Four new UK volunteers came to visit me today prior to starting their attachment with us in Hetauda tomorrow. They were led by Lynne Rawlings who I've been in contact with for ages but only met today for the first time; I seem to know so many of the charity's supporters on this basis. The volunteers' task is to run a short mosaic selection course that will assess aptitude and commitment of potential new recruits to my Kathmandu studio. They themselves have no particular experience in this field but they follow in the wake of equally unqualified Hetauda volunteers this year who have served us brilliantly. Whatever their contribution, their just being there and showing an interest means so much to the girls - girls who have been rejected by their families and communities.
Today has been "Teachers' Day" in Nepal. Instead of this being used as a day to celebrate education in some way it is actually a school holiday with teachers skiving off and kids (like ours at the refuge) being left bored at home during the monsoon. The teachers should be ashamed of themselves and deserve for the most part no such accolade.
Monday 30 July 2007
Saturday 28 July 2007
The Indian Embassy
Yesterday I called at the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu to apply for a business visa for forthcoming circus rescue trips and networking in India. I went with some degree of curiosity after reading Jeff Vize's experiences there:
http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/04-12/escape-from-kathmandu-or-how-to-con-and-influence-apathetic-power-brokers-at-the-indian-embassy-kathmandu-nepal.html
I don't know if I met the same "balding" guy that he mentioned - the clerk I dealt with had a splendid red/brown toupee. He was also remarkably agreable. Perhaps this was because my worthy application stood out from the rest that'd he'd seen that morning or maybe it was just the contrast of my appearance with the rest of the applicants in the lengthy queue. There was a fair abundance of unsavoury-looking aged hippies who seemed to have little need of a toupee. The clerk did take issue with the letter of support from ChildLine India that I offered as being addressed "to whom it may concern"; he argued that this should have been addressed to the embassy which was the only authority to issue visas. I smiled sweetly at him and promised that if he issued me with a visa I would convey that observation to letter's signatory in person. Rather amazingly this comment coaxed a laugh out of him. Anyway, surprise, surprise I have to go and join the queue again on Wednesday as the embassy has to telex to UK to check my credentials, this being standard practice for all applicants.
My biggest enemy here is time and it will have taken the best part of a day in total to obtain this visa. There must be a better way of doing things in this day and age.
http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/04-12/escape-from-kathmandu-or-how-to-con-and-influence-apathetic-power-brokers-at-the-indian-embassy-kathmandu-nepal.html
I don't know if I met the same "balding" guy that he mentioned - the clerk I dealt with had a splendid red/brown toupee. He was also remarkably agreable. Perhaps this was because my worthy application stood out from the rest that'd he'd seen that morning or maybe it was just the contrast of my appearance with the rest of the applicants in the lengthy queue. There was a fair abundance of unsavoury-looking aged hippies who seemed to have little need of a toupee. The clerk did take issue with the letter of support from ChildLine India that I offered as being addressed "to whom it may concern"; he argued that this should have been addressed to the embassy which was the only authority to issue visas. I smiled sweetly at him and promised that if he issued me with a visa I would convey that observation to letter's signatory in person. Rather amazingly this comment coaxed a laugh out of him. Anyway, surprise, surprise I have to go and join the queue again on Wednesday as the embassy has to telex to UK to check my credentials, this being standard practice for all applicants.
My biggest enemy here is time and it will have taken the best part of a day in total to obtain this visa. There must be a better way of doing things in this day and age.
Thursday 26 July 2007
Red Panda
The girls in the mosaic studio have been surprised to have me join them over the past couple of days. This is indeed a rare occurence because of the pressures of work but a very welcome one for them and for me. The reason has been the necessity to give them some artistic guidance from my limited skills as we try to define the appearance of future "products" that we plan to sell to generate an income for them and for the project. I've been working on a design for a Red Panda, an endangered 
species in the Himalayas. See the original photograph and my interpretation of that on the right. This includes the use of fishing line projecting from the mosaic to simulate whiskers. It needs a bit more work doing to it and I have asked advice from my friends, mosaic artists Peter and Alison Massey in Derbyshire (www.zantium.co.uk). Meanwhile I am consulting young supporters in Facebook to see if they have any good design ideas.
species in the Himalayas. See the original photograph and my interpretation of that on the right. This includes the use of fishing line projecting from the mosaic to simulate whiskers. It needs a bit more work doing to it and I have asked advice from my friends, mosaic artists Peter and Alison Massey in Derbyshire (www.zantium.co.uk). Meanwhile I am consulting young supporters in Facebook to see if they have any good design ideas.My dogs have tuned into the Windows signature tune so that they know it's time to go outside for their final wee of the day when they hear those distinctive notes. Here goes....
Wednesday 25 July 2007
The Last Resort
Last March a conference on international adoption was held in Kathmandu. Following that gathering it was agreed that better regulation was required and that international adoption guidelines should be introduced bringing the practice into line with The Hague Convention. Quite right and proper and no argument with that. The problem is that ever since then many international couples who had been allocated children (and who had a chance to bond with them) prior to this resolution have been left in limbo as their files were suspended pending the introduction of these guidelines. This is certainly not in the interests of the 436 children who are awaiting formal adoption, never mind the equilibrium of their prospective parents. The situation has not been helped by ill-considered comments by foreigners that have been used by Nepalese xenophobes as powerful ammunition against the concept of international adoption. For instance, Gillian Mellsop, the Country Representative of UNICEF in Nepal, is on the record as having described international adoption as "a last resort". With the greatest of respect to Gillian, I beg to differ.
Further down the resorts list might be that of staying at home. A newborn baby girl in Nepal has a higher risk of death in childhood than her counterpart in the West. Aside from the filth and malnutrition that may go with a domestic upbringing in rural Nepal and predispose to early death, children who are adopted internationally are at no risk whatsoever of some very grim local diseases. For example mosquito-borne illnesses such as Japanese Encephalitis and malaria are not uncommon in the south of Nepal. Both of these can be fatal and in the case of the former if a child survives he or she can be left severely brain damaged and bed-ridden. I will never forget seeing two sisters, Bina and Rina, in this state, hidden away in a back room of the family home in Bhairahawa, able to do little other than performing their basic bodily functions.
Assuming that a child from a poor family survives to age four he or she will enter the Government school system; this is pathetically under-resourced (especially in the rural areas) where there may be one teacher to 100 pupils. Teaching is based largely on rote learning and through presenting "examples" rather than offering explanations that would lead to comprehension. Creativity and original thought are stifled. A girl child is quite likely to drop out of school through family poverty (with her brothers taking preference to stay on at school) and soon afterwards she may find herself offloaded into an arranged marriage. Early marriage means early pregnancy and this is directly linked to high maternal mortality. But even if she were to carry on in education she'd have little chance of passing the School Leaving Certificate (SLC) at age 16, this purporting to be the key to some kind of a career. Less than 1% of Nepalese children who enter the government school system at age 4 pass SLC so it's small wonder that parents pull their kids out of education well in advance of this point. Anyway, success at SLC, rare as it may be, arguably only reflects a good memory for "facts" rather than a good education in the true sense of the word. So the education system is betraying and stifling Nepal's children who seem to be so innately industrious and capable. Educational provision is not likely to get any better in the foreseeable future.
I need not compare the above family upbringing with what an adopted child might expect in the USA or Europe, even if it is at the expense of "remaining in their own culture" - and by the way don't forget the size of the expatriate Nepali communities these days (this must prove something of my argument!). At least the child has a better chance of entering adulthood in good health and as a well rounded individual than if they were to remain in Nepal. However there are other circumstances that I consider can join the impoverished family upbringing well behind the "last resort" of international adoption. From our work we know only too well of how so many children from poor families end up being trafficked into a life of abuse and exploitation that may lead to adult prostitution. Other children from poor families or broken homes run the streets of Kathmandu, sniffing glue and well on their way to a life of adult crime and the prospect of early death. Then there is the option of the institutionalisation of the children's home, where thousands of children (mainly girls) are accommodated. As I see it this really is the last resort for childcare in a society where there are so many unwanted children and where domestic adoption usually equates to servitude. My Trust provides residential refuge care out of absolute necessity - a safety net - rather than as a satisfactory care option since there is no alternative at the moment for the 75 or so desperate children that we are looking after. I'd much rather see all of them adopted by loving families in Nepal (which seem to be at a premium) or linked with childless couples abroad who are yearning to extend their love for one another to a child who needs it - and who is wanted.
Further down the resorts list might be that of staying at home. A newborn baby girl in Nepal has a higher risk of death in childhood than her counterpart in the West. Aside from the filth and malnutrition that may go with a domestic upbringing in rural Nepal and predispose to early death, children who are adopted internationally are at no risk whatsoever of some very grim local diseases. For example mosquito-borne illnesses such as Japanese Encephalitis and malaria are not uncommon in the south of Nepal. Both of these can be fatal and in the case of the former if a child survives he or she can be left severely brain damaged and bed-ridden. I will never forget seeing two sisters, Bina and Rina, in this state, hidden away in a back room of the family home in Bhairahawa, able to do little other than performing their basic bodily functions.
Assuming that a child from a poor family survives to age four he or she will enter the Government school system; this is pathetically under-resourced (especially in the rural areas) where there may be one teacher to 100 pupils. Teaching is based largely on rote learning and through presenting "examples" rather than offering explanations that would lead to comprehension. Creativity and original thought are stifled. A girl child is quite likely to drop out of school through family poverty (with her brothers taking preference to stay on at school) and soon afterwards she may find herself offloaded into an arranged marriage. Early marriage means early pregnancy and this is directly linked to high maternal mortality. But even if she were to carry on in education she'd have little chance of passing the School Leaving Certificate (SLC) at age 16, this purporting to be the key to some kind of a career. Less than 1% of Nepalese children who enter the government school system at age 4 pass SLC so it's small wonder that parents pull their kids out of education well in advance of this point. Anyway, success at SLC, rare as it may be, arguably only reflects a good memory for "facts" rather than a good education in the true sense of the word. So the education system is betraying and stifling Nepal's children who seem to be so innately industrious and capable. Educational provision is not likely to get any better in the foreseeable future.
I need not compare the above family upbringing with what an adopted child might expect in the USA or Europe, even if it is at the expense of "remaining in their own culture" - and by the way don't forget the size of the expatriate Nepali communities these days (this must prove something of my argument!). At least the child has a better chance of entering adulthood in good health and as a well rounded individual than if they were to remain in Nepal. However there are other circumstances that I consider can join the impoverished family upbringing well behind the "last resort" of international adoption. From our work we know only too well of how so many children from poor families end up being trafficked into a life of abuse and exploitation that may lead to adult prostitution. Other children from poor families or broken homes run the streets of Kathmandu, sniffing glue and well on their way to a life of adult crime and the prospect of early death. Then there is the option of the institutionalisation of the children's home, where thousands of children (mainly girls) are accommodated. As I see it this really is the last resort for childcare in a society where there are so many unwanted children and where domestic adoption usually equates to servitude. My Trust provides residential refuge care out of absolute necessity - a safety net - rather than as a satisfactory care option since there is no alternative at the moment for the 75 or so desperate children that we are looking after. I'd much rather see all of them adopted by loving families in Nepal (which seem to be at a premium) or linked with childless couples abroad who are yearning to extend their love for one another to a child who needs it - and who is wanted.
Saturday 21 July 2007
Cats and dogs
I got back to Nepal yesterday, returning to the height of the monsoon season. To celebrate my return my four dogs enjoyed a fight as dramatic, and in truth as harmless, as anything seen in any wild west saloon. Today though, they're bored and miserable as the rain outside is torrential.
Interesting to read that Facebook is now attracting 150,000 new members per day; its popularity doesn't surprise me. I set up a Facebook group for the Trust's work in Nepal a couple of weeks ago. Already we've got 105 members signed up. It's a great way for a charity to connect with younger supporters and for this comparative dinosaur to keep contact with the superb young volunteers who have served us recently in Nepal.
Wednesday 18 July 2007
Louis de Bernieres
Louis de Bernieres wrote an excellent article in the Sunday Times magazine a couple of days ago about his recent visit to Nepal.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2060945.ece
His beautiful writing means a lot to me. Captain Corelli's Mandolin was the last book that Esther read and enjoyed before she died. Coincidentally, in the solitary days after her death I sought comfort through reading a pocket edition of the Book of Job (ISBN 0-88241-791-0) and there I came across de Bernieres again with his insightful introduction to the book. Job's pain and bewilderment after all his tribulations is very tangible and although it dates from three thousand years ago feels somehow strikingly contemporary; de Bernieres analysed those sentiments with typical brilliance and indeed with some humour.
For me though, the message of that book is very clear and differs somewhat from de Bernieres' final conclusion of Job having had to contend with bombastic, uncaring God. My deduction instead is that there are no answers to the problem of suffering, the suffering that can be deeply personal or for that matter surrounds one all the time in Nepal. You just shouldn't seek answers that can only ever be unsatisfactory. Instead it's better to develop a focus, get on with it, try to meet life's problems in a practical manner and keep the faith in spite of whatever trauma comes your way.
That's been the secret of achieving results in Nepal.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2060945.ece
His beautiful writing means a lot to me. Captain Corelli's Mandolin was the last book that Esther read and enjoyed before she died. Coincidentally, in the solitary days after her death I sought comfort through reading a pocket edition of the Book of Job (ISBN 0-88241-791-0) and there I came across de Bernieres again with his insightful introduction to the book. Job's pain and bewilderment after all his tribulations is very tangible and although it dates from three thousand years ago feels somehow strikingly contemporary; de Bernieres analysed those sentiments with typical brilliance and indeed with some humour.
For me though, the message of that book is very clear and differs somewhat from de Bernieres' final conclusion of Job having had to contend with bombastic, uncaring God. My deduction instead is that there are no answers to the problem of suffering, the suffering that can be deeply personal or for that matter surrounds one all the time in Nepal. You just shouldn't seek answers that can only ever be unsatisfactory. Instead it's better to develop a focus, get on with it, try to meet life's problems in a practical manner and keep the faith in spite of whatever trauma comes your way.
That's been the secret of achieving results in Nepal.
Tuesday 17 July 2007
ArtVenture
Today I crossed my fingers and applied to the Singapore-based philanthropic foundation ArtVenture (http://www.artventure.com/). They approached me a couple of months ago (always a good start when you're trying for funds!) following their research identifying our good work in Nepal. I've now applied for grant funding for our first three month long art workshop that will start this September. The aim of the workshop is to provide art therapy and training for up to 40 circus girl returnees - the first of its kind in Nepal. The course will help girls process their trauma - most returnees have some element of post traumatic stress disorder - and pave the way for employment within an art career. If they are trained and have the aptitude I can give them real jobs. We're lucky enough to have two visiting UK volunteers for that period; one is a potter, Alex Hunter (http://www.alex-hunter.co.uk/) and the other, Eleanor Lane, is an art therapist who has recently been working with Tsunami survivors in Sri Lanka.
Many of the other organisations in Nepal that purport to provide "rehabilitation" for trafficked girls settle for buying them a goat or a sewing machine. We can do much better than that.
Many of the other organisations in Nepal that purport to provide "rehabilitation" for trafficked girls settle for buying them a goat or a sewing machine. We can do much better than that.
Monday 16 July 2007
Jules and Debs
I am rather surprised to find myself writing from the UK. Saturday's strike in Kathmandu ended as abruptly as it was called and I was able to catch the flight. My relief at being inside the plane at Kathmandu airport was rather qualified by the heat and humidity which was quite stifling. A young boy was being violently and noisily ill just across from me - and that was before the plane even left the ground. A passenger in front asked a stewardess about air conditioning and she replied that everyone's discomfort was due to this being a "very old plane".
We've just enjoyed a two week visit from outstanding Northern Irish volunteers Jules Graham and Debs Johnston who spent a week in Bhairahawa and a week in Kathmandu. Their visit coincided with school holidays so the support to the regular carers at the respective children's refuges was very timely indeed. Jules volunteered for us this time last year and I was very pleased to receive her feedback on how well in her eyes a group of street children who joined us a year ago had settled down and were clearly thriving in our care. Jules was less pleased to be told by one of the children soon after her arrival that she too looked much better, having put on so much weight in the interim.
We've just enjoyed a two week visit from outstanding Northern Irish volunteers Jules Graham and Debs Johnston who spent a week in Bhairahawa and a week in Kathmandu. Their visit coincided with school holidays so the support to the regular carers at the respective children's refuges was very timely indeed. Jules volunteered for us this time last year and I was very pleased to receive her feedback on how well in her eyes a group of street children who joined us a year ago had settled down and were clearly thriving in our care. Jules was less pleased to be told by one of the children soon after her arrival that she too looked much better, having put on so much weight in the interim.
Saturday 14 July 2007
Stranded in Kathmandu
I had hoped to fly back to the UK last Thursday but my flight was cancelled and I was instead given a flight for this evening. But this morning transport workers called a wildcat strike which has brought the capital to a standstill. Burning tyres on the road and intimidation prevent people from getting around and stop me from being able to make it to the airport. These strikes cause such disruption to daily life and they are called by differing groups - from teachers to students to ethnic minorities - on a regular basis. You just have to work around them as best you can but when it comes to catching international flights there's often not much to be done. I am hoping that I'll be allowed a place on a flight tomorrow but that hinges on Qatar Airways being charitable. Usually they are not.
It seems that there was a misunderstanding over the agent begging for the circus performers not to be sent back to Nepal (see previous blog). Apparently he was, on the contrary, pleading for them to be returned as it would help his case. This really does explain the circus's apparent magnanimous gesture before the team left for India. It does take time to establish the truth in Nepal.
It seems that there was a misunderstanding over the agent begging for the circus performers not to be sent back to Nepal (see previous blog). Apparently he was, on the contrary, pleading for them to be returned as it would help his case. This really does explain the circus's apparent magnanimous gesture before the team left for India. It does take time to establish the truth in Nepal.
Wednesday 11 July 2007
A worried child trafficker
My pessimism of the last blog was unfounded. The team successfully rescued five girls from the Amar Circus yesterday. Add to this the nine who where brought back by the the circus management themselves and two others who were picked up from the circus by their parents and that makes a total of 16 girls who are now free. Unfortunately five girls chose to stay at the circus for whatever reason (sometimes they enter relationships with the circus management, sometimes it's fear of the unknown). But we'll try to get to them at a later date.
Interestingly there's a child trafficking agent behind bars at the moment pending trial who we provided evidence against some time ago. The team have managed to lay their hands on a letter written by him to the Amar Circus saying that under no circumstances should they release the girls who are now free otherwise he's in big trouble. Hopefully this evidence will provide a final nail for his coffin and he'll get a 20 year sentence like other agents that we've acted against.
Interestingly there's a child trafficking agent behind bars at the moment pending trial who we provided evidence against some time ago. The team have managed to lay their hands on a letter written by him to the Amar Circus saying that under no circumstances should they release the girls who are now free otherwise he's in big trouble. Hopefully this evidence will provide a final nail for his coffin and he'll get a 20 year sentence like other agents that we've acted against.
This afternoon I fitted a mosaic of a butterfly in the home of a Nepalese lady in Kathmandu. This was made by Manju and cost the lady 20,000 rupees (about £150). It looks smashing and this is a significant first milestone in our local fundraising effort in Nepal. I am convinced that a great deal can be raised, especially through the sale of mosaics to individuals at the wealthier end of the Nepalese social spectrum.
Tuesday 10 July 2007
No news is bad news
In this culture people eschew offering bad news. Instead they fall silent.
I was phoned this morning by the rescue team and advised that they were due to enter the Amar Circus by lunchtime today, accompanied by representatives of ChildLine India. I asked for a follow up phone call by late afternoon.
This afternoon I spoke to Nick Sankey, a colleague in Kathmandu, who said that he'd heard from the team that the girls at the circus didn't want to leave and they were saying that they were being well looked after. This is undoubtedly a reflection of terrorised, brutalised girls acting under duress. Since then I have heard nothing and most of all nothing from the team leader. This silence is very suggestive of failure and that the girls are still in the hands of their captors and oppressors.
Monday 9 July 2007
Money well spent
About 15 years ago my first wife Esther, who was Orthodox Jewish, took me to visit the Portugese synagogue in Amsterdam. It's a beautiful old building, dating from around 1650 and it was under extensive restoration at the time. "This is an amazing reconstruction, I remarked, who's paying for it?". "You are" she replied...
Something similar happened the other day as I was being driven home on the 15km journey from Kathmandu to Godawari. Bev confessed to me that we were funding the welfare of a considerable number of stray dogs that could be seen - in a terrible state of mange, disease and malnutrition - en route. Nobody cares much about Kathmandu dogs apart from one day in the year when they are worshipped and adorned with garlands. The rest of the year their life is misery. Bev has a local friendly vet, Dr Thapa, who at her request (and our expenditure) comes out to wherever she says she has seen a worthy creature administering such medical treatment as is required. She goes beyond that - now that the cat is out of the bag so to speak - as she is now feeding the animals as well with bags of biscuits, rice and chicken. We paused on our way into town to do just that for one pitiful creature this morning while the locals looked at us with a mixture of amusement and incomprehension. But Bev is right and doing nothing is not an option, otherwise we compromise our own values.
Also this morning we handed over the two circus chaps that we had been holding to the police. So now this episode becomes a little less of a kidnapping and more of a prolonged citizens' arrest. We've asked the police to detain them until the rest of our team returns and until we hear from all the returnees if they have any charges to make against them. That should concentrate their minds and keep them and their colleagues back in India out of mischief for a while.
I had a first fitting this morning of a stab proof vest for future circus rescue trips. It fitted like a glove. I hope it is never needed and, if it is, that it works as well as it fits.
Something similar happened the other day as I was being driven home on the 15km journey from Kathmandu to Godawari. Bev confessed to me that we were funding the welfare of a considerable number of stray dogs that could be seen - in a terrible state of mange, disease and malnutrition - en route. Nobody cares much about Kathmandu dogs apart from one day in the year when they are worshipped and adorned with garlands. The rest of the year their life is misery. Bev has a local friendly vet, Dr Thapa, who at her request (and our expenditure) comes out to wherever she says she has seen a worthy creature administering such medical treatment as is required. She goes beyond that - now that the cat is out of the bag so to speak - as she is now feeding the animals as well with bags of biscuits, rice and chicken. We paused on our way into town to do just that for one pitiful creature this morning while the locals looked at us with a mixture of amusement and incomprehension. But Bev is right and doing nothing is not an option, otherwise we compromise our own values.
Also this morning we handed over the two circus chaps that we had been holding to the police. So now this episode becomes a little less of a kidnapping and more of a prolonged citizens' arrest. We've asked the police to detain them until the rest of our team returns and until we hear from all the returnees if they have any charges to make against them. That should concentrate their minds and keep them and their colleagues back in India out of mischief for a while.
I had a first fitting this morning of a stab proof vest for future circus rescue trips. It fitted like a glove. I hope it is never needed and, if it is, that it works as well as it fits.
Sunday 8 July 2007
The writing on the royal wall
I am asked often about the future of the Nepalese monarchy. Suffice to say that the King has just this weekend celebrated his 61st birthday and of the 800 invitees to his party only 125 accepted. Those who declined included the (excellent) British Ambassador, Dr Andrew Hall.
Elsewhere in Nepal, two nights ago a tractor carrying eleven people on their way to a marriage celebration overturned and fell into a canal. The driver was apparently drunk. All the passengers were drowned, nine of them children. Such catastrophes are all too frequent occurences here with busloads of people regularly going over the edges of ravines in what the papers describe as "mishaps". This is a reflection of unserviceable vehicles, idiot drivers and the consumption of alcohol.
Nothing has been heard as yet from the rescue team in India. But our local staff are now holding two circus people in Hetauda, looking after them well until the safe return of our colleagues with all of the girls presently at the Amar Circus. Those two brought back nine girls to Nepal before they were apprehended so we at least already have some degree of success from this mission. It is still a tense time for all of us though as we are constantly in uncharted waters with this kind of operation.
Elsewhere in Nepal, two nights ago a tractor carrying eleven people on their way to a marriage celebration overturned and fell into a canal. The driver was apparently drunk. All the passengers were drowned, nine of them children. Such catastrophes are all too frequent occurences here with busloads of people regularly going over the edges of ravines in what the papers describe as "mishaps". This is a reflection of unserviceable vehicles, idiot drivers and the consumption of alcohol.
Nothing has been heard as yet from the rescue team in India. But our local staff are now holding two circus people in Hetauda, looking after them well until the safe return of our colleagues with all of the girls presently at the Amar Circus. Those two brought back nine girls to Nepal before they were apprehended so we at least already have some degree of success from this mission. It is still a tense time for all of us though as we are constantly in uncharted waters with this kind of operation.
Saturday 7 July 2007
Son of a Camel
Just over a year ago I entrusted my (charity) laptop to "Laptop Genius" in London for a minor repair. I took a chance on this as I was on a flying visit to the UK and PC World couldn't fix it within the time frame of the visit. The laptop was returned to me the following day only for me to discover that in addition to the repair not having been sorted out some of the keys were not working. The laptop was a write-off. Laptop Genius didn't fulfil their pledge to sort it out - their post-repair service was non-existent - and I had to return to Nepal with a non-functional laptop. This represented a minor operational disaster. Subsequent correspondence and claims went unanswered, or letters were returned with envelopes annotated "not known at this address". Finally I took Laptop Genius to the Small Claims Court on my last visit to the UK. I was uncontested and won. Now all we have to do is to find the slippy Mo Savoji who owns Laptop Genius and enforce the Court order for a payment of £800.
This evening I managed to track him down through the internet. He's now operating under the name of "Hammersmith Computers" on King Street in London. There's a long list of disgruntled customers:
http://www.londononline.co.uk/allreviews/96209/
There are some clients who wax lyrical but these are fakes - like "M Board" (Mother board?). I think one of his less satisfied customers puts it succinctly in his post:
http://www.londononline.co.uk/reviews/3076/
I'm not finished with Mo but that particular battle will no doubt drag on for a while as there is a principle at stake. It would be so much easier in Nepal. I'd just ask Bhim Lama and Kumar Giri from the circus rescue team to kidnap him until such times as his friends (if he has any) pay up, with interest. That's why Nepal is a great country.
This evening I managed to track him down through the internet. He's now operating under the name of "Hammersmith Computers" on King Street in London. There's a long list of disgruntled customers:
http://www.londononline.co.uk/allreviews/96209/
There are some clients who wax lyrical but these are fakes - like "M Board" (Mother board?). I think one of his less satisfied customers puts it succinctly in his post:
http://www.londononline.co.uk/reviews/3076/
I'm not finished with Mo but that particular battle will no doubt drag on for a while as there is a principle at stake. It would be so much easier in Nepal. I'd just ask Bhim Lama and Kumar Giri from the circus rescue team to kidnap him until such times as his friends (if he has any) pay up, with interest. That's why Nepal is a great country.
Friday 6 July 2007
The Amar Circus
Well, the secret is out. The rescue team is on its way to the Amar Circus which is playing in Haryana State, near Delhi. The plan was to take the parents of 12 girls with the team (this makes the release process easier) but we have been informed that there are up to 30 girls in the Circus. We want to try to get them all out, not just the ones whose parents want them back...
A circus often has advance knowledge of visits because during the preliminary liaison with villagers, someone, somewhere can deliver a tip off. That might mean a reward from a grateful circus. We know that they know because a circus manager has cunningly brought eight girls back to their village in an attempt to take the wind out of the team's sails. It could be that these girls have passed their "shelf life" as performers in any case. He's in for a shock though as we've decided to hold onto the Manager until all the girls are freed. That gives us some insurance, also for the safety of the team. From time to time one has to break the rules. But then again these guys have been holding and abusing girls for a very long time against their wishes and we want to do our utmost to get them back. And given that there is no law against kidnapping in Nepal then arguably we're not breaking the rules in any case. More to follow on this mission as it develops.
Manju finished her mosaic commission today of the Evangelists, Saints Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as depicted in the Book of Kells. It's a super subject that we've used a couple of times now; the colours and lines are strong and the spirituality of the work shines through. Sometimes it takes the seeds of inspiration centuries to germinate and those monks on Iona over a thousand years ago could never have imagined how their skill and devotion would have continued to move people in a far off land today.
Anyway, I hope my great friend Revd Willie McNaughton in Kirkcaldy, Fife, who commissioned the piece is pleased with the outcome. I find it hard to think of a better way to spend a couple of hundred pounds. At least not in Kirkcaldy.
A circus often has advance knowledge of visits because during the preliminary liaison with villagers, someone, somewhere can deliver a tip off. That might mean a reward from a grateful circus. We know that they know because a circus manager has cunningly brought eight girls back to their village in an attempt to take the wind out of the team's sails. It could be that these girls have passed their "shelf life" as performers in any case. He's in for a shock though as we've decided to hold onto the Manager until all the girls are freed. That gives us some insurance, also for the safety of the team. From time to time one has to break the rules. But then again these guys have been holding and abusing girls for a very long time against their wishes and we want to do our utmost to get them back. And given that there is no law against kidnapping in Nepal then arguably we're not breaking the rules in any case. More to follow on this mission as it develops.
Manju finished her mosaic commission today of the Evangelists, Saints Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as depicted in the Book of Kells. It's a super subject that we've used a couple of times now; the colours and lines are strong and the spirituality of the work shines through. Sometimes it takes the seeds of inspiration centuries to germinate and those monks on Iona over a thousand years ago could never have imagined how their skill and devotion would have continued to move people in a far off land today.
Anyway, I hope my great friend Revd Willie McNaughton in Kirkcaldy, Fife, who commissioned the piece is pleased with the outcome. I find it hard to think of a better way to spend a couple of hundred pounds. At least not in Kirkcaldy.
Thursday 5 July 2007
Dentist heal thyself?
A few months ago I went to see my general dental practitioner back home. Dentists, or former dentists like me, make terrible patients, offering the diagnosis and treatment suggestion no sooner are they in the chair. I told the unfortunate clinician that I had undoubtedly a crack in my top left molar. This happens often as one gets older; the fillings stay intact but the surrounding tooth starts to crack and crumble. He couldn't see anything wrong (as is often the case with this problem) and I agreed to live with the sensitivity until something more definitive happened. And sure enough, last night during dinner it did, with a piece of tooth joining my daily consumption of roughage. It feels like you could park a rickshaw in the defect but it's probably not as bad as it seems to the tongue. Vindication though - even if I realise now that I had indicated the wrong tooth at time of the appointment.
Suntali grouted the moth mosaic today and a nice job she made of it too. Maybe she can do something with my teeth. Come to think of it, one or two of these mosaic girls are brilliant with their hands and if they'd had the education would have made cracking (so to speak) dentists.
I learned today of a five year old boy who is at Tulsipur jail in the west of the country, just admitted with his father who has started serving a twenty year sentence for murdering his wife, the boy's mother. In the absence of anyone else to look after him we'll take him into our care at the Bhairahawa refuge where he can join other prisoners' children. That will bring to 24 the number of children that we are trying to link with sponsors.
I last went to Tulsipur jail in 2001 to bring four boys out of the jail. It's a long trip and it's rotten when you get there.
Wednesday 4 July 2007
Rebuilding a moth
A couple of days ago I found a very exotic Nepalese moth fluttering on the ground outside the house. I think my dog Maisie might have got there first judging by the wing defect (see picture), but I rescued it and after it obligingly posed for a photo I released it into the wild again. I set one of my ex-circus mosaic artists, Suntali, onto the task of reconstructing the moth in mosaic. Progress report to follow (and thanks to supporter Lyn Shailer for commissioning the piece - that's a £50 donation to the charity, £5 of which goes to the girl). The remainder goes into our circus rescue programme.
On that subject, our circus rescue team is en route to India again this Friday. There had been a hold up because of a transport strike that was paralaysing the south of Nepal. The team will be joined by 12 parents and will tackle a very difficult circus where there's currently up to 30 Nepalese girls held in bondage.
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