Newsletter 10: July 2022

Children writing to their mentors most often say: I feel so lucky to be in a school like this…

‘I go to school daily. I love my school very much. There is one big playground. There is very good and clean drinking water. The classroom is so well decorated and clean. And the teachers are very good at teaching with great skill. I am very happy to study in this school. In our school we have one science lab, one computer room and music room also. We are practicing science in the lab. The lab is very good with different things. I am enjoying learning new things in school. In our break and sports time, I am playing games with friends. I like basketball and skipping games. Sometimes I read story books in my break time.’ Samridhi aged 11. 

‘At first, I felt glad to have new books for my new class. It was quite strange for a few minutes. But in all I adjusted. I feel quite lucky because we have got new kinds of furniture in our classroom, which are quite comfortable and attractive as compared to old ones. We are very much lucky that we can be provided many opportunities. Since I’m in class -8 now, the top class of our school, I have to try hard as much as possible to focus on study, and to grab those provided opportunities. We also have lots of fun in our classroom.’ Ashika aged 13

Thank you to everyone who donated new desks. Transformative both in comfort and in giving a message to older students about each person’s learning is ultimately down to them. They were amazed at the welcome their new classrooms gave them at the beginning of the new school year.

Our children are sad when they leave our school at about aged 14. They will no longer have access to computers several times a week.

Do you have hidden in a cupboard, perhaps, an old but reusable laptop that you could have cleaned of private data and then send to us? (New are good too!) We would like to help our school-leavers who need a computer to continue their studies e.g., in software engineering, civil engineering, or agricultural science – but cannot afford one. Karen Cove, one of our Trustees Who Are We? | Q • Learning Nepal Trust CIO (qlearningnepal.com) is heading out to Hangdewa on 29^th July with three volunteers (her sons Owen and Thomas, and friend Georgie). Please email her for the address to send a laptop to: karen.cove@qlearning.com If you can’t make that date, please email anyway and we will send it out with visitors later this year.

We desperately need more books for our children…so we are delighted that the funds are being raised in Australia for a library built into a shipping container!

Do look at the video sent to the school in Australia to thank them. The children tell you how ‘Fabulous’ it is and how ‘I can’t wait to read a new book’. There are also brief video clips of village life to give context to our school. www.kindbox.com/project/box-hill-north-primary-kindergarten-in-box-hill-north-are-building-a-library-in-Hangdewa-nepal/

Nepali culture favours boys and our school has equality at its core … so girls are sought-out and encouraged

We are thrilled to welcome 17 little girls and 13 small boys into Nursery. This is the keystone to success: by the time they are 5, our children can read and write in English and Nepali (most speak Limbu at home) and count to 100. Here is an example of writing from Yunik, a child in Kindergarten.

The school enjoyed Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Junilee

We aim to ensure the children have roots in their own culture as well as global wings. Learning English is more than speaking it. Their own royal family was assassinated in 2001 and, following a bitter civil war, Nepal is now a republic. It requires a careful balance to therefore celebrate a monarchy without favouring it. However, the Queen is Head of the Commonwealth of 54 countries and the second-longest reigning monarch in history, and so taught about in Hangdewa….and the children here in Class 6 particularly enjoyed learning about corgis!

Millfield School in the UK has started Zoom lessons for top classes in our school, giving them an experience of a UK lesson and world-class teaching. 

Millfield School is a wonderful partner for us. They are involved with us in three ways:

• As mentors to younger children – pen pals with wisdom!
• As part of their ‘Be Brilliant’ programme, the Millfield students can take part in the ‘emerging adults’ module’. They produce the lessons to give to our older children on agreed topics. First up was dos and don’ts of social media.
• About 18 Millfield students will be visiting our school in October 2023 both for the beauty of treks and to volunteer, especially with extra-curricular activities of music, art, sport.

The three days gave the students a taste of independence, trying out horse-riding, boating visiting a tea-plantation and sightseeing. They were given money to buy new clothes for the trip.

We are delighted to be welcoming volunteers and visitors

Whilst teaching in our schools, volunteers stay in comfort, explore cultural sites, and mountain scenes, as well as get to know locals and the village way of life. For more information Volunteer-in-Hangdewa.pdf (qlearningnepal.com) or come and stay as a visitor in our Villa and enjoy the spectacular Eastern Himalayas in peace. www.kangchenjungaview.com