Riding an Elephant with an Oliphant

We went to south central Nepal to the Chitwan area. The purpose of the trip was to attend the closing ceremony for a water project. While were there, we went to Chitwan National Park. This is a park and nature preserve that has a number of rare and endangered species. Below you will see some of the animals that we saw. And yes, we rode an elephant to tour the park.

We rode an elephant with the Oliphants. We were surprised at how quietly the elephant can go through the forest.

We saw a rhinoceros and her baby.

We saw a crocodile resting on a bank of the river. We were sure glad we were on an elephant.

Sindhupalchowk Distribution

On Thursday, January 28th, we accompanied one of our NGO partners to two remote locations in Sindhupalchowk  to make a final distribution of the emergency relief supplies (50 lb. bag of rice, blanket, towel and tarp to each family) that LDS Charities had provided following the April earthquake.  Efforts to complete the distribution of these goods has been badly hampered by the shortage of fuel over the last few months. 

Our first stop was in the village of Jalbire.  This area was one of the hardest hit in the quake.  On the way, our driver who is from the Sindhupalchowk area, told us that there had been another 4.6 magnitude quake in the district at 9 PM the night before.  We were delayed in arriving at the village, as our truck carrying the supplies had to wait in line for fuel after loading early Thursday morning.  When we arrived, a small group of villagers were waiting patiently.  The mood was subdued.  However, as we began handing out the supplies, the mood changed dramatically.  The people began smiling and chatting as each family was called forward to receive their items.  After the earthquake the Nepali government determined which areas has been the most affected and identification cards were given to each of the families in these areas.  Individuals must present their cards to receive disaster relief supplies.  We asked one of the women who was waiting if they had received any help since the earthquake.  She said that they had received some aide immediately following the quake at the end of April, but nothing since then.  202 families were given supplies at this location.

This young woman has obviously worn her best clothing to the distribution. 

She is receiving her tarp, blanket, towels and 50-pound bag of rice.

Here she is ready to make the one-hour walk to her home from the site of the

distribution.  She will carry her supplies on her back supported by a strap that

goes around her forehead in the front and around the bottom of the rice bag

in the back.  When we travel, we often see people walking along the sides of

the road carrying VERY heavy loads this way!

Here are the first group of villagers starting the one-hour uphill trek back to

their homes.

This gentleman has just walked to the distribution from the village nearby.  He

is 82 years old and this is as straight as he is able to stand. 

We left Jalbire and headed straight up the mountain on a steep, dirt track heading for the extremely remote village of Hagam.  After about a half hour, we stopped on one of the switchbacks to wait for the truck carrying the supplies.  We had been unable to keep in contact with the truck and the road was rough enough and narrow enough, we were concerned that they might be stuck somewhere.  We soon saw them and let them precede us up the road.  We finally reached a spot about two switchbacks from the village, where the truck could go no further.  The villagers had to come down to meet the truck.  125 families received assistance here. 

The villagers wait patiently at the very edge of the switchback to receive their

supplies.

Here are the villagers beginning their trek home up the steep, dirt track.

Even the children must help carry the supplies back to their home. 

While we waited for the supplies to be distributed, we were approached by a young man who spoke some English.  He told us several times how difficult things were for the people of his village:  all homes were demolished in the earthquake, there is no electricity and all families are living in temporary quarters.  He teaches in a local secondary school about 3 kilometers from the village, but he is the only child in his family who has had the opportunity to be educated. He has completed what Nepali’s call 10+2 meaning 10^th grade (high school) plus 2 more years which qualifies him for a teaching job. He also told us how happy they were to receive our help, but stressed how much more help the village needed to truly recover from the effects of the earthquake. 

 

Dolakha Blanket Distribution

In November of 2015, Elder Gong, a newly called member of the Presidency of the Seventy and former President of the Asia Area,  visited Nepal to assess how the humanitarian arm of the Church could further help the people of Nepal.  Emergency relief in the form of rice, blankets, tarps and towels had been provided immediately following the quake.  After speaking with a number of local leaders both in the Church and in the Nepali government, it was decided that since many of the people were still living in temporary housing and since winter was rapidly approaching, good blankets would be the best way to offer assistance.  An order for 10,000 blankets was placed with a manufacturer in China.  The blankets arrived at the Nepali border on Sunday, January 17th.  It was decided that it would be most cost effective to distribute the blankets through the charitable foundations of the President and Vice President of Nepal.  On January 18th, we had the opportunity to attend a meeting with the Vice President at his home to discuss his part of the distribution. 

Left to right are Sister Carol Oliphant, Elder Joe Oliphant, Sis. Lear Weaver, Elder Scott Weaver, Nanda Pun (Vice President of Nepal), and Rakesh Hamal (one of our NGO partners who provided invaluable help in coordinating the importation and distribution of the blankets).

Elder and Sister Oliphant participated in the distribution of blankets in the district of Nuwakot on Thursday, January 21st.  On Friday, January 22nd, they headed to Sindhupalchowk for another blanket distribution and we left at 5:30 AM for a two-day trip to the Dolakha District of Nepal, also to distribute blankets.  Along with Sindhupalchowk, it was one of the hardest hit by the April, 2015, earthquake. 

Since we have been in Nepal, we have been deeply touched by the lengths to which Nepali children must go to receive an education.  As we drove along in the darkness we would see small groups of children of all ages walking along the roads, scrubbed and neatly dressed in their school uniforms.  They would either walk the entire distance to school or walk to the closest bus stop to catch one of the public buses to the village where their school is located.  In Kathmandu, the children in our branch of the Church often leave for school by 7:30 AM and do not arrive home until after 5:00 PM.  They do this six days a week!

After a trip of 6 1/2 hours, the last 1 1/2 hours on a dirt track that went up a steep mountain, we arrived in the tiny village of Bulung  located at about 8,000 feet above sea level.  On our way to the village, we had a glorious view of Gauri Shankar, one of the peaks in the Himalayan Range.  We had begun to wonder if there was actually anything at the end of the journey.  This was the sight that greeted our eyes:

We had to walk up some steep dirt steps and walk under the arch....

to find a large group of villagers waiting to enter a tented area. 

Elder Weaver carries the LDS Charities banner we hang at each

official event we attend.

After another 1 1/4 hours, the main event began.  We were draped with the colorful scarves and floral necklaces given honored guests and then were escorted up onto the stage where about 20 other guests were seated .  In attendance were around 2,500 villagers.

You many not be able to see this easily, but the women and

children are seated on one side and the men and pre-teen/teenage

boys are seated on the left side.

The event began with a number of rousing speeches in Nepali that sounded much like the ones we used to hear at political rallies when Dale Weaver (the original Gramps) was running for the Wyoming legislature.  The speakers kept turning and referring to a large banner behind us as they spoke.  Following these speeches, we were entertained by a female vocalist, a Nepali Robin Williams (who was funny even though we could not understand him) and a local male pop star.  By this time we were mystified as to the type of event we were attending and how our blanket distribution would fit in.  We finally asked the gentleman next to us, who spoke some English, what the banner behind us said.  He said it was an advertisement announcing the Bulung Cultural Festival.....which was what we were attending.  After the entertainment, the gentleman representing the Vice President's charity spoke, telling the villagers about the blankets donated by LDS Charities and that they would be receiving the blankets the next day in their various villages.  We then presented token blankets to ten representatives from the VDC's (Village Development Committees) of each village that would receive blankets.  Here we are presenting the blankets:

The blankets are 50% wool and 50% polyester and very heavy.

The event concluded with another rousing speech (the Nepali's love speeches!) from the Minister of Irrigation.  By then we had all been sitting for over 3 hours!  We left the area almost immediately, as we were anxious to get down the steep mountain before darkness fell. We drove about 3 hours back to Charicot where we stayed the night.  Luckily the Oliphants, who had stayed in the same hotel the week before, warned us that the building was very cold and that we should take warm clothing and extra blankets.  They also warned us not to try and shower, because there was no hot water.  The hotels are made of concrete and with the drapes shut all day, the rooms do not ever warm up.  When we stepped through the door to the room, it was like opening the door of your refrigerator and stepping inside.  We slept wearing our thermal underwear, jeans, turtlenecks, shirts, Wyoming hoodies, 2-layer Columbia coats, hats, gloves and three pairs of socks each.  In addition, we slept under three layers of blankets.  After several hours, our feet finally got warm enough that we could fall asleep!  Needless to say, we were deeply grateful to reach our apartment in Kathmandu late the next morning and take a short, but blessedly warm shower!



                                            

Trip to Pokhara

We were invited by one of our NGO (non-governmental organization) partners
to attend a sewing center graduation in Pokhara, Nepal.  Pokhara is about 130 miles
from Kathmandu and it takes about 5 1/2 to 6 hours to get there.  This sewing center
was modeled after the one that LDS Charities helps fund in Kathmandu.  The women,
who are all mothers of disabled children, attend classes for six months and learn to
make clothing which they can use for their family or sell to earn much needed income. 

  While waiting for the graduation to begin, we visited with this young man who
 one year ago received a wheelchair donated by LDS Charities.  Prior to that,
his mother had to carry him everywhere, even to school.  His mother was one
of the women who graduated from the sewing center program

that day.

Each woman graduating from the program that day received a sewing

machine like the one above to take home with her.  You will notice that

this is not an electric sewing machine, but a treadle variety.  This is much

more useful in Nepal where the electricity can be unpredictable.

 

Water Project, Orphanage and Hospital

Walking down a steep mountain trail to get to a pump station.

A view from halfway up the mountain. see the terraced farming on the opposite mountain.

Scott inspecting the top of the water tank.

This is a picture of some of the children in an orphanage in Kathmandu. We met the woman who operates the orphanage at church. Her name is Ellen Dietrich She is from Germany. She has dedicated the past 17 years of her life to this project. She provides the children with an opportunity for a healthy living environment and they can also get a college education, if they desire one. The web site is www.hausderhoffnung-nepal.de. This may be a place for your donations. It will be a place for our donation.

This picture is of a baby in the NICU (neonatal intensive-care unit) at the Paropakar Maternity and Women's Hospital. I (Scott) was moved to tears seeing doctors and nurses valiantly trying to save these newborn babies under very trying circumstances. We (LDS Charities) are working to help bring in CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machines to help these little ones breath and survive. I couldn't help but think about my own grandchildren and how I would feel if they were in similar circumstances.

Kathmandu Christmas

This is a picture of the members of the LDS Branch (congregation) packaging blankets and other items for distribution to families in need. Over 20 families received packages.

This is a picture of the taxi that we took to deliver packages to 3 families.

This is a picture of the visit during one of our package deliveries. You will note the plate with a cup and bread. Shortly after we arrived, the mother brought us hot milk and bread. These good people who have so little were anxious to share what they had with us. This was a very humbling experience.



Today's Shopping Trip - We made the trip on our own for the first time!

This is the brand new grocery store in the neighborhood.  In the
foreground, a paving crew is paving the parking by hand, one tile
at a time.

This is the view from the deck off of our bedroom on the second floor of the
apartment building where we live.  The garden in the foreground is our
backyard area.  Our landlord has done a beautiful job of landscaping here.



Sis. Weaver is standing in front of one of the many small, sole-proprietor shops
that dot the area where we live.  Today we bought two small bags of
unpasteurized milk, which we will have to take home and scald before using it. 
His wife and baby stand beside Sis. Weaver, while another customer is being helped.

This is a view of the apartment building where we live.  We live on the first level
at the edge of the courtyard.  There is a guard who has quarters just inside and to
the left of the gated entrance to the property.  Our landlord, who is a graduate of
Cal Poly with a degree in Civil Engineering, designed and built the apartments.  He
and his family live in the upper three floors.  The apartments suffered no damage in
the earthquake, unlike the building in the foreground.