www.dnh-stuttgart.org

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April2016

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NamasteDearMembersanddearFriendsoftheGNHA,Bothweandyou-whereasyouperhapshavenotbeencontinually followingthedevelopments inNepal-imaginedthemonthsfollowingourlastDNH-Brieftobedifferenttothis.AblockadeonthebordertoIndiawherethemostimportantsuppliesenterthecountry,meantthattheplannedreconstructionworkcouldnotbestarted.Anditisnotuntilnow,i.e.oneyearaftertheearthquake,andafteragreatdealoftimeandenergyhasbeenwasted,that ithasgotunderway.Forusthiswasfrustrating,butforthepeopleinNepal, livingonlyunderinadequateshelterduringthesecoldwintermonths,thiswassheermisery.Thepopulation'sabilitytowithstandsufferingwas,andisstillbeingputtothetestunderveryhardconditions.OnepositiveaspecttoreportisthatwewereabletoinauguratedourTrainingCentreinBadalgaundespite somedelay, and that it is beingmade full useof. In a sense, it acts as a shiningexampleshowingthatNepalwasnotbroughttoitskneesbytheearthquakeandtheblockade.And then at last, the long-awaited and half-expected good news finally came - the MillenniumAllianceProjecthadbeenapprovedforNepal.OnecaninterpretthisasasortofknightlyaccoladefortheGNHA.ThroughthisalliancetheMGMLProjectcanbeimplementedevenmoreeffectivelyinNepal.And we would also like to inform you that we asked our Coordinator for the education sector,ChandraShrestha, togiveusapersonal résumé.WealsoaskedSabineBaumer to reportonhowshe,asanexperiencedteacher,isnowworkingasavolunteerandprovidingourTeamwithabasicknowledgeofEnglish,orhelpingtoimproveit.Everyonehasdone,andisstilldoingtheirlevelbesttoconveyhopetothepeopleinNepal–youasfriends,membersanddonators,andweatouroffice inStuttgartandwithourTeaminNepal.Nooneearnedanythingformthedeadlockoverthepastfewmonths.Butlet'shopeitisovernow.Inthisspirit,Igreetyouherewithawarm"Namaste".

AndreasFalk-President-

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MMBTrainingCentreinBadalgaunisopenedinthedistrictofKavreDuringthelastfewyears,theGNHA'sschoolprogramhasbeengainingmomentum.Therehasbeenacontinually increasing need for teachers who are trained in the MGML Methodology. Teachingpremiseshad tobehired forholdingour courses, and thiswas very expensive.As awayoutof thisdilemmatheideawasbornofhavingourownTrainingCentre.AsuitableplotwasfoundinthedistrictofKavreinBadalgaun.Situatedinthecountryside,yeteasytoreach,itliesinthedirectvicinityofaschoolwehavebeensupportingthereformanyyears.InOctober2014wewereabletolayafoundationstone(s.dnh-brief8)thankstoagenerousfinancialcommitment on the part of the Margarete Müller-Bull (MMB) Foundation from Stuttgart. Theconstructionworkprogressedrapidlyupuntilthebarebrickwork,andthenthedevastatingearthquakehitNepal inApril2015.With tremendous reliefwecouldsee that theearthquake-proofconstructiondesignhadsurvivedthenaturalcatastrophewithoutanydamage,andtobeginwith,wewereabletouseitforatotallydifferentpurpose,i.e.asanemergencyshelterforthevillagersatatimeofutmostneed.Aftertheearthquakethereweremoreimportantprioritiestotacklefirst,asopposedtofinishingtheconstruction of a training centre. From September 2015 the progress of the constructionworkwasagainthwartedformonthsduetotheconsequencesofthedisastrous,politically-motivatedblockadeontheNepalesebordertoIndia.Thesupplycrisistookustotallybysurprise,aswewerepracticallywithoutanybuildingmaterialsandfuel,thuscausingourbuildingactivitytocometoanalmostcompletestandstill.After somany endurance tests during the building phase, we are all themore delighted about thecompletionofwhatweconsidertobeourwonderful,purpose-madeTrainingCentrewhich,apartfroma generously spacious training room, also has a conference room, three bedrooms, a kitchen andancillaryrooms.TheTrainingCentreliesonasteepslopethathad to be secured. During the monthsfollowing the earthquake therewere a greatmany discussions about stable, earthquake-proof and low-cost building alternatives.Weinnovatively used earthbags. Besides usingthe soil available on site for filling the big,strong, plastic sacks, barbed wire was alsoimplemented.The rectangular-shaped earthbags,intermeshed with barbed wire, were layeredto form a wall and now support the steepslope. As we only needed to buy very littlematerial, the wall could also be completedduringtheblockade.This wall made out of earthbags, hasmeanwhile impressively demonstrated thisalternativeconstructionmethodthatcanalsobe used for reconstructing houses in thevillage. Inthiswaywehaveadditionallybeenable to make a contribution towards thetechnologytransfer.

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On24thMarchthePresidentofourAssociation,AndreasFalk,wasat lastable toconduct the long-awaitedinaugurationofourMMBTrainingCentreatanofficialopeningceremony.Ourthanksgotothesponsorswhoenabledittobebuilt.(KS)

AndreasFalkwithNepalesecolleaguesattheofficialopeningceremony TheMMBCentrewith itsmulti-layeredwall

madeoutofearthbags

Alreadyinusetoday-theTrainingCentre

Opening ceremony in Badalgaun with official guests,studentsandvillagers

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GNHA-oneoftheplayersintheMillenniumAlliance(MA)forNepalWeshallbehearingtheterm,MillenniumAlliance (MA),more frequently in the future inconnectionwithourschoolprogram.Here, therefore, isanexplanationofwhat it involves,aswecan indeedbeproudofhavingbecomeapartofit.TheMAiscomposedofauthoritativeinstitutionssuchastheStateTechnologyDevelopmentBoardofIndia, the umbrella organisation of the Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), andinternationaldevelopmentauthoritiessuchastheUSAID,theWorldBankandtheUKAID.TheMillenniumAllianceusestheslogan,"InspiringInnovation,SharingSolutions".Whatistheidea,orthebasic theorybehindthis? Indiahasahostofproblems innearlyeverysphereofhuman life, thatdirectly concern the population and its wellbeing. Numerous institutions and individuals workmeticulouslyatfindingasolution,oftenunnoticedbypolitics.

And indeed, there are ingenious and surprisingly successful solutions, time and time again atgrassroots, that are capable of being applied - also gainfully in other places - both nationally andinternationally.Therefore it isessentialtofoundpartnerships,promotetheir innovativecapacityandultimatelyspreadthesenewmethods.Forthispurpose,prizesareawardedbytheMAinthesectorsforagriculture,powersupply,waterresourcesmanagement,educationandhealth.In the sector for education,RIVER (RishiValleyEducationalResources)madeanapplicationwith itsMulti-Grade,Multi-Level (MGML)DisseminationModel.Thepurposeof thisspecificapplication is toencourage this educational approach and introduce it to more and more schools in Nepal and inanotherIndianfederalstate.ThecontactsforthisprocessaretheNepaleseeducationalauthorities.ButitisalsocleartoRIVERthatthe state needs competent support for this and has therefore assigned the GNHA as a furtheroperativepartner. In addition to theState,weare subsequently themost importantpartner for theMGMLmethodology in Nepal. In the same constellationwith us, Rishi Valleywas one of the threeprize-winnersintheeducationalsectorinApril2016inamulti-stateselectionprocess.Ofcourse,thispresentstheGNHAwithnewandgreaterchallenges,butwefeelcompetenttotacklethem.WithourhighlyqualifiedandmotivatedTeam, the relevantexperience in this field, the closecontacts with the Nepalese educational authorities, good contact with RIVER as a result of severalprofessionalmeetings,andournewTrainingCentre(seealsothearticleontheopeningoftheMMB

MGML lesson-whetherlearningin thegroup,alone,orunder the guidance of the teacher, each child issupportedhereindividually

Theclassroomwithchild-friendlyfacilities

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TrainingCentre),wehavelaidthefoundationsintherecentpastforthisprojectbeingasuccess.TheGNHAisthusanimportantplayerinanationaleducationalmission.Theproject isenvisaged foraperiodof threeyears. Justhowhightheprizeand/or thegrantwillbethattheMAwillfinallyplaceavailable,hasunfortunatelynotbeenpublishedyet.However,itisafactthatwe,too,i.e.theNepaleseauthoritiesandtheGNHA,willhavetograntfinancialsupport.Wehavealready made a good start by providing the training requisites (i.e. a team of instructors, andpremises), and are financing the printing of the extensive, carefully-devised learning materials forlevels1to3,sincethetrainingoftheteachersandtherespectivematerialaredecisiveforthesuccessoftheMGMLmethodology.(AF)

FromPrimarySchoolTeachertoGNHA’sEdicationProgramCoordinatorMy name is Chandra Kumar Shrestha. I was born on 16th May, 1983 inPanchkhal.Igrewupinanilliteratefamilywithapooreconomicbackground.Myfatherworkedasaplumber inLamidanda.Mymother isahousewifeandusedtoworkasafruitvendor.Bornasthesecondchild,Ihave2sistersandabrother. Now I am married and have a daughter and a son. I started myprimary-level schooling at the age of 4 and had to face lots of challengesduring my primary education. I completed my secondary level education atSarbamangalaHigherSecondarySchool.Duetomypooreconomiccircumstances,Ihadtoworkasafruitvendortocovermyfamily’severydayexpenditure.Myparentswereagainstmyeducationastheywantedmetowork.Butdue tomykeen interest in study, I continuedmyeducationat the same time.Although IwasagoodstudentIfailedtopassGrade10duetomyadditionalheavyworkload.I then quit working and concentrated onmy studies. After finishingmy SLC I started to work as avolunteeratthelocalGolmaDeviPrimarySchoolfornearly3months.IalsogainedsomeexperienceasanofficeassistantatGolmaDeviPrimarySchool.Lateron,IstartedtoworkasateacherinGolmaDeviPS.TheGNHAsupportedtheconstructionoftheschool’sbuildingandbathroomin1995andtheteachers’remuneration.Aftercompletinghighschool,IgotanopportunitytoundertakeaoneyearPrimaryLevelTeachers’TrainingProgram(PTTP)intheRatoBangalaFoundation.I successfullycompletedthePTTPandalthough Iwasofferedmanyopportunitiestoworkatprivateschools, I turned them down because the development of my village and working on behalf ofchildren’swelfarewasalwaysmymainconcern.Hence,IjoinedGolmaDeviPS.TheGNHAandGDPSalsohelpedmetoprovemyselfasacompetentteacher.IalwaysattemptedtoimplementknowledgefromthePTTP.AltogetherIworkedthereasateacherfor10yearsandamthereforeaware,frommyown experience, of the problems teachers have to face. In addition to this, I was able to sharemyknowledgeandskillswithotherteachers.The GNHA has various different programs for improving the quality of the education at primaryschools. Itworkedwithasmallnumberofschoolsandplannedaqualitativelyhigh-grademodel,andsubsequentlyexpandeditsprogramforotherschools.IwasappointedasanEducationOfficerbytheGNHAin2011andworkedforaprobationperiodof6months.DuringthisperiodIhadthechancetounderstandmoreabouttheGNHA'sinterventioningovernmentschoolsandschoolpractice.

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I alwaysbelieved indoinghardwork forobtaininggood results.Themoreexperienceand training Ihad, the better I managed, and with virtues such as sincerity and honesty I was able to gain theconfidenceoftheGNHAprojectpartners.IstartedtoworkasapermanentstaffmemberoftheGNHAandincreasinglygained responsibility.Now I am working as an Education Program Coordinator. We, the members of the GNHA, areconductingeducationprogramswith63communityschoolsand2NGOs in7districts.Theproject iswell-correlatedwiththeDistrictEducationOffices,DistrictDevelopmentcommitteesandother localstakeholders of the GNHA's working areas. I have always believed that following the GNHA'sendeavoursandobjectiveswouldsupportmycolleagues.IwouldliketothankalltheGNHAmembersandtheGNHAstaffmembersinNepalfortheirwonderfulsupportandencouragement.Ibelievethateverychildshouldgetthechancetolearnlifeskillsatschoolastheywillthenbeabletogetabettereducationforabetterlife.IamalsodoingmyMaster’sandamthefirstmemberinmyentirefamilytostudyforaMaster’sdegree.ChandraKumarShresthaEducationProgramCoordinatorGNHA

Chandrawithstudents

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ProjectTripNepal–ProjectTrip,spring2017–advancenotificationAprojecttriporganisedbythelocaltravelagency,TembasNepalTrek,Kathmandu,isplannedtotakeplaceinMarch2017.Prospectiveduration,approx.20daysto/fromKathmandu.Minimumnumberofparticipants:10persons.BindingadvancebookingsaretobereceivedbyTembasNepalTrekbytheendofOctober2016,atthelatest.Furtherinformationonthejourneyandbookingwillsoonbeavailableonourwebsite:www.dnh-stuttgart.organdunderwww.tembasnepaltrek.com.

ThreemonthsoffreedomAfterteachingGermanandEnglishfor17yearsinBavariaandalsoabroad,itwastimetohaveachange,sotwoyearsagoIstartedputtingsomemoneyaside,butstillfeltveryvagueaboutwhatIwantedtodo.Iwanted togain somenewexperienceand takea small break from theeveryday routineat school - notbecause I didn’t enjoy teaching any more, but because I was fed up with all the silly reforms andregulations within the last ten years and because I had gained so much positive experience teachingabroadattheGermanSchoolinLisbon/PortugalforthreeyearsafterIwasunemployedinGermany.

IwantedtogivesomethingbackinreturnforallthegoodfortuneIhadhadinmylife,dosomethingusefuland experience a very different culture.When I heard whatmy task in Nepal would be, i.e. practicingEnglishwiththeGNHAstaff,goingtothenewTrainingCentreinBadalgaunandworkingtherewiththechildrenandteachers,Iimmediatelyagreed,asIknewIwouldlikethiskindofwork.

Although Ihaveonlybeenhere inKathmandufor16days, it feelsmore likefourweeksormore. I reallyfeelathome,althoughthetraffic,airand infrastructuredifferagreatdeal frommypeaceful,greenandquiet home in the Bavarian Forest, in the middle of nowhere. However, I settled in quickly, and thehospitality, care, concern and friendliness of the people here who have far less than those inmy owncountry,havemadeupforallthis.Ioftenwonderedhowthesepeoplecouldlaughsomuchandsoheartilyandcopewithalltheireverydayproblems,suchaspowercuts24timesaday,orhavingtowork6daysaweek.

IhavebeenteachingthestaffoftheGermanNepalese Help Association for two weeksnow and have met so many admirablepeoplewhoaredevotedto theirwork.Theyhavetoldmealotabouttheirlives,cultures,creeds and everyday life and have beenpracticingandimprovingtheirEnglishintheprocess.Ireallyenjoyteachingthemastheyappreciatemywork and are eager to learn,as they are aware that education andlearning languages serve as a key to a newworld - somethingmy students at homedidnot always realise as they were too busycomplaining about all the work they had todo.

Sabine, our English teacher, with her GNHA students, Sunita andThakuratthe"HoliFestival"

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Iwork insmallgroupswithupto4peopleandtry toteachmynewstudentsusefulvocabulary,e.g. thedriverslearnsentencestheycanusewithforeignvisitors,andwithSunita,ourlovelysecretary, Iworkatimprovingherwrittenreports.

IamverygladImadethisdecisiontotakeabreakfrommydailyroutineinGermany,andquitesurethatIwillreflectonallthatIhaveseenandexperiencedhereforaverylongtime,whenIambackhomeagain.My impressionwasreconfirmedthatthesupportgiventotheNGOsthemselves,directly inthecountry,whether withmoney, goods,medicine or personal help, is the best andmost efficient way to supportthem,andforeachindividualpersonhere,thishelpmakesagreatdifferencetotheirlivesandsimilarlytoyoursandcertainlyalsotomine!SabineBaumer,Kathmandu,April1st2016

ThedeadlockwiththereconstructionmeasuresTheywereurgentlynecessary,andhoweagerwouldwehavebeentoreportthatwehadbeenabletosetup new buildings during the reconstruction work of the demolished schools at the several differentlocations,andthatalargenumberofclassroomsthathadnotbeensobadlydestroyedbytheearthquakecouldberepaired.Unfortunatelywehavetocometothesoberingrealisationthatwehaveonlyjustbeenabletostartthereconstructionwork.Atthebeginningthingslookedsoassuring.Justlikemanyotherorganisations,wefoundourselvesonthestartingblocks forbeginningourworkafter theDasainholidays inOctober lastyear.AndthenwewereheldbackcompletelybytheblockadeimposedbyIndia.Forfiveandahalfmonthspracticallynosupplieswerecomingintothecountryanymore.Thisblockadehadaparticularlydisastrouseffectonthefuelandenergysupplies.Asaresulttherewerequeuesoutsidethepetrolstations,severalkilometreslong,aswellastrafficjams,andsubsequentlythetransportcametoacompletestandstill.Many held the unanimous opinion that the effects of the blockade hit Nepal even harder than theearthquake itself,and theaftershocks thathavebeenoccurringupuntil today.The reconstructionworkcouldnotevengetstarted,asthebuildingmaterialswerenotavailable,andfuelforthetransportvehiclescouldnotbeprocured.Ontopofallthis,theStateinstitutionssimplyfailedinthissituationandbynomeansdidjusticetotheirresponsibilityforensuringaspeedyformulationandimplementationofthedirectives.For example, the authority thatwasmade responsible for the reconstruction of the devastated privatehomes,isstillnotabletofunctionfully.Thereisnotenoughstaffanduntilnow,onlyabout150,000(asperApril2016)ofthe498,852housesinquestionhavebeenexamined.Thepubliccriticismoftheregulationsforcarryingthisoutisunfortunatelyfullyjustified.SincethebeginningofFebruary,themostimportantborder-crossingpointtoIndiahasbeenopenagain.Importantsuppliesarecomingintothecountryagainwithoutanyhindrance.Asapleasingconsequencethesupplysituation,withtheexceptionofthefuelsupplies,hasreturnedtonormal.Together with two construction management teams, we are now in the process of organising thereconstructionoftheschoolsattenlocationsinthedistrictsofDhadingandDolakha,simultaneously.Thelocationschosenwerethosefarthestawayorthehardesttoreachduringtherainyseason.Inaddition,wehaveplacedorderswithvariousdifferentmetalworkingbusinessesforsupportingstructuresfortheschoolbuildings,soastobeabletotransportthem,asfaraspossible,tootherlocationstoo,beforethemonsoonstarts.Inthiswayweshallalsobeabletoworkduringtherainyseason.

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We are endeavouring to complete these tasks systematically. As one can imagine, this presents atremendouslogisticchallengewithintheshortperiodthatstillliesaheadofus,asthetimeframeforbeingabletobringtransportstothepartlyremotevillagesbeforethemonsoonsetsin,isveryshort.OurTeam,ofcourse,wasveryactive.ThemonthlyMobileHealthCampstookplaceinexactlythesamewayasthetrainingandguidanceoftheteachersfortheMGMLmethodology.Atalltheschoollocationsso-called Temporary Learning Centres have been set up - mostly temporary classrooms of corrugatedsheetmetal,whereteachingcanbecontinued.Theinhabitantsofsomeofthevillagessituatedhigherup,weresuppliedwithwarmblanketsduringthewinter.Weareexceptionallygratefultoourdonatorsfortheirpatience,andtoourTeamforthecommitmentithasalsoshownduringthemonthsofcrisis.(AF)

Possible at last - the reconstruction of the Lower Secondary School Gyanodaya, Katunje in thedistrictofDhading–oneofthe10locationswhereworkcouldberesumed..

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Wewouldliketoexpressourthankstoallourdonatorswhoensurea sound financialbasis forourwork, so that the reconstructionofourschoolscanalsobeguaranteedalongsideourworkinthecurrentprojects..In particular we thank our partner organisations, the Kindermissionswerk "Die Sternsinger e.V.",Nepalhilfe Aachen, Nepalhilfe Beilngries and the Margarete Müller-Bull Foundation, that give ustremendousfinancialsupport.WethankthemanycompaniesthatgivedonationstotheGNHAinsteadofChristmaspresentstotheirbusiness partners. Similarly, we sincerely thank the numerous jubilarians who asked for donationsinstead of being given presents, the Rotary and Lions Clubs, Emmi Zehnle and Christl Graf for theirtirelessworkatvariousdifferentstreetmarkets,ChristineReuter,PeterSchöderlein,UlrikeDrasdoandRolandBrandfortheirnumeroustalksheldforthebenefitoftheGNHA,aswellasalltheschoolchildrenwhocollecteddonationsforNepalwithdonationandcake-sellingcampaigns,etc.,etc..We also express our sincere thanks to all the donators and helperswhomwe have not been able tonamepersonallyduetotheirlargenumber.

Arrivalofthematerials

Workingonthefoundation

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DatesandlatestinformationFor the latest information on special dates and our projects, please see our homepage or Facebookpage.www.dnh-stuttgart.orgwww.fb.com/Deutsch-Nepalische-Hilfsgemeinschaft-117494788313902/

04.06.2016:GNHAAnnualGeneralMeetingWeshallbegladtowelcomeallourmembersandanyguestswhoareinterested.Saturday, 4th June, from 10.00 a.m.. Place: Firma Trelleborg, Handwerkstr. 5-7, 70565 Stuttgart-Vaihingen(intheCafeteria,Hofgebäude1stfloor)05.06.2016:GNHAoutingtoRemstalWe shall be enjoying a walk with wonderful views around the "Korber Kopf in Korb" in the Remstalvalley,andmakingapleasantstopontheway.GNHAmembersandNepalfriendsarewarmlyinvited.WekindlyaskyoutoinformtheGNHAOfficebeforehand,ifyouwishtotakepart.Sunday,5thJune,at10a.m.,atthemeetingpoint:carpark(Parkplatz)“HanweilerSattel"situatedabove71404Korb19.-20.11.2016:GNHANepalBazaarWenowalreadyinviteyouwarmlytovisitourtraditionalNepalBazaarSaturday,19thNovember,2016:10a.m.–6p.m.Sunday,20thNovember,2016:11a.m.–5p.m.Place:FirmaTrelleborg,Handwerkstr.5-7,70565Stuttgart-Vaihingen(intheCafeteria,Hofgebäude1stfloor)11.12.2016:Nepal–MultivisionReportagebyDieterGlogowski"Nepal–Acht–DerWeghateinZiel”:CharityEventforthebenefitoftheGNHA.Sunday,11thDecember,at4p.m.,attheLindenmuseuminStuttgartGNHAcontactaddress:Deutsch-NepalischeHilfsgemeinschafte.V.Schulze-Delitzsch-Straße22,70565StuttgartPhone:+49(0)7114596-488,Fax:+49(0)7119977-9658Email:buero@dnh-stuttgart.orgBANKACCOUNTFORDONATIONSCommerzbankStuttgartIBANDE03600800000182497100,BIC:DRESDEFF600

TheGNHAisarecognised,non-profitorganisation.Donationsaretax-deductible.Donationreceiptsare,asarule,issuedattheendoftheyear,butalsobeforehanduponspecialrequest.Lastcertificateoftaxexemptionof28.10.2014.