Tuesday in Kathmandu: Visit to Training Center; poverty and hunger in Nepal

Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010

I can’t help feeling like I’m camping when I wake up to the cool weather and try to take a shower in a cold room and having dinner by candlelight. There is no heat and, anyways, the power is usually off from about 3 a.m. to 10 a.m. and again from about 6-8 p.m. Yesterday, Erik rented a motorbike and rode out into the country. He described beautiful scenery with green terraced valleys against majestic mountain backdrops. He also saw women and children working hard on their small farms, carrying huge loads on their backs in big woven baskets. Its interesting that in Ghana we saw women carrying heavy loads on their heads; here, they carry them on their backs. I saw people carrying heavy loads of rock on a construction site yesterday like this.

An individual commented on the blog about accessibility. There is no accessibility here in Nepal! We cannot imagine how a person using a wheelchair might get around these narrow, busy, pot-holed filled streets. There are very few sidewalks. We saw one person who was blind trying to find his way walking down a street with no cane.

Women walking in the streets just after squatting to pee on the street

Friendly rickshaw driver

Today, we visited the Technical and Skill Development Center for the Blind & Disabled. The Center is located in Kirtipur, Kathmandu not too far from where we are staying but with the crazy traffic here (worse than Boston – really!) it takes longer than you would think to get anywhere. We are always behind schedule and so is everyone else.

Me talking with the Center's founder

People who are blind learning music at the Center

Individual learning to weave

Children learn Braille at the Center

The center was started in 1991 for just three students by one determined woman named Mrs. Shashi Kala Singh. She had some training in the U.S. before founding the program. Now the Center serves 600 in the current year and serves all disabilities from childhood to adults. We toured the facility and met people with various disabilities learning different trades and skills, including computer skills, Braille, candle-making, pottery, chalk-making, and weaving. The center also provides physical therapy, parent counseling, and limited residential services for individuals who travel far to the center from the mountainous areas for services. We were able to meet several graduates that now have their own businesses or are successful professionals. After the tour, we were served lunch at the Center.

Blind woman making pottery with molds

The Center itself is surrounded by beautiful mountains. Unfortunately, the terrible smog here makes it hard to see the mountains clearly. The pollution is bad here and many people are wearing masks to prevent respiratory infections. There does not seem to be any policies regarding trash collection, which is really sad.

Center with mountain backdrop

This morning, I read in the local paper that the far western regions of Nepal have been experiencing acute food shortages due to inadequate rainfall, landslides, poor seed germination and crop losses. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy and yet more than 3.7 million people in Nepal are at risk of chronic hunger. It also said that many men are leaving their families to go to other countries to find work. In these cases, the women are left not only to care for the children but also the farms and every part of managing the business and homes. The men have been sending money back to the families but with the political unrest, the mail sometimes does not get through.

Peanuts and other goods for sale