Many of these children eat only one meal a day and some walk 4 hours to school and 4 hours home.  Education is the only thing that gives them a way out of an existence below the poverty line.  They are very lucky that this village has a physical school building, many villages have only grass roofed shelters.

Learning English is vital to Nepalese children if they are to get jobs and trade.  Their parents live a subsistence lifestyle growing crops and bartering for clothing and medical supplies. 

 It takes several days to get to a hospital in many parts of Nepal. 

In this photo a volunteer from The UK is teaching English to 4 and 6 years olds in their classroom. 

The red colour on the volunteers head is “tikka”, a powder placed on people as a welcome to the village.  The classroom leaks when it rains and has mud floors. 

There is no glass in the windows and no heating of any kind. 

This school has no books, pens or paper.  Children often sleep in lessons because they are tired and hungry from long journeys to school on only one meal a day.

Nepal is warm and pleasant during April and May and in October.  In our winter Months it is extremely cold with temperatures much lower than we experience in our winters here in The UK.  During June to September torrential monsoon rains cause havoc and many people die in landslides and floods.  These children are walking down a path damaged by rains.  In the monsoon, the only toilet at the school was washed away and the retaining wall that prevents the school sliding down the hill was damaged.  These children currently have to go to the toilet in bushes next to the school.  Imagine this at your school or college.  They need money to build a proper retaining wall with firm enough foundations to withstand monsoon rains.  This is expensive (about £3,000)  because it is so difficult to get materials to such a remote location. The average monthly Nepalese family income in remote villages is 5,000 Rupees ( about £5 a month).

Imagine learning in a classroom like this.  Icy cold in the winter and full of water when the monsoon season is on, because the tin roof leaks.  The school has recently had some volunteers visit them.  They brought chalk, so the teachers can write on the blackboard at least for a few months.  They have no pens, paper or books at the school.

This is a typical village home in remote Nepal.  Here a family sleep, eat and play, alongside their animals.  Notice the satellite dish.  They run a TV from a battery.  The satellite TV, however is not a luxury item, it is a means for the children to improve their English.  Imagine living here, with your brothers and sisters and parent(s)/carer.  Imagine it in January!

We ate this after dancing into the night. I know I will be eating them at Easter again. A very different diet to ours!