Slow but steady progress

We are seeing that not being based in Nepal and working on the school is a challenge. Dhirendra’s now back from his recent two-week trip to Nepal.

 

After a week and a half project in Dharamsala, India with the Tibetan Government in Exile, Dhirendra spent two weeks in Kathmandu. The trip was productive in many ways. Of course, he was able to spend time with family and friends – an opportunity that is few and far between. He also made notable progress in an upcoming project with his organization – the Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy (IMTD) – on post-conflict reconciliation. Among other notable figures with whom he spoke was the Prime Minister, Mr. Nepal. The conclusion on all sides was overall consensus that the project is necessary. With adequate funding, the plan is to move forward this Fall.

 

Last, but not least, Dhirendra made key contacts for the Taplejung School Project. He met first with Mr. Dambar Dhwoj Thumbahanphe, one of the political representatives for the Taplejung constituency. He will be important in the latter stages of gaining political support in the district and for guidance on regulations and ordinances within the Ministry of Education. Dhirendra also spoke with villagers (visiting Kathmandu) and discussed possible properties centrally located within Lingtep village whose owners might be willing to partially donate the land. Finally, a young woman by the name of Kopila Langwa agreed to coordinate a needs assessment this November. Kopila is a Limbu from Taplejung who is currently studying in Kathmandu for her graduate degree in Education. She will act as our eyes and ears, gathering information and evidence from both Lingtep and Changa (Nalbu) villages on the challenges of the youth (both girls and boys) in attending school. She will also report back on the local politics of the villages on this issue.

 

Our immediate challenge is gathering further information and developing a strategy on building the school, costs of materials, and curriculum development. 

Dhirendra's work in Nepal

Dhirendra's been in Nepal since June 14th. In addition to visiting family and doing work (for the Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy www.imtd.org), he's been talking with villagers from Taplejung that have been in Kathmandu. We'll put up a post with more details after he returns to the States in July.

Brief update on Nepal's political scene

Since many people have asked us about the political situation in Nepal the past few weeks, we thought we’d post an update.

 

Already facing stumbling blocks, Nepal’s fragile peace process suffered another blow as the Prime Minister Puspa Kamal Dahal Prachanda resigned from his post on May 4, 2009. A weeks-long political deadlock on the issue of the Cabinet’s decision to fire the Chief of Army resulted in the crumbling of the Maoist-led coalition government. Since the Prime Minister’s resignation, major opposition parties, particularly the Nepali Congress (NC) and leftist party Nepal Communist Party United Marxist Leninist Party (UML), are arduously trying to firm a new government.

 

Both parties, NC and UML have proposed as their candidate for the Prime Minister, UML’s former General Secretary Mr. Madav Kumar Nepal. The irony of his candidacy is that he lost both his candidacies during the Constituent Assembly election a few years ago. Due to his embarrassing defeat, he resigned from his post as party General Secretary.

 

It is not clear whether Mr. Nepal would gain the needed support from other political parties. Nonetheless, given Nepal’s ongoing frail peace process, it is not a critical issue of who leads the new interim-government instead whether the new government can become sustainable and effective to carry out the peace process into its logical endpoint. At the forefront of this process is the integration of Maoist ex-combatants into Nepal’s security forces, to finish writing a new ‘Peoples’ constitution by May 2010, and to return the confiscated individual property that was seized by the Maoist during the war.

 

Political analysts argue that without the Maoist’s support no government can sustain and precede Nepal’s peace process effectively. The twelve-year long civil conflict and the Constituent Assembly election have established the Maoist as an indispensable political force. This political situation requires that if the peace process is to be successful, the Maoist and all political parties need to work together. 

A Year of Change and Progress for the TSP

The year May 2008 – May 2009 went by quickly, marked by many memorable moments – personally, nationally, and globally. After Dhirendra completed his second Master’s degree with high honors in Conflict Resolution, we bid farewell to West Yorkshire – a part of England that had grown to be a part of us. We moved back to the U.S. laying our bags and lives down in Washington, DC.

 

No sooner had we got here, when a new president decided it was also a nice place to live. The festivities and excitement of Washington, DC surrounding the 2008 elections, 2009 inauguration, and up to present have brought with them a renewed sense of optimism for us, as we continue to face many challenges in our professional lives (no thanks to the economic crisis). After over six months of being in DC, it looks like our path ahead is starting to take shape.

 

Nepal, too, has had its fair share of ‘change’ over the past 12 months. As many of you will remember from our wedding reception, we toasted Nepal officially becoming a federal republic on May 26^th, ending a centuries-old monarchy and promising a new ‘inclusive democracy’. Up until yesterday, a Maoist-led coalition interim government was functioning with the promise of writing a new constitution that would (hopefully) be completed by May 2010. But that was yesterday. As of today, the political crisis has again flared, leaving many unknowns in Nepal's future. Beyond Kathmandu, the political situation has seen little change. In particular, the indigenous and dalit communities (lowest caste) continue to struggle – even taking up arms – for their basic rights. This is nowhere more true than in Taplejung where there have been countless district-wide strikes. 

 

Throughout these eventful times, we have continued to push forward with the Taplejung School Project (TSP). The pace has proceeded more slowly than we’d first envisioned, but the diligence and measured strides we hope will prove to be the foundations of a stronger, more sustainable school.

 

We have been in contact and consultation with local villagers from Taplejung, who continue to reiterate their need for this school. From these conversations, we’ve identified two potential villages with geographic structures making present primary schooling nearly-inaccessible to half of their populations.

 

This early June, Dhirendra will be visiting Dharamsala, India as part of his involvement with a conflict resolution training with the Tibetan Government in-Exile. The remainder of the month, Dhirendra will be in Nepal to meet with non-profit organizations and government representatives (including the newly elected constituent assembly member representing Taplejung), as well as villagers, to begin formal discussions on location (i.e. buying land), legal and policy issues (i.e. district education administration), as well as practical/viable timeframes.

 

We will continue to post updates on a regular basis, so stay tuned and thank you for your support.