Sofi (16) writes:

Last year was the first time I had been to the country, and during our stay we visited “ Bal Mandir” in Katmandu.  The building was once a palace built by the Ranas who once ruled the country. These days it is a little dilapidated and houses some 150 orphans, mostly who have been abandoned as new born babies.

I returned this year with my friend Inca and her mum Liz, as volunteers, and was lucky enough to spend time with the children, particularly with the babies.

The orphanage is funded by the government, but only to a certain extent, the majority of money needed to support the children is gained through donations.  Before we left England we raised nearly a thousand pounds to take with us, it was only when we got there we decided what to spend the money on.

The first thing we bought was a stock of dried baby milk, the orphanage often struggles to maintain even the basics.  Then we were asked to supply the children with shoes!  We ventured off into the tiny streets of Katmandu, and found a wholesaler where we purchased  150 pairs of sandals!!!!

While me and Inca were with the babies, Liz (who is a firefighter!) fitted smoke alarms, installed fire blankets, and had a good look at fire safety in the building.  She showed us what she had been doing, and also what dangers were there. With the money we had left we replaced the ancient electric cookers from the rooms, fixed the inverter/charger and sorted out the emergency lighting system, as Nepal has hours of power cuts EVERYDAY!!

 

Sadly we did not have enough money to do everything we wanted, particularly with the problem of the mains wiring.   I have decided to start fundraising, with a view to rewiring the building, this is no small job!!  But if you look at the pictures (sorry for the  poor quality!) you will see for yourself how dangerous it is and obviously all those beautiful children continue to be at risk.   

 

After a while at the orphanage, we went to visit the fire station. Liz couldn’t resist. In The South West of England, she works at a state of the art fire department where she goes out on call with the other highly trained volunteers who make up her local fire station. 

The Firefighters in Kathmandu had difficulty believing there could be such a thing as a woman firefighter. But then Liz had difficulty believing how antiquated their equipment was. They proudly showed us all the engine they use for call outs. By modern standards, it’s an old banger... and they confessed to us that it is not always reliable. Nor are the rusty hosepipes they use to connect to water... when they can.

 

They also have to carry water in cannisters for many of the areas they service are not connected to the mains.

They smiled happile for the camera... and stupidly, I didn’t stand back far enough to catch their footwear. With the exception of the man in something that resembles an outfit, the rest of them are in sandals. And when we asked if they put on boots to tackle fires they just shrugged. They don’t have any. Which rather limits how far they can go and what they can do to rescue people.

Liz, back at her local firefighting department in Britain is organising a consignment of cast offs... items of equipment that we consider too old or under par to work with here but which are still streets ahead of anything they’ve got in Nepal.

 

Meanwhile the the Ghurkas from a local army base are looking at ways to help us get them there. But those lovely kids in that orphanage could still do with some basics like toys to play with, clothes to wear, better food to eat and then, maybe, teachers to help them grow up with a chance in life.

Nepal is not a rich country. And on top of its own poverty, it has to contend with an enormous refugee population, mainly comrpised of Tibetans who have run away from the hostile and oppressive Chinese regime in their own land.

 

They cross the mountains on foot, carrying just a few possessions on their backs. And then they live in crowded accomodation where they can find it in Kathmandu. But don’t all the people who live in Nepal, however poor they may be. deserve a fire service equpped with the basic facilities they need to save their lives?