I am a strong believer in the idea that opportunity does not come knocking at the door - one needs to create opportunity. On January 2014, I was able to do just that: create a life changing opportunity not just for myself but also for three other students at Colby-Sawyer College.
Coming from Nepal, a country where only 57.4% of the population is considered literate (literate being defined as those over 15 years old having the ability to read and write) (cia.gov, 2013), I realized the importance of providing the opportunity for Nepali children to learn and go to school. The situation was compounded by the fact that public schools are not free in Nepal, making it difficult for parents from poor backgrounds to even feed their children, let alone send them to school.
Freshmen year at college brought me and a like-minded friend, Amigo Khadka, to collaborate, design and advocate a project to take American students to build a classroom for underprivileged children in one of the most rural parts of Nepal at Maya University Academy.
Maya Universe Academy is the first and only free educational Institute in the Tanahun district of Nepal. Located in one of the poorest and underdeveloped areas of Nepal, the school promises a new model of self-sustainable schooling. The school not only involves the teachers, volunteers and the students first-hand but also utilizes the necessary resources from the local community exceptionally well. The school charges no tuition cost to the students, but in return most of the people in the community have agreed to give 2-full day service to the school which includes sewing uniforms, farming, cooking and so on.
More information about Maya Universe Academy can be found on: http://www.mayauniverseacademy.org
While at Maya, Amigo Khadka, XiaoXiao Lu, Kolby Arnold and I were primarily focused on building a bamboo classroom. We cut the bamboos into thin slices and weaved it to make a strong base to construct the classroom on. Furthermore, we immersed ourselves in countless forms of activities that could have required any assistance. Be it teaching an art class, cooking food, running errands or just socializing with the kids, we did it wholeheartedly. We were there to teach the little kids, but came back with valuable life lessons from the kids themselves.
We were also able to document the work we did during our time, which has been edited and produced as a documentary by Abhineet Kumar, a film major at Colby-Sawyer College. Click here to watch the 15 minute documentary that not only shows the work we did in Maya but the overall cultural exposure we were able to offer the students of Colby-Sawyer.
Furthermore, our sincere efforts to give back to the global community and make a difference, has been documented in the Colby-Sawyer Alumni Magazine where an article written by XiaoXiao Lu has been featured. Click here to view the interesting read.
The Second Phase:
Sustaining and running a project, in my opinion, is as important as initiating it. Therefore, in the hopes of gaining more valuable life lessons, I strive to initiate a second phase of the project in January 2015. Identifying the infrastructural needs of Maya Universe Academy, we plan to build a multi-purpose room, which would act as a library for the older children and serve as a playroom for the younger ones.
The children from the rural areas are rarely exposed to creative tasks such as working on chart papers, drawing and origami. With the generous help of Prof. Jon Keenan, we plan to teach the kids the basics of ceramics and pottery. If possible, we will make some pots and pans, which might be helpful for the day-to-day activities of the school.
Though I graduate in May 2015, I believe I have set a strong foundation for other students to actively involve in the project. I hope the project not only makes a difference in Nepal but around the world as well.
Coming from Nepal, a country where only 57.4% of the population is considered literate (literate being defined as those over 15 years old having the ability to read and write) (cia.gov, 2013), I realized the importance of providing the opportunity for Nepali children to learn and go to school. The situation was compounded by the fact that public schools are not free in Nepal, making it difficult for parents from poor backgrounds to even feed their children, let alone send them to school.
Freshmen year at college brought me and a like-minded friend, Amigo Khadka, to collaborate, design and advocate a project to take American students to build a classroom for underprivileged children in one of the most rural parts of Nepal at Maya University Academy.
Maya Universe Academy is the first and only free educational Institute in the Tanahun district of Nepal. Located in one of the poorest and underdeveloped areas of Nepal, the school promises a new model of self-sustainable schooling. The school not only involves the teachers, volunteers and the students first-hand but also utilizes the necessary resources from the local community exceptionally well. The school charges no tuition cost to the students, but in return most of the people in the community have agreed to give 2-full day service to the school which includes sewing uniforms, farming, cooking and so on.
More information about Maya Universe Academy can be found on: http://www.mayauniverseacademy.org
While at Maya, Amigo Khadka, XiaoXiao Lu, Kolby Arnold and I were primarily focused on building a bamboo classroom. We cut the bamboos into thin slices and weaved it to make a strong base to construct the classroom on. Furthermore, we immersed ourselves in countless forms of activities that could have required any assistance. Be it teaching an art class, cooking food, running errands or just socializing with the kids, we did it wholeheartedly. We were there to teach the little kids, but came back with valuable life lessons from the kids themselves.
We were also able to document the work we did during our time, which has been edited and produced as a documentary by Abhineet Kumar, a film major at Colby-Sawyer College. Click here to watch the 15 minute documentary that not only shows the work we did in Maya but the overall cultural exposure we were able to offer the students of Colby-Sawyer.
Furthermore, our sincere efforts to give back to the global community and make a difference, has been documented in the Colby-Sawyer Alumni Magazine where an article written by XiaoXiao Lu has been featured. Click here to view the interesting read.
The Second Phase:
Sustaining and running a project, in my opinion, is as important as initiating it. Therefore, in the hopes of gaining more valuable life lessons, I strive to initiate a second phase of the project in January 2015. Identifying the infrastructural needs of Maya Universe Academy, we plan to build a multi-purpose room, which would act as a library for the older children and serve as a playroom for the younger ones.
The children from the rural areas are rarely exposed to creative tasks such as working on chart papers, drawing and origami. With the generous help of Prof. Jon Keenan, we plan to teach the kids the basics of ceramics and pottery. If possible, we will make some pots and pans, which might be helpful for the day-to-day activities of the school.
Though I graduate in May 2015, I believe I have set a strong foundation for other students to actively involve in the project. I hope the project not only makes a difference in Nepal but around the world as well.