Lions Club Marathon
teamwork in Nepal
Now two weeks have passed, in which we have been able work on some important points together. The new English flyer is printed and available online here and the English website is already partially updated.
Yesterday we held a meeting to discuss the introduction of new guidelines for NGOs and sign important documents. Seven Board members were in attendance.
Two weeks ago we began working on a fund-raising concept to address one of the main problems for OLOW Nepal, which is the scarcity of funds on hand as expenditures rise steadily through inflation (at about 10%).
With all the tasks the employees are involved in, it is a pity that we have previously reported very little about all the work. On one hand, this is because the employees previously had not considered it important to inform about their activities or send current pictures, as they didn’t see the value of this for us as an organization. On the other hand, it is also because they prefer working directly with the children to administrative work and little time is available to perform both equally. More employees are needed, which means we also need more donations.
In order to reach understanding among the Nepalese employees of the funding situation in Germany, we have initiated a Fundraising Workshop, explaining topics such as online donation platforms, Facebook, Twitter, and the importance of pictures. Since posting current pictures, our OneLoveOneWorld Facebook page has received nearly 50 more LIKES this week. This result has motivated the employees to post pictures and events in the future.
On Wednesday we held a team meeting with all project coordinators and staff to review the current status of our projects and assess what resources are urgently needed.
With a donation from the Swiss Charity “on the ball for street children,” we have been able to pay rent on the house for three months (€ 1,200) and provide new clothing to the ten children of our group home for the upcoming Dashain Festival (Nepal’s largest festival).
The children are busy with school for most of the day. After school they do their homework and are left with one hour for playing and eating before going to bed. The education system in Nepal is often criticized by locals because the children are not left much leisure time and Saturday is their only day off. In one year, our school children currently take 9 exams.
In order to relieve the children and offer them some compensation, we try to spend Saturdays doing things that they really desire. Last Saturday we went swimming and both the kids and staff were hardly out of the water. Now all are looking forward to the big Dashain holiday – 2 weeks of theatrical performances, dances, temple visits, lots of sweets and new clothes for all OneLoveOneWorld residents.
My journey will now end soon. Tomorrow, on Friday, a farewell party awaits me.
Kind regards,
Steffi and the entire OneLoveOneWorld team! Kathmandu, 27th of september 2014
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