Pictures

Ramita and I

Brittany presenting her camera

the 'one laptop per child' at Pinouti

The fearsome four (and Brittany) Ramita, Suni, LP and David

Monday May 25

Quick Look:

Ramita, Sydney and Brittany to Bagamati and Panouti

Brittany teaching Sydney about ymrc.org

So this morning Ramita, Brittany and I hired a cab to take us to Bagmati. This was our initial site visit. The YMRC or the Bagmatia Information Technology Center is part of a k-10 school. There we meet with the chair, the two youth leaders and the headmistress of the school. Brittany had received a grant from her community back home to give this center a camera. She presented them with a camera and a promise to return the next week to give instructions on the use of the camera and the website. They were very gracious and happy to have us there. The chair took us on a tour of the school and their women’s sewing club, where they hold trainings.

Next we visited Pinouti. This rural center just received those ‘one computer per child’ laptops. They are conducted a one month training. I don’t quite understand it all, but apparently at the end of the month the computers go away and they get a certificate that says ‘microsoft’ on it. But participants have to pay 1800rupees for the course. Ramita doesn’t like it. Her center provides a similar course with the same curriculum, but it’s a better deal I suppose.

Our final stop was Sankhu were I met the famed LP, David and Suni. Brittany and LP taught me how to use the website

Friday May 22, My First Day

Fri May 22

Quick look:

Met with Ramita and Brittany

Met Indira

Met with Mulmi-ji and director of Gorkha office in headquarters

Today I met some key players of my stay here in India, people I had heard much about. First, there was Brittany from Minnesota, another intern with Community Development Network. She is visiting Youth Management Resource Centers to Nepal to assist them in building their websites. She will be assisting in the Youth Summit we are holding for the youth technology centers in June. Ramita is an integral part of CDN’s presence and the existence of many of the telecenters around Nepal. She and Brittany met me this morning at the Kathmandu Guest House. We discussed logistics and our possible schedule for the next while. On Monday, I am doing some site visits with Ramita and Brittany. While Ramita was at work, Brittany and I walked around the city and chatted in an attempt to get to know each other. When we met with Ramita again at her work Indira from Prisoner Assistance Nepal was there. I had heard much about her organization and was happy to finally meet her. They are holding a benefit concert on Sunday and I bought a ticket. She has an office in Thamel and in Sankhu. We made tentative plans for me to visit her sometime in June.

Ramita, Brittany and I made our way in a cab to TMUC. It was there at the headquarters in Patan that I met Mulmi-ji and the director of the Gorkha office. Mulmi arrange for me to be taken to Gorkha on Wednesday after my site visits. He seemed very happy to have me there. When I tried asking about the details of my internship he didn’t seem to know, but hopefully the Gorkha office will have an idea. The day after I get there he wants the staff to take me to the eleven or so sister offices in the surrounding villages. We told him about the Youth Summit and my involvement with that. He is a very nice man and I enjoyed his sincerity.

To be honest, I am a bit worried about the timid nature of this internship. I knew this before hand from my talks with Lynn that this was be a sort of chose your own destiny and so I had properly prepared my mentality for that. I am so happy to have met Tiffany and Jeff and to be taken in on their project. I thank Tiffany for all the contact info.