Give Big/Spring Newsletter 2021
Namaste and warm greetings to our Circle of Friends
May 2021 - While the United States has made great strides vaccinating its citizens, India has become the new epicenter for Covid-19. India's next door neighbor Nepal is also struggling to overcome the virus spread. Our Namaste Children's Fund (NCF) programs are being affected and we continue to adjust and adapt all aspects of our girls' education from classrooms to online learning and group hostel living.
Nepal has started their vaccination program with vaccines reaching some remote villages where our students' families live. While this progress is encouraging, the country is grappling with a new wave of COVID-19 cases that have shut down schools again. To ensure our student's safety and health, we have created bubbles for them at both Simikot and Pharping hostels. NCF invested more in our programs in order to make remote learning accessible and improve the infrastructure to support our students. The pandemic has added significant pressure on our Nepali staff to provide a top quality program without in-person schooling.
Thanks to our supporters we have been able to successfully navigate these unique challenges. All donations go directly to the programs in Nepal and your contributions on May 4th and 5th will be matched 100% by us, doubling the impact you make in supporting us to rise up to the challenges brought on by this unprecedented global crisis.
Namaste,
Phil Crean and Cora Edmonds, NCF Co-Founders
Hostel Improvements
NCF made improvements to both Hostels this year. At Pharping, we built a new gate to better protect the students, installed new toilets and created a new food menu. At Simikot, we also added a new food menu with more meat and lentils to the girls' diets and expanded our safety guidelines for all visitors and students to follow.
Vaccine Distribution in Nepal
Nepal currently has four COVID-19 vaccines that have been approved by the government but a lack of planning and infrastructure has made distribution challenging. Thankfully, UNICEF has been helping Nepal by installing cold chain equipment like coolers and solar powered refrigerators so that people in remote villages have access to vaccines. Vaccines are being prioritized for essential workers which includes teachers so we are thrilled to report that all teachers at our hostel in Simikot have been vaccinated! Yet Nepal has a long way to go to vaccinate their 30 million citizens.
Photos from UNICEF
Celebrating the New Year - 2078!
Our students and staff recently celebrated the Nepali New Year and enjoyed a feast, received a special blessing, and danced together. Nepalis follow a lunar calendar system called the "Bikram Sambat." It has 354 days a year and an extra month every 3 years!
Every gift will make a positive impact in the lives of each girl
at the NCF school and hostels in Nepal.
We are matching100% of every dollar we receive,
doubling your generosity and support.
Our deepest gratitude for your extraordinary kindness and
action when our world needs it the most.
NAMASTE!
