After breakfast, we walked to the small village on the hillside above the resort. About 100 people live in the 27-28 houses of the village. An amazing variety of fruit and vegetables are being raised and traded among the villagers: apples, mangoes, bananas, eggplant, corn, pumpkins, etc.
Children headed to school, albeit late.
Women in the village bushwhack through the grass(keeping a careful eye out for snakes) to collect food for the goats and cattle. Their baskets carry 100 lbs of greenery for their livestock.
Down the precarious road is the larger village of Dhulikhel. This is a Newari village, with temples around 400 years old. We walked the streets, watching the tableaux of ordinary village life.
Buddhist stupa
Gods facing a Hindu temple
Entry door depicting Hindu gods
We stopped at a sari store, a pharmacy and a natural products store. I went on an unsuccessful quest for diet coke. It's hot and humid again today and an ice cold soda would have been great!
After lunch we walked to a government school. These schools are for underprivileged kids, and are sorely lacking in resources. The children wear uniforms and, like any random group of kids, included those who were excited to see us, and those who were very shy. Our guide had brought workbooks and pencils for us to give to the children. Even the shyest would reply with a smile and a thank you or Namaste, touching the book to their forehead. So sweet.
School is mandatory through 8th grade, and optional up to 10th grade in the government schools. Other schools may go up to 12th grade. While 94% of children attend school, only 8% finish high school. Rural and poor children may find it difficult to attend school regularly, as they may be unable to cross a river during monsoon season, or be needed at home to help protect the crops needed to feed the family. In addition, over 3000 schools were damaged in the earthquake. Half still have no roof and will need to close when the rains come. (As I write this, there is a low rumble of thunder so perhaps they will start tomorrow. Monsoon season started a few days ago, but no rain yet.)
After another bone wrenching ride back to our resort (we passed a truck that had gone over the cliff, and fortunately got hung up on trees), we meet for a talk with our group leader on Nepalese politics. Too much information to transcribe fully here, but a couple points and impressions:
Nepal is not a bad place to be a woman. Reforms in the past 50 years have increased their political and social status. Nepal has a female president, chief justice, and speaker of the house. Women own 45% of businesses in Nepal, including trekking businesses. By law, at least 32% off all government jobs must be filled by women. Since the late 1990s, Women's Clubs have organized and gained great social power. If a man beats his wife, is warned by the Women's Club to stop, and does it again, women will drag him from his house and beat him. In divorce settlements, judges favor the woman because he does not want 200 women protesting outside his house if the settlement is perceived as unfair.
Many of the less educated people leave to find work in other countries, sending money home ("remittance economy"). 1700 Nepali leave every day. The lucky ones work somewhat like the Netherlands or Malaysia. The majority (and unlucky ones) go to the Middle East. They work in homes or construction or wherever they can. Three to four come home every day in a coffin.
No comments:
Post a Comment