Day Four: Seeing The Orphanage

Another productive day today, as preliminary work is finishing up on the computers. We’ve got the computers dual-booting, to give prospective schools / buyers a chance to see what they can get (when you turn the computer on, you now have the choice of booting into Windows or Edubuntu Linux, an educational version of Ubunutu). Both operating systems are configured and ready to go. While Nepal Telecom has been taking a hit from load shedding today; we have managed to get all the necessary drivers and updates for both Windows and Ubuntu in the intermittent gaps between the power outages.

Before lunch, we went out to visit a local Hindu crematorium. The temple is a well known place throughout Nepal and India, and thousands of devout Hindus make the trip every year. I found it interesting to see armed police even in the most holiest of areas in Nepal; they are very concerned about security this week, because it is a religious holiday and there are huge crowds everywhere.

Later on (around two or three), we set off in Muni’s car to see the sites and sounds of Kathmandu. We first traveled to a local gorge, driving by a number of interesting places on the way. One interesting thing I saw was blood on the front of the cars and trucks on the streets of Nepal. When the animals were slaughtered today for the festivities, blood was smeared on the hood or front bumper of the car as an offering to the gods to protect against accidents. Some vehicles also had colored powder called gulal(the powder thrown on Holi) in addition to the blood.

The drive to the gorge was a scenic one. We were facing mountains nearly ten thousand feet high, then we’d turn a corner and be under a dense canopy of trees, then we’d climb a straight away (while passing an abandoned concrete factory) and be looking over Kathmandu — the geography here is very diverse, and every turn on the ride to the gorge gave a new vista to enjoy.

On the ride back to Muni’s house, as we passed a remote farming villiage, we got an unexpected phone call. It was an orphanage that Muni has known for quite sometime, located in Kathmandu. We had previously mentioned being interested in stopping by, and they were calling to let us know that the kids had prepared a song and dance routine for us, if we wanted to be there in fifteen minutes.

Arriving at the orphanage, it was immediately evident that the staff had been doing a good job. The kids were all healthy and happy, and I could see large black water tanks on the roof: they had enough to eat and drink every day, which was great. The kids performed the song and dance routine, and then started running around, playing, laughing — I was glad to see the kids in such high spirits. They took special interest in the camera, and the kids would run up to me in large groups saying “kyamera! kyamera!”.

After we walked around a little more, it was evident that the orphanage would be an excellent recipient of the low cost computers. They have basic needs — water, food, shelter — but they don’t have any access to educational materials past a chalkboard and an adult (the kids are taught basic literacy, but little else). With the computers, they could learn concepts from basic addition and subtraction through programming, chemistry and algebra. The orphanage also has an old computer (with a 400W power supply) which they use for administrative purposes. They told Muni that the computer cannot run when power goes down, and that they often rely on the computer to keep the orphanage running — Muni, for instance, found out about the orphanage over the internet, and has been a regular contributor since then. With the exception of 10 Rs. packs of incense, the orphanage is entirely funded by donations; so having a computer to email prospective donors or host a website is a very important part of the orphanage’s operation.

The kids of the orphanage wave goodbye. That's Muni at the top right.

The ride back to Muni’s house was a great time to reflect on this project; both where it is now, and where it will end up. For the first time, I’ve seen the faces and organizations which would benefit from the computers; it gave everything a sense of purpose. While I was previously concerned that I wouldn’t have enough to do in the three months I’ll be in Nepal, I am now worried that in the three months I’ll be in Nepal, I won’t have time to do enough.

That’s all for now.
Charles