20 May-22 May 2016
Arriving in Nepal is always a thrill, every time is like the first time.
The welcome, from our friends, always affectionate, with new surprises at every reception at the airport upon our arrival.
On the way to the hotel, only a keen eye or those who, like us, have experienced the severe earthquake, can see the destruction still present. The houses have not been rebuilt and the only interventions made so far are the removal of rubble from streets and monumental sites.
We expect a lot of work in the next few days: we have to see our 15 schools affected by the earthquake, along with our Nepalese volunteers, to find with the start of work; inaugurate two new schools; meet the children of the Happy Child project and verify the ability to insert new children in Happy Home.
Early in the morning we start with two buses to Benighat, we are over 20 participants for this mission in May 2016 to welcome us on our arrival the children of Happy Home, the family home from 2012 is home to 20 orphaned children. Children are happy to see us, and now we see what has grown since last year. Some of us get going right away with them.
We organized school kits to be delivered to more than 4000 students of 15 schools we visit in the coming days.
We visit the Shree Chandrodaya Higher School hit hard by last year's earthquake and had to be completely demolished, the work is progressing fast. We expect to begin the reconstruction of the new school with seismic criteria in the month of October, after the monsoon season. At the moment we have built temporary school for the more than 600 students who attend it.
Visitamo the Shree Chandrodaya Multiple College with its 900 students, this school needed renovations to be able to secure, we are ready to begin, simply awaiting permits from the district. We also verified that the computer room needs to be completely renovated, some computers were damaged in the earthquake and others now feel the years advance.
The evening spent in joy with the children, the adults mingle with each other and get lost in a thousand activities and games.
May 23 to May 24
In the morning it goes on a small trek around the green hills of Benighat.
We visit the Shree Basanta Primary School, we deliver to children school kits and test the state of the school, hit by the earthquake. The restoration work will begin later this year.
With a short, but intense climb, in the forest, we cross several villages where you can still see the destroyed houses.
We reach the Janagaun Shree Primary School. This school collapsed an entire wing and the remaining part has been hit hard by the earthquake, so much to make our intervention rispristino "urgent". We must to secure the benefit of the many school students.
We return to Benighat and meet the children of the village. The tents, which we donated to the population last year, are still in use.
The reconstruction of the houses has not yet begun.
With two truck it sets off the Irang Richok Shree Primary School, we distribute school supplies to students and test interventions to be done for the safety of the school.
Today we inaugurate the first school built after the earthquake of 25 April 2015, the Shree Harkapur Godam Higher Secondary School.
It will be big party together with the villagers and the many children present. The school was dedicated to the memory of Roby Nicoli.
After the inauguration visit the Shree Harkapur Lower Secondary School. This school has withstood the violence of the earthquake and requires no intervention, we agree with the headmaster for the construction of new bathrooms and a protective fence of the school.
A group back to the Happy Home in truck, others continue on foot, in a beautiful trek through the forest, the villages and the hills of Benighat.
At home children are waiting for families to play together. Part of a ping pong tournament and other companies, very fun games.
May 25 to May 28
The sun is relentless, the days are hot, in this part of Nepal are nine months does not rain and the fountains of water begin to run out with serious problems both to the population to agricultural crops.
Fortunately in Happy Home we have big cisterns that allow children to live in peace. We hope that the upcoming monsoon season bring relief and benefit.
Keep control of the schools, today we go to Shree Jana Jivan Secondary School in Chitwan. The school houses 900 students and fortunately earthquake damage are mild and allow us to go to the expense for the rapid restoration of the structure. The school is well maintained and the reception that the village committee holds for us is always affectionate.
We distribute school kits and entertain us in the classrooms with children in improvised geography lessons.
On the way back we stop at the Shree Buddhi Bikash Primary School where he verified that the seal of the school distribute school kits and improvise with young students singing and dancing.
Back in Happy Home we organize games and ping pong tournaments with "our" children.
We spend the days to verify the other schools and we organize in Happy Home children's awards that have had the best grades in school. They will be rewarded with all gifts and clothes.
The days spent in the company of children in Happy Home is always magical and fill the heart, unfortunately it was time to leave for the capital where we expect other activities.
We will review all the children during the days of Hanuman Onlus the birthday celebrations, we organized a visit to Swayabudnath and the aquatic park with all the children of the Happy Child project, during the day we will be more than 100 people.
May 29, 2016
Nepal's capital reserve us a cool temperature and some evidence of monsoon. The very early morning we drive to the village of Birpahani in Ramechhap district. We come with the rain will be with us for a few hours and then leave the place in the hot sun. Once in Maghigaon a small fishing village totally destroyed by the earthquake where we built 43 houses zinc designed to offer hospitality to the inhabitants of the village., We visit the school where they study 58 children.This is a poor village, some children still wear clothes that we took last year. The houses built during the emergency earthquake are still used by the population, nothing has been done for the reconstruction, the time has stopped April 25, 2015.
With a reach truck up the hill the Shree Pragatishil High School, 500 students to distribute clothing and school supplies and test together with the technical committee work to do to safely put the school hit by an earthquake last year.
Then we head to the village of Mulkot Sandhuli where we inaugurate the Shree Pashupati Primary School, the second school built after the earthquake. The opening ceremony is exciting, all the children line up to receive clothes and school kits, and together with their dances and songs typical Nepalese.
The school is dedicated to the memory of our dear friend and Giancarlo Galli volunteer.
We cross walking the steel bridge to Dukha, village completely destroyed by the earthquake. Welcome all'Hanuman Village reads the sign at the entrance of the small town in fact, the 80 houses built last year are in fact the new village for these poor people who lost because of the terrible earthquake. Walking through the village we realize how much dignity and strength have these people, who thanks to us they had a shelter to go on living. Walking through the village, we realize that the same image in our memory last year are the same that we see today. A destroyed country.
May 30 to June 4
We organize the birthday celebrations of Hanuman Onlus with all the children of the Happy Child project. Here comes the first 60 children from Benighat, after assigning the hotel rooms we are all on the large terrace of the hotel where we distribute the commemorative tshirt and swimsuits to wear the next day to Kathmandu Fun Valley, the water park Palanse, near Bakhtapur. Having struggled greatly in finding the sizes and colors of the Popularity of the girls costume, we all go together to visit the temple of Swayabudhnat almost completely rebuilt after the earthquake. Back at the hotel, after dinner we organize songs and dances accompanied by Rossana on guitar.
SI part, the day is beautiful and warm ideal for spending a few hours in the pool. We are all with the children of Kathmandu entrance of paco and we 110. The faces of the children surprised to see the park, the water features and the various attractions excites us, we who give everything for granted. The park is well organized, a part for the children with slides and water games, a party with attractions for the biggest and the wave pool. We accompany the little ones in the kids pool to play together. The afternoon comes at a moment of a game and the other children are destroyed. Some of them ask us if the next time can come with us to repeat this experience fun.
We leave ourselves with the guys for Benighat, where we still have work to Happy Home, in the bus the older girls happy day will sing songs for the whole trip. We get that it is late evening.
Once again we are very sad to leave Happy Home and tears of nostalgia take over. Children greet and embrace each other, they know it is a goodbye.
Leave Nepal aware much work lies ahead once back in Italy. Our awareness and fundraising do not know stop. Leave the country again with sorrow and now a little saddened to see that the institutions have done little for the population and many are still neighborhoods within cities and villages that need to be rebuilt. People still live in huts and makeshift shelters. The reconstruction program is distributed only to restore the archaeological sites and temples, to bring back the many travelers who once used to walk to the beautiful roads, valleys and mountains of Nepal.