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16.04.2020 - Marianne de Sacy, godmother of Sabita
Since the last newsletter in December 2019, when the entire NEL team wished you a peaceful New Year, we've seen so much unrest that we couldn't have imagined it without thinking we were in a disaster film! And yet, the reality is there, as palpable in France and the western world as it is in Nepal, where it is truly frightening when you consider the country's low hospital capacity and the precarious living conditions of the majority of its citizens when it comes to hygiene. Washing your hands ten times a day is far from easy when there's no running water!

But before the situation turned into a nightmare, Sylvia Cecchini, Assistant Secretary, and I were able to immerse ourselves in this magnificent country with as much pleasure as ever and meet up with our goddaughters, the Sushi team who run the home and Mr Alé, headmaster of the Prithwi School. Ten travellers accompanied us. One godfather and two godmothers were returning for the second consecutive time. The others discovered the country and their goddaughters. Two NEL supporters became co-sponsors during the trip.

It was a time of wonderment, as the planned mini-trek took place in splendid weather, revealing the Annapurna in all its splendour, but it was also a time of warmth and emotion when we met the children.

Camille Hostel :
Like every time, it's with a beating heart that I arrive in front of the heavy iron door that closes this haven of peace sheltered from the noise and violence of the city of Kathmandu. Situated beyond the ring road in a neighbourhood that, until recently, was still rural but is now covered with colourful detached houses and small apartment blocks, the Camille Hostel and the Amrit-Heller school are set in a fairly large garden where the vegetation is gradually growing. Flowering trees, bushes, a lawn that does what it can according to the season, small fences of all colours, vegetables in every possible piece of land to combat rising prices and price fluctuations. At the moment, it's garlic that's expensive, and the vegetable patch is full of it! The children come running in, all smiles! At first glance I recognise the ones I've seen for years, but how they're growing up! Some of them were still skinny little girls last year, but now they're full-grown girls! This year, because of covid-19, there were no big hugs, just ceremonial "Namasté" and welcome scarves.

Unwrapping presents, calling for letters, it's a bit of a mess!

Over the next few days, Sylvia and I will be taking stock of what needs to be done in the building: buying new beds and mattresses for the new recruits, building shelves and coat racks, replacing a faulty solar panel and probably freshening up the paintwork in the dormitory.

In any case, everyone looks happy and healthy. Sushi Mam is looking more and more like an all-round mum, and her role as school teacher is completely fulfilling. You should see her teaching the little ones to count to 10 in English while doing gymnastic movements, or preaching the ABCs to them while singing. I wish I'd been in a kindergarten like that when I was little!

15.04.2020 - Nicole PATRIGEON, godmother of Kopila

Once again this year, I really enjoyed rediscovering Nepal. I still love wandering around Kathmandu in the narrow streets of the old quarters; the smiles and kindness of the Nepalese are not empty words...
The Pokhara region, Bandipur and the trek are forever engraved in my memory, so many pleasant memories... the small villages with the mountains in the background... sublime, a dream come true!
Just like the smiles on the girls' faces when we arrived at the home, where we were given a warm welcome; their gratitude in offering us a show was heart-warming (once again, great work by Sushi).
Thank you to Yam, who was always a great guide, to Purna, always an excellent driver, and to all the friendly, smiling porters.

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15 April 2020 - Denise and Bernard POULAT, co-sponsors of Bhawana

It was a moment of grace before the storm that descended on us all:
- The majesty of the Himalayas at sunrise and our respect for our porters who helped us to achieve this visual delight;
- the richness and culture of this small country framed by two giants;
- And finally, the home representing THE FUTURE for all the girls and women they will be tomorrow. Their laughter and joie de vivre prove that it's all happening.
And then THANK YOU Sushi, because thanks to your little-girl personality and your founding sponsors' willingness to listen at just the right moment, all this was possible. The work continues, thanks to all those who are working to keep the home going.

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02 May 2019 - Jacques Croisé: "Michelle and Pierre Heller, the founders of the association, understood everything".

My first trip to Nepal: so for me it was all about "discovery".

The first emotion was on the plane that took us from Delhi to Kathmandu. Because of, or thanks to, the delays caused by the Indo-Pakistani problem, we were lucky enough to discover the Himalayas in all their splendour, with snow-capped mountains glistening in the morning sun and clear skies.  [...]

Discovering Nepal is also about discovering the status of women in the country. All too often, women are still regarded as beasts of burden. On building sites, they are the ones who transport the materials. The men load the wicker baskets, hanging from their foreheads, with shovelfuls of sand or gravel. And the women, with dignity, carry them to the recipients, sometimes climbing stairs...

In the countryside, it is still the spectacle of women returning from the fields, bent over under the load of fodder or wood, shocking and inhuman images, which we still tend, sometimes, to put under the heading "Cultures and traditions" ... and we see the importance and the role of NEL for the education of girls. Michelle and Pierre Heller, the founders of the association, understood everything.

As for me, I've been a member of NEL with my partner since the very beginning and have sponsored Sharmila with her for over six years, so I was keen to get to know her after all these years of correspondence, and to see how the children of NEL lived.

So on Monday afternoon, we visited Prithwi School. We were warmly welcomed by Mr Alé, the headmaster, followed by the NEL students. Thanks to the exchange of photos, I immediately recognised our discreet, smiling goddaughter, who also recognised me. Without giving me time to say "namaste", she walked over to me to give me a hug. It was an emotional moment to receive such a spontaneous gesture of affection.

 The other two meetings, the picnic and the dinner-show at the Home, were also wonderful moments of tenderness and happiness. Sharmila took me by the arm or the hand and showed me around her home, where I felt she was happy and fulfilled. The separation was also emotional for both of us, but with the hope of seeing each other again.

What I'll always remember about NEL's children is their joy and their smiles. They are happy little girls who realise how lucky they are to be able to study in good conditions. What we give them, they give back to us with their smiles and their affection.

Thank you to Sushi for all the work she has put in: the excellent running of the Home, learning the household chores, the good atmosphere with accepted discipline... All of which has enabled these girls to break away from the traditional status of Nepalese women.

Finally, a big thank you to our guide and friend, Yam, to our discreet and efficient driver, not forgetting Marianne and Marc for organising this trip with such a friendly group.

What memories and good times we had together!
                 *Kathmandu now has a population of nearly 4 million!

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12 December 2017 - Sylvia Cecchini, back from her third trip to Kathmandu

November - December 2017, New Camille Hostel: for the third time in two years, I'm in Kathmandu, at the new Home that I had left at the end of construction in spring 2016. I'm delighted to see that it's exactly what I expected: a safe, easy-to-live-in "home" where our goddaughters clearly feel at home. The colours are cheerful and the garden is well used (vegetable garden, games, grassy area, etc.). It's a lively, well-maintained place that 'runs' under Sushi's leadership, with Yam's support.
I meet my god-daughter Manisha on a Thursday afternoon, thanks to the parliamentary elections! In Nepal, the election period lasts several weeks, and every aspect of life in the country is affected: traffic is banned on certain days (we were lucky enough to see a perfectly blue sky in Kathmandu for a whole day - yes, we did!), schools are closed for almost a week...

This is how Manisha, who is now 15, was able to come to the Home in the middle of the afternoon and stay for two hours. This is our third meeting, and for me it's always so moving. Her joy and confidence are heart-warming. After opening the little presents, we talk mainly about her studies. I keep a close eye on his results - I came with his last two report cards - which are good on the whole, and together we look at the causes of and remedies for the few small weaknesses (the very recent transcript of marks, at the beginning of 2018, delighted me because the expected feedback is there). We also talk about our exchanges: she now has an email address, so we can correspond more easily.
As with my other returns, it wasn't long before I felt the urge to return to this endearing country, to this warm and welcoming home. I have the feeling of taking part in a "construction", this time immaterial but so fundamental...

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