Dear Mr Mason
I hope that you are well and that 2016 has got off to a good start for you.
I am Emma’s father and I am sending you some pictures of Emma’s progress so far.
She left the UK on 17 Dec and up to 2 Jan 2016 has been working at the Asha Vidyasharam School in Kathmandu, Nepal. She was part of a team of 46 which had a range of skills including builders, carpenters, teachers, finance professionals / accountants, consultants and nurses.
She was involved in the following:
· Teaching the children – academic subjects, music and games
· Teacher training
· Computer training
· Building new desks
· Building a vegetable plot
· Assistance with the construction of an additional classroom (the nursery children are currently taught outside)
· Life skills class for parents of the children (Parenting; Finance & Budgeting; Health & Hygiene; Education; Alcohol)
· Assistance with an art competition with neighbouring schools
· Hosting a Christmas party on Christmas Day for the children
· Advice and mentoring to the local HOPE charity on good governance and financial management
· Provision and installation of teaching materials (whiteboards etc)
· Provision of warm clothes and new school uniforms to the children
· Provision of a freezer for the kitchen so that food could be stored more safely
· Provision of laptops (18) – 9 new and 9 second hand
She also visited sites in the hills where houses had been destroyed by the earthquake and distributed blankets and clothes.
She is now working at a slum school in Bangalore, India and living with locals. She or I will send you more pictures and information in due course.
She may well return to Nepal later on in the year in order to complete some work at the Asha Vidyasharam School collating data on its past students and evaluation success rates.
In the meantime, she and we are very grateful for this award as it is allowing her to learn a huge amount as well as hopefully doing some good.
Yours sincerely
Ben Whitworth
