Stichting Veldwerk
Postbus 163
1850 AD Heiloo
The Netherlands
veldwerk@wlink.com.np
IBAN nr. NL51ABNA0543703266
Attn. Stichting Veldwerk,
p/a Egmond binnen
Bank: ABN-Amro 543703266
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Secretariat: Stichting Veldwerk Postbus 163 1850 AD Heiloo The Netherlands |
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Tel:+31 (0)72-5339585 veldwerk@wlink.com.np IBAN nr. NL51ABNA0543703266 Attn. Stichting Veldwerk, p/a Egmond binnen Bank: ABN-Amro 543703266 |
Jyoti Vocational Trainings Centre, Pokhara, Nepal.
So behind the glitter of that beautiful place there is a loud call to help these children, who didn't get any kind of education and most of the times belong to the lowest casts. Together with our partner, Child Welfare Scheme, we have build the Job training centre Jyoti where a part of these children get a second chance.
Marjolein Vink is technical advisor in the project, and, together with the board, she sets out the strategy of the centre.
Ok, down under the Progress report by Marjolein Vink
Introduction
Staff training
In this same period CWS organised a volleyball tournament in Bachok. Five of our trainees were selected to play for the CWS-team. Our main purpose was to give them a chance to participate in the tournament and make them more close to society (village-life), and the trainees did a great job in Bachok. They played a fair and good game and they were also very helpful and social. Nice to mention is that our friend and sponsor René (Stichting Veldwerk) was one of the supporters at the volleyball tournament.
Courses
'The trainees are more active and attentive in the class now than they were before. They do not hesitate to ask questions and to share ideas. They have developed very positive habits, working hard and doing their homework regularly. They also help each other out; there is a good feeling of cooperation, and a healthy competitive environment amongst them. They have started to take their exams seriously and to prepare well for them' (Positive words from our Language Teacher Anil Poudel).
All the trainees are now getting prepared for their first work experience in their individual field. In May they will start with one day a week in a local company, observing and doing simple tasks. The trade teachers are currently undertaking company visits to organise these opportunities.
Social and extra-curricular activities
Near future
For me, Pokhara is one of the most beautiful places of Nepal. It is settled right at the foot of the Annapurna Range, which has the Machapurna (or Fishtail) as a glorious centre. The Himalayas at their best and very reachable.
Besides that, Pokhara is located at the Pewa-lake, one of the seven lakes around the city. So you can draw the conclusion that Pokhara is a nice place and has a lot to offer. But there is also a dark side of the story. The mountains behind Pokhara, which can't be reached by road, hide a lot of misery.
It takes between 5 to 10 days walking (mostly steep up and down) from Pokhara to reach that area. It's obvious that trade or economy is not in the local dictionary with this kind of accessibility. The families that are living there are very poor. A lot of them lost their father or brother in the civil war of the last couple of years. When a mother marries another man the children from previous husbands are not accepted and need to be left behind with relatives, who aren't that thrilled to feed a couple of extra mouths. These children run away or being sold to carpet- or stone factories, or worse, end up in the Indian prostitution.
A part of the children end up on the streets of Pokhara. They pick garbage at the riversides, become small criminals or take their disabled little brother out for begging, a lot of dirt, running noses and big eyes do the trick.
So far, the project is running as planned. Last year, right after the official opening, the first 30 students began their study. By looking at the background of these children (street live, prostitution, drug abuse, etc.) we can say that the result is very good. Only two of the students broke off their study, one girl had to leave because of an arranged marriage and one boy couldn't live with the rules, All that mattered for him was the free food and free bed, he didn't take any interest in the education. So that was the end of the line for him but it still was his own choice to leave the place.
Besides studying the normal subjects that are given on schools, the children also study for a profession, they can choose from electrician, electro mechanics, plumber or metalworker. But they can also learn how to become a beauty parlour, secretary or how to work with computers.
Remarkable is that one boy has signed in for the course of beauty parlour and one girl has done the same for electro mechanics. Together with the fact that the teacher for electro mechanics in the centre also a woman is you can say that emancipation has broken the traditions in Jyoti.
All of the staff is Nepali. Carin Barendregt is working as a volunteer in the centre, in august she will return to work there for a second period. She guides the staff and makes sure that the planned course is followed. Besides that she supports the teachers if they're having problems with the students which is very important because there is no education in Nepal where teachers can learn to deal with this kind of students.
The students need to be approached carefully, a lot of them has a trauma because of what they been trough in the past. The Nepali look on this is often 'what's done is done, let's get it over with!' Experience taught us that this approach doesn't work with these children, the trauma becomes hidden but doesn't disappear.
Carin trains the teachers to be open for these kinds of problems and to give the children more personal attention. And, what's more important, she does it in a way that the teachers can do this in the future without her support. See the report which she wrote under the title 'information for volunteers'.
The training centre has recently gained 4 new halls, because it was getting crowded. Our organisation has asked for more support from 'tools from for self-reliance', which has been granted. This is necessary because the students are going on practical next year and by that time they need their own toolbar. We try to round up everything before September 2003 so the visitors of the Nepal day can be asked to each take a small part of the load to Nepal.
To conclude, we're working hard in Pokhara, performing many deeds for many needs, with a last word of thanks to our volunteers and 'tools for self-reliance' to support us once again. René.
Progress report JYOTI Vocational Training Centre
Date: 28th of April 2003
By: Marjolein Vink (Technical Advisor)
The VTC has now been running for a year. The intake procedure for the new batch has been completed. It was a very difficult job to select 35 youngsters out of almost 200 applications! The referral organisations know about our work now and we have obviously built up a good reputation in our first year of operation.
The director of one of the organisations told me a while ago 'the vtc is the best school in Pokhara'. That's so wonderful to hear of course, but there is still a lot to do, learn and improve and we don't know the long-term results as yet.
Out of the intake procedure 38 new trainees have been selected. These trainees will have a three-month introduction period and start their actual course in August 2003.
In order to have sufficient room for all trainees we have build three extra classrooms (for electrical, secretarial and theory lessons). We are all very exciting about the new group, which is coming. Due to Bandh (strike) we had to postpone our start date from April 29th to May 1st, and on this day we will all welcome the new youngsters to our centre.
Management
This year one of our big achievements was the affiliation with CTEVT (Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training). Our trainees are now able to do a CTEVT 'skill-test', which will give them a well-known recognised certificate.
The management team chose new staff for the hostels (hostel-assistants) to give support to the housefather and mother when the new batch arrives. We can also say officially "welcome" to our volunteer Khom Kumari, who has now a full-time contract as the 'Nepali/Math teacher'. Our CWS-UK director Douglas went on a fundraising trip to Hong Kong. Due to SARS sadly this rip didn't give the expected outcome. But we are happy to tell we found through other channels a sponsor for a new (much needed) girls hostel. Douglas has just signed the papers with the sponsor!
Trainees
The first year trainees are doing very well. At the beginning of April they had exams, which went very well. After the exams all the trainees were sent home for a one-week holiday. This holiday had as its goal 'integration' (besides fun and having a break). Trainees went back to their families (for some of them after a long time), they tried to rebuild relations and had to live one week without their VTC friends and VTC –care. During social classes in the coming weeks our social worker will evaluate this holiday with the trainees.
At the moment the trainees are helping out in preparing the VTC for the new batch (cleaning, decorating etc.).
As expected not all the problems are over after the first year. Some of the trainees still have some behavioural problems but they are willing to work on it. Some trainees receive regular counselling to work on their personal problems (relational problems, loneliness, concentration problems and psycho-somatic problems). Many of the girls suffer from psychosomatic problems, because of that our counsellor decided to give weekly group counselling in the girls hostel. These days it seems the girls have fewer problems and look happier.
The 'Electrician' and 'Computer/Secretarial' courses are running very well, according to their planned curriculum. The 'Plumbing/Sanitation' course had to change the planned curriculum a little bit, due to the right tools and materials not arriving on time to start with the plumbing tasks (pipe fitting and board installations). However, the trainees are now very advanced in bench-work and have started two months ago with the real plumbing work. There is no concern because the teacher has enough time to catch up with the plumbing activities in order to complete the first year on target (July).
The Beautician group has been extremely quick; they have already learned 70% of the required techniques. However, they now have to spend time consolidating and improving their skills in practical on the job training, which they have started doing in the Hong Kong Beauty Parlour on Saturdays.
NFE-classes for street youth
We are very sorry to say that our NFE-classes for the street children in Pokhara stopped running at the end of March. Due to many problems among the youngster and the fact that the collection of garbage is now taking place in different places, that they couldn't attend the classes anymore since March. Our teacher and social worker still go every week to the places where the youngsters work and live, to give them social support and guidance. The group who started the NFE classes in November are now able to read and write in simple language. They identify the numeration system, and are able to write and read the English alphabet. Beside the theory they have also improved their personal hygiene and are more aware of their future possibilities and difficulties. Two of the boys of this group is selected for our VTC this year!
To make this project work we all need to work together and we rely on the kindness of other people. This year again we received so many; donations, footballs, tools, books etc. But equally important is the interest, the support and the encouragement from all the people who have visited the centre!
Thank you all!
