I went to Nepal at Easter to the tenth anniversary celebration of the NHA and the BCS. Phil Miller, a trustee of the charity and Sue, his wife travelled with me.

On 3rd April we attended a special celebration, organised by the NHA. It was held, not at the BCS but in the playground of a nearby high school.

It was a very hot afternoon. The 300 or so people who attended sat underneath a colourful canvas roof erected especially for the occasion. Phil and I joined NHA members and two education official guests on a raised stage. The three hour event was hosted by Devendra Pradhan as President of the NHA.

He listed the achievements over ten years of the BCS saying that over 1400 children had been educated and 400 women had taken part in education, healthcare and sewing programmes.

I was invited to speak on behalf of the BCS charity trustees in Wrexham. I praised the work of the NHA and teachers at the school and thanked them for their hard work. I stressed how important I believed it was that all children should have access to education, no matter what country they live in.

I said how pleased the trustees were that, with the help of the NHA, we were able to open a second school twelve months ago for 100 infants. The joint owner, Mr Ram Kasi who owns a brick making business in the Kathmandu valley, was present at the ceremony. I mentioned that with his influence, we hope to add a third school some time in the near future. I thanked all of the parents who were there (I estimated about 250) for giving up their precious time and wages on a work day to attend. I could see from the stage how proud they were every time their children performed on stage.

Finally, I read a message sent by Edgar and Janet Lewis who were unable to attend. Pupils from the BCS sang and danced in between speeches throughout the event. Some of them were dressed in brightly coloured, traditional costumes whilst others wore their school uniforms adorned with home- made decorations. They had clearly rehearsed very hard for this special occasion and both Phil and I were very moved by their performances.

One of the guest education officials, sitting next to me on stage, said he was most impressed with the standard of performance he saw and could hardly believe how the children of brick workers, could perform with such confidence. Phil and I were presented with framed letters of appreciation from the NHA and were given more to take back to the other members of the charity back in Wales.

We reciprocated by presenting brass and mahogany plaques, formally thanking the NHA and BCS teachers. We also presented certificates to all of the teachers who wore new, turquoise saris which the charity gave them as a special token of appreciation for ten years of dedication.

When proceedings on stage came to an end, we were given small cardboard boxes of food and a welcome drink, As we ate, Devendra answered a call on his mobile phone. It was from Carole Green who, as the new Honary President of the BCS charity, kindly decided to call from North Wales to send her best wishes. What a wonderful surprise and most welcome gesture it was from one of the biggest supporters of the BCS. 

June 2010

We are delighted to announce that journalist and ITV correspondent Carole Green has agreed to be the charity’s Honorary President. Carole has long been associated with the BCS and, as well as producing videos for the charity’s use, has fundraised extensively. She gives of her time unstintingly, is committed to raising the charity’s profile and has used her powers of persuasion to involve many of her family and friends!

On accepting the role of Honorary President Carole said ‘I have had the privilege of seeing first-hand how the Brick Children School helps change young lives. The thirst for learning amongst the Nepali children is humbling and I am proud to support the Brick Children School in helping these youngsters achieve their potential.’ 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- There are two adult literacy classes

- There is a health awareness programme for adults

- There are two popular sewing classes

The brick workers are now earning 200 to 300 rupees a day. It costs around 750 rupees per month for each child to attend a state school, a prohibitive sum for many of the families most of whom have several children.

NGO status

Our partner organisation in Nepal prepared a constitution for an International Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) and this was approved by the Nepalese Government. This indicates acceptance of the BCS as an organisation and approval of the standard of work undertaken at the school.

Moving On

Twenty five former pupils of the BCS have been enrolled at local secondary schools. The charity has paid admission and examination fees for some of the pupils but several schools have provided free or reduced fee places. One former BCS pupil, Mahesh, had done so well at Siddhimangal school that he was awarded a scholarship to continue his studies. He now runs ‘evening classes’ on the brickfield. He has obtained an apprenticeship with a cobbler and helps to support his brother at the BCS.

New Video

Carole Green of ITV Wales visited Nepal in 2006 and produced a video demonstrating the progress made at the BCS since it was established. She then returned to Nepal in April 2009 to produce a new video which shows the latest developments at the school up to the present day.

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Thank You

Thanks to the Wrexham branch of Merched y Wawr who donated sufficient funds to purchase a large selection of ‘Room to Read’ bilingual ( English/Nepali) books for the main school and its satellite in February 2009.

And how can we ever forget the amazing sponsored trek to Everest Base Camp by the two redoubtable ladies from Flint High School.Dorothy Jackson and Marjorie Barnes raised in excess of £5000 for the charity thus ensuring that the ’satellite’ school was established. Their website is still to be found at www.freewebs.com/everest2008

Thanks go to Delyth from Gwynedd who is a regular supporter of the BCS and whose donations are in memory of her faithful dog Meg. A big thank you also to her friends at the Bethesda Mountaineering Club for their generosity.

Dr. Mary Lloyd went trekking in Nepal towards the end of 2009; not only did she get to Base Camp and beyond but she dropped in on the BCS with some gifts and raised a considerable sum of money towards the charity by persuading friends to sponsor her. Many, many thanks to them and, of course, to Mary.

We are grateful to Hawarden High School staff and pupils who are once again selling/buying Nepalese jewellery in aid of the BCS. Keep up the good work; we do appreciate it.

And thanks to everyone who supports the charity, whether you trek, knit, sell goods, make cards, cook, hold concerts,sponsor individual places, open your garden or simply allow us to part you from some of your money for a good cause!

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Saturday afternoon saw us bedecked with marigold garlands, which gave off an adorable smell of tomcats, being transported through the mayhem of rush-hour Kathmandu

Sunday dawned bright and sunny and suffice to say we were the oldest ( by a long way) in our trekking group. After much hilarity at the safety briefing which involved the trying on of various quilted garments, we embarked on a sightseeing tour of this wonderful city. Evening was spent in a traditional Nepalese restaurant. Panic ensued that night as Dorothy had left her camera charger at home and she just could not get her kitbag down to the required weight of 12 kilos!

Monday saw us putting our luggage through the x-ray machine that didn’t work in the domestic terminal. As we waited amidst the chaos, sat on crates and packing cases, fear and trepidation took hold. We had already been informed that the first flight to Lukla had been forced by bad weather to land in a field. The look of terror on Marjorie’s face was a joy to behold when she saw the plane, complete with Sherpa ‘Biggles’. Turbulence and cross winds made the flight unforgettable and the landing at Lukla very dramatic.

After meeting our Sirdar, Sherpa and Porters and under the direction of our Trek Leader we set off into the unknown! 12 days of knee-crunching, lung-busting, headache-inducing trekking followed. Temperatures in the day were cold but bearable. However, the nights were bitter, with bedding and clothing freezing to the lodge windows. Lodges were very basic but most welcoming and the food was excellent. However, toilet facilities were a different matter! Imagine no lighting, just iced-over water barrels and a skating rink surrounding the toilet area to negotiate! At one stage, due to altitude sickness, initiative took over and a plastic container was ‘acquired’ for the use of! It would have helped if Marjorie had pinched one without a hole in it!!

Throughout the trek we were surrounded by the fabulous Himalayan range, with Mount Everest nearly always in our sights. The dangers of this beautiful area were brought home to us when we saw the many memorials of climbers and trekkers alike and witnessed 2 helicopter evacuations due to accidents or altitude sickness.

On the final day, feeling very ill and exhausted, we achieved our goal, which was to stand at the foot of the highest point on our planet. However, after the euphoria faded a little we realised that we had another 5 hour trek to get back to the lodge, bearing in mind that we had already trekked for 8 hours that day.

There were so many highlights during our trek, but one that will remain with us forever was meeting the children of the Brick School. We were fortunate to spend a morning with them and the staff, including Anita, their Headteacher. The welcome we received was tremendous, with a heartwarming rendition on ” She’ll be coming round the mountain….”

In excess of £5000 was raised thanks to the generosity of family, friends and colleagues. Our website is still to be found at www.freewebs.com/everest2008 for those who wish to share in the highs and lows of our trek.

Namaskaar,

Marjorie Barnes and Dorothy Jackson

2010 and Dorothy and Marjorie continue to raise funds for the BCS. A recent fundraising effort was the sale of jewellery at the school Summer fete. The also continue keeping fit and walked the coastline of Anglesey during the half term holiday, averaging 20 miles a day. Their next big trek , planned for 2011, will be Africa’s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro. Describing these two ladies as ‘intrepid’ was no exaggeration!