Health Walker
Nepali Times: Issue # 206 JUL 23-29 2004
Health walker Walking 3,000km, at up to 20km a day, sounds like a gruelling fitness regime, but 39-year-old Londoner Stephen Watkins has more than his own health in mind. His trip, which starts in Ladakh, then passing through Nepal and Darjeeling to finally cool off in Gangtok, Sikkim, is sponsored, and all proceeds go to a remote health post in the village of Murma in Mugu. The health post was set up by the Help Nepal Network, which Watkins (right) decided to support after reading about it in a London paper. Watkins has been in the region before.
Trekking in Ladakh three years ago got him detained by the Indian Army on suspicion of being first an escaped prisoner then a spy, a misconception fuelled by the fact that he couldn't tell them who the England cricket captain was. Despite the hard walk and the challenges he's sure to face, Watkins says, “The fact that I'm helping raise money for charity will be an extra incentive when my legs start to wobble on those steep hills.”
The whole trip, starting at the end of July, is expected to take up to five months, with Watkins passing through Kathmandu in September. Updates on ‘The Hike' and information on the health post are at www.helpnepal.net
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Mother and the Motherland...
Spotlight: VOL. 23, NO. 06, AUG 01 - AUG 08 2003
As an increasing number of Nepalese live and work around the world, the UK-based charity emerges as a model
By A Correspondent
Dozens of Nepalese youths, and some middle-aged people, were swinging in full as the popular Nepali song, Wari Jamuna Pari Jamuna, was being played in full-volume at the Doreen Bazel hall at Camden, London on Saturday, July 19. The occasion was the annual fund-raising dinner of the Help Nepal Network (HeNN), a UK-based charity of Nepalese living in different parts of the world.
Over 1,200 pounds (nearly Rs 140,000) were raised during the event, which included a donation of £695.00 by Anil Thapa, a Nepali student. Thapa raised the amount by participating in the British 10K open road race campaign early this month. He handed over the sum to HeNN during the gala event.
Since its launch in September 1999, HELP NEPAL Network (with presence in Austria, Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Finland, Italy, Nepal, New Zealand, UK, and USA) has raised over £23,000 so far. Over 175 regular contributions to the value of just over £300 per month are also in place.
The money raised through a simple scheme of "One Pound a Month," mostly by the Nepalese for the Nepalese, has been spent mainly in the areas of health and education. The projects successfully completed by HeNN so far include construction of a primary schools at Latamatia, Dang, Bijayanagar, Pyuthan, support to construct classrooms at Chanaute Primary School in Parbat district, support to construct a library at Dunai, Dolpa, support to conduct eye treatment camp at Kapan, Kathmandu and support to launch Hepatitis B vaccination program at a school in Pashupati, Kathmandu. HeNN also collected medical equipment worth about £1,500 from a hospital in London and arranged its distribution in Nepal in 2001.
HeNN is now supporting SAHARA, a Nepalgunj-based NGO, to run educational and rehabilitation program for children who turned orphans during the Maoist violence. It is also supporting to construct a health post in the remote Mugu district. There are instances when†local partners and communities contributed more, in terms of money or voluntary labor, than that actually provided by HeNN to complete the projects.
"Over the years, Hepal Nepal Network has emerged as an organization committed for the upliftment of Nepal and Nepalese," said Julie Basnet, Social Secretary of the HeNN. "At the same time, it is also working as a network among Nepalese diaspora sustaining their nationalistic feelings and uniting them for a good cause.
Shaligram Aryal, a UK-based Nepali journalist and student said, "It's a good opportunity for all of us. It makes us proud when we are able to contribute to our motherland in whatever small way possible."
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Helping Nepal
(Nepali Times, Mar 2nd, 2003)
Some of Nepal's top pop artistes donated half the proceeds, nearly $1,800, from a Nepali music concert in London on 23 February, 2003 for HELP NEPAL Network, a charity started by Nepalis living abroad. Babin Pradhan, Yem Baral, Nhyoo Bajracharya and Ruju Tuladhar entertained a 500-strong Nepali crowd at Woolwich Public Hall in East London. Sapan Kumar Rai and Situ Kharel, Nepali singers who are based in London, also performed. The manager of the event, Raju Tuladhar, said the Nepali community in the UK was very supportive.
HELP NEPAL Network encourages Nepalis around the world to give back to their country. It operates in 10 countries and has donated over £22,000 towards building schools and libraries in remote districts like Dolpa, Dang, Pyuthan and Parbat. It has also organised several health camps in Chitwan and Kathmandu. (www.helpnepal.net)
Yam Baral, Nhyu BajraCharya, Babin Pradhan, and Raju Tuladhar performing
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How they mixed sport with charity in London
(Kathmandu Post, July 30th, 2002)
By Rama Parajuli
LONDON, July 29, 2002
The members of the Nepalese community in London responded to the call to help the flood and landslide-affected people of Khotang by organising a game of football at the Brainsite High School playing ground. There were nearly 40 teams of Nepalese people playing football on the ground. The scene cut a beautiful picture indeed.
Carrying a placard which read " Even a penny matters," they were successful in collecting the amount of about Rs.75 thousand equivalent to 603 sterling pound. A penny is equivalent to nearly Rs.1.24.
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| Volunteers of Help Nepal Network collecting donations from the Nepalese gathered at the Yeti Football Tournament 2002, held in London. |
The event was organised by an association called Yeti while the job of actual collection of the fund was done by " Help Nepal Network". The task of collecting the money was actively participated by women and youth. Help Nepal Network is, meanwhile, involved in garnering fund at the speed of "one Pound a month" for school libraries and school buildings back home by approaching Nepalese settled in England and others who want to contribute to the cause.
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'Even a penny matters'. |
"The response was overwhelmingly appreciative than we had anticipated. Nepalese were found more positive although we had issued the call at short notice," said Madhusudan Kayastha who works at Goldman Sachs as a system associate. He is also associated with the Help Nepal Network.
HeNN has supplemented to the amount and are sending nearly Rs.150 thousand to Nepal which will be used for providing relief material to the affected people.
Yeti is one of the oldest organisations of the Nepalese residing in London, although there are many others too working along casteist and professional lines. Nima Lama, Vice Chairman of the Yeti said, " We attract a lot of Nepalese. There are nearly 10 thousand Nepalese working in London. Add to it nearly six thousand Gorkhas and their family members.
He also said that children get to learn about the Nepalese culture whenever some events are organised. This was evident in the way the families and children had turned up at the football ground. All of whom could be seen having something or the other in keeping with the Nepalese food habits. Food too was Nepalese.
Although the Yeti does not accept the membership of non-Nepalese, there are Nepalese of Bhutanese and Sikkimese origin as members of Yeti. The Cultural Secretary of Yeti, Ananda Kumar Gurung, said Nepalese children are treated with Tamang cello and folk songs so that they remain acquainted with the Nepalese ethnic culture.
Yeti was set up by the Nepalese students studying in London in 1960s. In fact it was established under the leadership of Pashupati Shumshere Rana. He was its first president. " Nepalese who were involved in catering service were people who extended utmost support to Yeti, " he said. There are nearly 60-70 Nepalese restaurants in Britain, with 40 of them in London.
Although the Nepalese used to congregate during the birthday celebrations of His Majesty the King or other festivals, the football event drew appreciable crowd. The Sports Secretary of Yeti, Amrit Thapa, said, " There were more teams vying to register. But we denied once we had 40 of them."
Out of them, 14 teams belonged to the British Gorkhas. Although it was Civilian Monal-7 which won the match in 1999, it is invariably the Gorkha team which comes out victorious. The games began at 9am but the final match had to be played well after the darkness had set in. The winner of the matches was STS Gorkha while the runner up was Raiding Boys. |
