Jet Lag & Joy: Start to Our Nepal Adventure
Traveling to Nepal can be arduous. Packing everything you’ll need, long duration flights, airplane food, and then jet lag that can seem insurmountable. It takes a toll.
On Monday, October 28th, Mitrata Executive Director Christine Schutz and Advisory Board member Stephanie Recht touched down in Kathmandu. The following day, Sponsorship Chair and Mitrata Board Vice President Danny Williger joined them. In their first few days, they have been quite busy!
One of the tasks on their to-do list was to shop for fair-trade goods offered to shoppers at Mitrata’s annual Holiday Bazaar, which will be held December 7th and 8th at the Masonic Temple in Webster Groves, Missouri. They procured beautiful textiles, hand-crafted metal works, jewelry, holiday and children’s items, and a few fabulous surprises for holiday shoppers!
Tihar is a five-day festival in Nepal, and the trio arrived just as the celebrations were getting underway. It is a Festival of Lights. Sparkling, flashing, and multicolored lights fill the city streets while rituals and celebrations fill the air with the sound of fireworks, music, and revelry.
During our visit to the new Contact Center near the famed Swayambhunath Temple, we were guided through the facility by Leena Satyal, the Executive Director of BSF, our partner NGO, who explained the challenging process of admitting a child into the program. This involves family home visits, interviews, meticulous record-keeping, and navigating the application process through Nepal’s Social Welfare Council, the government agency responsible for certifying both the program and the child's participation. We were struck by the extraordinary level of time and effort required for each child's admission.
Additionally, we participated in Puja, engaging in ceremonial acts of worship, where we placed Tika on the foreheads of the children and staff and offered delicious treats to the kids.
As exhausting as these activities have been, our intrepid travelers are just getting started! Soon they will be joined by several child sponsors, who will be meeting with their sponsored children, and getting to know the program through first-hand experience.
Wherever our travelers go, and whatever they’re doing, one thing is top of mind. They do what they do for the kids. Shopping? Fundraising for the kids. Participating in Tihar celebrations? Making it special for the kids. Going through everything it takes to travel halfway around the world? Being there for the kids. Planning meetings with sponsored children? Most definitely for the kids.
Because we know that without all of the things we do, the children we care deeply for would not have the resources they need to grow into healthy and productive citizens in Nepal. Knowing that our actions contribute to this one goal is all we need to know to put in the time and effort necessary to ensure Mitrata cares for the children. Providing for them makes it all worthwhile.
Written By:
Danny Williger
Sponsorship Chair and Mitrata Board Vice President