Naiara in Nepal: "Those boys and girls have taught me many things about life in a short time"

Naiara has just returned from Kathmandu with a backpack full of lessons. For 15 days, he has lived with children from Komang, a remote village in northeastern Nepal. These minors have had to travel to the capital to continue studying, and they need help with their homework and support in their adaptation to the big city. During his trip, he has lived "very curious, incredible and unforgettable" experiences.

The day in the project started with a family breakfast. “At 7:30 in the morning, 22 children, two volunteers, the project coordinator and the cook met to have breakfast together as a big family in a room where the benches are tables and we sit on mats”, explains Naiara. Later, “the boys and girls got ready and went to school, and I began my route through Kathmandu. The streets and temples of this city are amazing!” he adds.

Naiara with some children from the project

During her volunteering, Naiara carried out various playful activities with the boys and girls, such as a theater improvisation workshop or drum classes: “Some books and tin cases were used to make our own instrument and thus teach them musical rhythms, which they learn very quickly! They liked it and they paid attention to do it well”, explains Naiara. Precisely, living with the little ones has been the best of his experience. “Living within their culture, at home, getting to know them more every day, seeing their day to day and their way of doing things, adapting to them by teaching them the little I know and learning a lot from all of them has been the best part of my trip. . They have taught me many things about life in a short time”, he affirms.

Culinary and cultural immersion

By living with the boys and girls and with those responsible for the project, Naiara lived like one more Nepali during her solidarity trip. Thanks to this coexistence, he has been able to discover customs such as: drink tea with milk and salt to snack; dinner rice with vegetables, lentils or T-momos (a type of steamed bun with different fillings) or participate in the celebration of the anniversary of Buddha.

Sightseeing with a new “friend” in Kathmandu 🙂

“Buddha's anniversary day is very special for them. We all went to Boudahnath square at 2 in the morning to pray for an hour around the Stupa, a very important round square in Kathmandu,” he explains. What caught his attention the most was the way Nepalis pray on that day. “With a small stone in your hand, you would kneel on the ground, say a prayer, stretch fully and release the stone as far as possible. You would get up praying again with your hands raised, and you would take a big step to where you had dropped your stone. So constantly until you go all the way around the Stupa, and then walk two more laps to complete the adventure”, explains Naiara. “Hundreds of people prayed on the ground. It was very exhausting, but quite an experience, very curious, incredible and unforgettable”.

Travel and empower

The project in which Naiara has collaborated in Nepal helps young people from Tibetan villages in the northeast of the country to continue studying. In their remote villages there are no secondary schools, so the boys and girls have to travel to Kathmandu to study high school and opt for a better future. If you travel to the project, in addition to helping the boys and girls with homework and playful workshops, you will make it possible for the NGO to be financially sustainable and can continue helping these young people.