Lingtep field visit - Day 7

We continued our discussions within the village, which inevitably combined with family visits - a pure delight after so many years. Internal village politics is a reality of any local project. We were spending a great deal of time explaining to a few stubborn individuals the ethos of this project. Some people, we are finding, show resistance, because they think there surely must be an ulterior motive - perhaps building the family name for future purposes or attempting to out-do others. These doubting individuals are in the minority, but also hold a strong position in the community. We certainly want everyone to understand in full transparency our incentives for this project.

Building off of both of families' history of community service and belief that everyone deserves an equal opportunity in life, we simply seek to give back where there is a need. Dhirendra shared about how the conditions for education largely remains the same, beyond the fact that there are now pens, paper, and booklets at the school (which he didn't have - drawing in the dirt floor to learn their lessons). We want to provide support to a community-driven project. To the extent possible, we want to support improved education through infrastructure, but even more through community groups that ensure quality and accountability at the school - like a parent teacher association. For example, teacher attendance is one of the central problems throughout Nepal's education system. We observed that Lingtep is no exception. PTA type groups have proven to improve standards and attendance, while offering forums for parents to engage more fully in supporting their childrens' education.

Our goals is long-term. This trip has only reinforced this understanding. We walked away thinking that perhaps supporting Lingtep in some regard (potentially to improve the 3rd and 4th grade classroom) may be an easier immediate project. Longer-term might be a school in another village in Taplejung. Beyond the school in Ochhechhre, there are villages further north towards the Tibetan border that are even more remote that may be needing some form of assistance.