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Make-n-Takes in Nepal
When you hear of Kathmandu, Nepal you may think of Everest or the beautiful Himalayan mountain range? Learning about a culture is one thing, but LIVING it is another.
If you’re reading this, and living in the U.S., take a moment and find gratitude in the simplest of things. Sure, we have our own set of problems, but the stories of others will always inspire us.
If you missed the reason WHY we went to Nepal, read this post first.
1. Hobby Lobby?
You won’t find a “make-n-take” set up in Nepal! I’m not sure if these women have ever sat down and made anything creative just for them? We brought the make-n-take to them. We supplied 5×5 unfinished wood frames and paint. Rachelle from Clove & Fig donated 3 of her hand-lettered art pieces, printed on Persnickety Press Paper. They chose their favorite print to insert into their freshly painted frame. These ladies didn’t want to stop! Creativity truly is therapeutic.
We also held a 2 hour “inspirational” workshop where we told our personal stories of struggle and triumph… which pretty much helped them realize that living in the land of the free comes with its own struggles, and Hollywood is full of lies 🙂
2. I thought my health care plan was bad
We all probably have something to say about the current health care situation in the U.S. My high deductible monthly insurance premium costs more than my car payment. In Nepal, you don’t get help or treatment unless you pay for it, and it’s not cheap. Those who can afford to pay the big bucks to deliver a baby with a doctor or midwife share a room with 10+ others. Grandma and Grandpa will wait on their mat in the big concrete waiting room with the other guests.
3. The next time you experience road rage…
…take a breather and be grateful you don’t live in Nepal. There are an average of 28 road accidents, killing at least 6 people A DAY in Kathmandu alone. This city is over populated with dirt roads that aren’t maintained, no traffic lights with very little organization or laws in place.
Also, the famous Swayambhunath Stupa (Monkey Temple) in Nepal is definitely full of Monkey’s, but I’ve decided they’re not as cute in person. These monkey’s are mean!
4. When your Kids complain about school …
Tell them there are children in Nepal begging to go to school! Illiteracy in Nepal sits at about 58%, 72% of which are women. The Global Education Partnership has been helping, because education = power.
5. Love doesn’t cost a thing
These humans are beautiful. Regardless of the poverty they live in, they have so much love and happiness to share. We spent 3 days in the House with Heart, founded by Beverly Bronson in 2001.
Beverly found two children, Krishna and Babu ages five and two, huddled in front of a tin hut after being abandoned by their mother. Beverly was visiting as a social worker from New York, but that day she decided these kids needed more. 24 abandoned children live at the house today, most arrived before the age of 3 years old. Beverly dedicated the last 17 years of her life to these kids. Sadly, Beverly passed away at age 70 from cancer one week before we arrived, on Mother’s Day. We didn’t want to take away from their grieving, however, the house board members insisted that we still come.
We brought clothes, hats (the girls had to shave their heads due to a lice outbreak:), school supplies and they gave us LOVE.
Mark and I cancelled our wedding reception to come to Nepal and serve these kids, yet we are the ones who benefited the most. Our personal “make-n-take” was the love we felt by these kind people. Gandhi said, “the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others” and I wholeheartedly agree with him.
Don’t forget to tell your story, you never know who it might inspire.
