The walk to school is about 20-25 minutes, on a dirt road, passing through the oilseed fields and the village. The area at the very end of the village is extremely poor. Many of the houses look more like mud huts. Kids and adults walk with bare feet in the dust. Water buffalos, chickens and ducks live alongside families, with dogs sleeping in the ashes (probably looking for some warmth). It was interesting for me as I had only seen this kind of place in documentaries.
On the other hand, I was of great interest to locals too: a blond foreigner with fair skin does not come to this part of Nepal very often. Mutually curious about each other, I’m not sure who was more excited to meet the other: me with my shy Namaste or them with their eager Hello.
What struck me the most was the presence of rubbish everywhere: packaging and plastic bottles along the road and in an uncultivated piece of land. While consumption of industrial products has become widespread, the only disposal available in rural areas is individuals who collect it and burn it, as unfortunately, Nepal doesn’t have a rubbish collection system.
On the other side of the road, there are more houses, a few shops and the school. The closer we get to the school the more kids wearing the same uniforms join in, excited to meet their friends.
Stay tuned for my next blog where I will tell you about the school. In the meantime, if you would like to support our boys’ education, click on the image below.
