off so that I could be of volunteer service to an Organization that has been helping the poor and indigines families in the high mountains (8-9000 ft.) near Cusco Peru. “Make more bricks”, she ordered! ;-)

I paid for all my expenses just as the other five Europeans has done just like me. We all lived in a small two story house in the wonderful Ollantaytambo  (Oh-yan-tie-tam-bow)  The only occupied living Inca Village.

Leander  runs the service and has Mayra directing the helpers as myself accomplish the big daily care and help to the men,woman and children of the area. We daily help in the safe transportation of the 10 -12 kids ages 6 to 15 to their special needs school  Arco Iris in Rubamba. They are such loving and fun children.

The kids going to school

        

The kids going to school

At times Mara has us transiting small villages and up or down hills to deliver clothing to the needy. It makes them so happy to be able to have something used and in nice condition. Most of this clothing was gifted items to the organization.

The best place to eat in Ollantaytambo is the Coffee Tree.

                          The Lovely owners of Coffee Tree Cafe , Ollantaytambo, Peru

At one time, we went to seek out a particular family to provide clothing , tooth brushes and to insure that they were going to keep a family medical appointment in town. I wish you could have seen Mara express in detail the importance of this appointment for the family! She is such a caring and loving dear. Love you Mara!

At the end of school year My Small Help. Org Peru, helps the school have an end of school year celebration. Leander had arranged in obtaining 40 pounds of whole chickens, loaves and loaves of sweet bread for the school. I am sure it was a strain on their budget as well as the venders to may have donated. As you can see, everyone had a great time and hard working Mara took a needed nap. (see below photo, she’s so cute)

There is really so much more help that is really needed here in the Inca Sacred Valley of Cusco. I invite you, if it is in your heart to contact ‘My Small Help.Org. ‘ and send a Donation or even yourself in Loving person. You will be smiling with loving memories as I am right now!

Thank You, from me and the people of Peru and ‘My Small Help .org’.  Cheers!

Volunteer Aaron's appeal....

Dear Friends, Brothers and Sisters,

MySmallHelp Nepal requests your help with an important and exciting new project.

The Bedroom Problem

Marybert Orphanage has a problem with lice and bugs in the bedrooms.  The current bedding has been in use for around 5 (five) years.  Each iron bed has a ply-wood base supporting the mattress, which has become infested with wood lice and bed bugs.  The children find it hard to rest, often waking in the night covered in potentially dangerous insect bites.  Because they get so little rest, many find it hard to concentrate in class, which is detrimental to their education.

The Solution

We will clean the two large bedrooms, the small bedroom, the store room and the dining hall thoroughly to minimize the danger of lice returning.  Also we will replace the ply wood base and all old bedding, including mattresses, sheets, pillows, and pillow cases, and we will provide washable blankets for the approaching winter season.  We also aim to educate Marybert and the children on a new cleaning regime that will further reduce the risk of this issue arising again.

Finances

*All costing are estimates as prices may change over time*

*Currency converted at £1 to Rs. 155*

Stage 1

Medicine to kill bugs and lice (per room):

Kerosene (5Litres) = Rs. 650 (£4.20).  Bug killer = Rs. 100 (£0.65)

Cost per room = Rs. 750 (£4.85)

4 rooms – girls, boys, dining hall, store

Total cost for 4 rooms = Rs. 3000 (£19.35)

Stage 2

Bedding – Ply-wood base, mattress, sheet, pillow, pillow case, blanket

Ply-wood Base -               Rs. 1000 (£6.45)

Mattress –                         Rs. 2500 (£16.15)

Sheet –                              Rs. 200 (£1.30)

Pillow –                             Rs. 200 (£1.30)

Pillow case –                     Rs. 100 (£0.65)

Blanket -                           Rs. 1300 (£8.40)

1 set = Rs. 5300 (£34.20)

24 sets = Rs. 127,200 (£820.65)

Total cost = Rs. 130,200 (£840)

If you would like to make a donation please see this link

http://www.justgiving.com/AaronMSH

We have arranged transportation of goods free of charge.

VOLUNTEERING WITH MY SMALL HELP, PERU

25th August 2013

While in Cusco, we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to volunteer at a local charity called My Small Help. My Small Help (MSH) was set up by a group of friends in the UK and Nepal who believe strongly in upholding basic human rights for children. The philosophy of MSH is that if more and more people give their small help, every child will be able to have their basic rights. In its first three and a half years MSH has provided education sponsorship to over 60 children and has built facilities at a school in Nepal, which has affected the lives of hundreds of poor children.

Leander Hollings, founder of My Small Help, was living in Peru when devastating floods hit the Cusco region in January 2010. After an appeal for funds to help the flood victims MSH partnered with Peruvian organisations to help distribute emergency aid and developed a medium term plan to develop a sustainable business to help one of the identified communities get back on their feet. MSH became a Peruvian registered charity in March 2011 with a mission to help those living in poverty, or with a disability, access a brighter future primarily through providing access to education and skills training.

One of the projects that MSH runs in Cusco is the Cookies Program which we took part in over 2 days. The project helps the family of Anita, one of the disabled children that My Small Help supports. The project involves the production and sale of cookies, made by the mother of Anita. Volunteers also then have the job of selling the cookies to tourists in Cusco, and the money made then goes directly back to Anita´s family, allowing for further production of the cookies, as well as providing financial support for the family.

Due to Anita´s disability, her mother Elizabeth is required to work from home, as Anita needs almost constant care. The cookie project therefore gives the family the opportunity to boost their disposable income, without imposing on Anita´s need for care. Another imposing factor on the family is Anita´s high medical expenses. With no external help, the family has to make do with what they have, whilst constantly funding Anita´s expensive medical requirements.

In total we spent two days volunteering with the Cookies Program. We met Anita, her two sisters Elizabeth and Magdil and her mother at their school. We then went across to their house to begin the cooking process, helping speed up the process with our excellent cooking skills. We were absolutely blown away by the three children. They are some of the nicest and most polite children we have ever met and made us feel right at home each day we visited, making us posters, jewellery and food. Once the cookies were made and numerous One Direction songs were sang in the kitchen, it was time to hit the hostels to sell as many as possible. The cookies sold well which made the few days volunteering extra rewarding. 

If you are interested in taking part in any of the numerous projects available in Peru with My Small Help, please check out www.mysmallhelp.org and drop them an email at: . A few hours of help goes a long way to improving the day to day life of the family and we would highly recommend it to all backpackers visiting Peru in the near future.

The World Needs More #...... UN Campaign

MySmallHelp Nepal Volunteer Aaron Rai

by: Aaron Rai
Background

For many years I have been involved in the care of people in England, UK.  The house I grew up in was attached to a Nursing and Residential Home run by my parents. Instead of going through the car park to collect my lunch from the kitchen, I'd go through the home.  Not entirely sure why I did this, but the residents enjoyed seeing and all too often feeding my dog.  As I got older I wanted to buy CD's, so I got a job cleaning in the kitchen, and doing the tea round twice a day.  I ran the risk of being too slow in my work as I listened to their stories.

Whilst completing an undergraduate course at University I found the most interesting subjects to be 'Child Development' and 'Abnormal Psychology'.  Inspired, I found an open Volunteering position at a Children's Home. Thus started a career in Children's Care that saw me move location within England and see the benefits and drawbacks of rapid growth of a company.  In England there are fantastic support networks in place from the Government and Governing Bodies ensuring quality care for children and families in all circumstances.

A friend had visited Nepal and told me about Marybert Orphanage, and a child he sponsors.  Whether it be my blood being ¾ Indian or not I'm not sure, but I took an immediate interest in the neighbouring county.  Researching the social services in Nepal was enlightening.  There are many charitable organizations and without these and the people who run them, those in need, it seemed, would struggle to survive.  With a little help from my friends, I booked my flight.

Touch Down

Landing in Nepal I found a smiling man holding a sign with my name on it. 'Namaste Aaron!' and Raju made me feel welcomed at once.  The country is very different to England, but being on the road was reminiscent of past visits to family in India.

 

Looking cool with Raju; Stray cow crossing the road

On my first day I saw some tourist attractions with Raju and sampled some of the city life, even receiving an unexpected lecture on Buddhism from a stranger, but a friendly one…  It was especially interesting as I already had intent to visit a Buddhist monastery at some point during my stay.  Then it was time to visit Marybert.  I was overcome

with the welcome.  All of the children were smiling and so welcoming.  It's incredible when these children all try to insist you get your food first, and then continue to ask if you would like some more.  So friendly!  'Moleye Phu-ghio t/dimmi chow' – I wrote this down on a piece of paper as I would use it every evening when eating at the Orphanage; 'I'm OK, you can have it'.

Warm, friendly, loving, family environment

Settling In

I found I was to be teaching at the School.  I am not a teacher and would soon find out just how difficult the job can be when a colleague said ' You can teach this class now'.  I didn't even know what subject it was!  I'm still a long way from being a teacher, but it is good fun at Marybert as the environment is so warm and friendly.  I regularly play football with the children from the Orphanage after school time, and blame the altitude for my breathlessness, not my fitness level.  I was challenged to a game of table-tennis.  Years of competitive spirit with my elder brother meant I was not prepared to lose.  I'm happy to report I came out victorious.  Camera phones are so useful to capture these moments!

Victory; Teachers' Day poetry competition; Out collecting drinking water with the boys

Homely

The longer I stay here the more relaxed I feel.  I remember being woken on the first night because my body was covered in mosquito bites, and the first class I taught at Marybert was so daunting.  The children's kindness does not dissipate though, and the more people I speak to the more people I like.  I enjoy eating out with Noel (22 yrs old; vice principal) and Man dai (24 yrs old; staff) from the Marybert team.  Every time we go out we order extra chili out of competitive nature, dangerous but fun!  Raju and his friends have organised a trekking mission for 5 days which I couldn't be more excited about. My brother is so interested he plans to visit Nepal before I leave.

Kathmandu; Street Food with my brother Noel

Food

On my first day out in Patan Darbar Square (was a king's palace) I asked Raju to take me to sample the real local cuisine.  Here I found there are many places to eat, but the real gems are in quiet dark corners.  Somewhat confusingly they call these places 'hotels'.  They are normally one room affairs with many locals occupying the small space eating traditional food.  Many different forms of buffalo 'meat' are on offer.  My favourite experiences thus far have been lungs, marrowbone wrapped in 'stomach' and a tomato/mushroom dish.  I have been lucky avoiding food poisoning and not had a bad stomach yet, I accept this will not last forever!

Blood and middle of spine (yellow); bone marrow and lung

Travel

Working with MSH offers opportunities to visit different locations where sponsored families live.  It's an amazing insight into how different life can be, and how much of a struggle it is for some.  I have been to Kathmandu to visit a mother who earns less than 2 pounds per day and can't afford to send her children to school without MSH sponsorship.  The cast system can be very cruel in these situations as it seems to unfairly hold people down.

Another family in Bhaktapur had ambitions blown away by the father discovering from a medical examination that he has HIV.  His health has deteriorated since, including thus far unexplained pains to his left leg.  This means he struggles for employment, and his wife earns around 50p on a good day from making hats. Without MSH sponsorship there is no way their daughter would be able to attend school. The families I have visited so far are unbelievably nice people.  They all offer food and drinks, which we decline every time as we can tell they haven't got the money to pay for it.  Their gratitude is unquestionably honest.

Lovely people; I cannot make a carpet