Author: admin

Bright Star Society, established as a self-help group in 2013 is an organization which focuses on empowering people with special needs in health services, skill-oriented trainings such as radio anchoring and personality development, disability sensitization short-term trainings and linking people in the inclusive framework of development. Post-earthquake, Nepal Jesuit Social Institute has been linked with Bright Star Society and distributed winter clothes, blankets, bed-nets and assistive tools like white canes, crutches and wheelchairs to the earthquake victims with disabilities in most affected areas like Dolakha, Kavre and Sindhupalchowk. They have also conducted various campaigns, programs and trainings in partnership with NJSI to empower and help person with disability to become independent.

From January 29 to February 3, 2019 Bright Star Society actively participated in the grand exhibition of computer technology CAN InfoTech with the financial support of NJSI in logistic management. Apart from spreading awareness on how to use computers, mobile phones and braille, they introduced interesting things like a palm-talking map, Smart clock for the visually impaired, talking Blood Pressure Measuring Machine, Amazon Alexa device and many more. They also distributed white canes and audio players to the blind and visually impaired students residing in Kathmandu valley.

The six days long exhibition was a grand success as the stall was always crowded with curious visitors. They expressed their heartfelt gratitude to NJSI for supporting this initiative to open up the avenue even for potential employers to consider and unlock their understanding for hiring blind and visually impaired in different job markets.

 

Tipling, a remotest village in northern part of Dhading district is witnessing historic milestone with the completion of the road. The 27 km Xavier marg construction from Somdang, bordering Rasuwa district, has gone through the most difficult terrain of steep and rocky hill sides up to Tipling. The mesmerizing view of Ganesh himal range in Ruby valley rural municipality holds a great prospect of tourism development.

Nepal Jesuit Social Institute, financially supported by Xavier Network, undertook the road construction as part of the earthquake rehabilitation and reconstruction activities and has been conducting various other activities like agriculture training and providing economical support for animal husbandry and planting cash crops for the upliftment of livelihood of Tipling. Now with the completion of Xavier marg, NJSI will make remarkable improvement in the socio-economic and psychological development.

They use to walk for 2 to 3 days to access basic facility like health and education. Now, they can reach directly to Kathmandu in just 8 hours. They can transport potatoes and other crops to the market instead of rotting or extra feeding to cows. Flourishing tourism industry can change their life to greater extend.

The group of Nayagaun Samudayik Sanstha were conducting meetings for development of the village in an open ground. During rainy season they were facing a lot of difficulties to come together and plan anything. When they came to know about Nepal Jesuit Social Institute and it contribution to society, they requested for a community hall. This group has been living and working at Golanjor Rural Municipality-4, Nayagaun, Sindhuli.

On 28^th January 2019, a total of 63 people gathered on the inauguration and handover ceremony of newly built community hall built by NJSI. NJSI team of 10 members including Fr. Boniface, Fr. Juel, Miguel and Pilar (Xavier Network Delegate) also participated in the event. The program was followed by speeches and a dance performance by little children. The ribbon was cut and key was handover to the concerned authority.

People were very happy and cheering for the newly built community hall. They express their gratitude in their speeches and personally too. They were quite excited to use community hall to conduct various skill development program and said that if any organization help us in conducting training, we will like to have soap and incense stick making training. This shows how enthusiastic they to make optimum utilization of the hall.

A group of 45 members named Dedidevi Women’s Group requested for a center to conduct meetings and regulate activities as they had to sit under the tree or on a barren land of others. They even have to depend on the weather, sometimes they had to cancel their meetings or programs due to rain. So seeing the need of the center in the community, NJSI decided to build the women center in their village which is located at Mandendeupur Municipality-7, Guragaitar, Kavre. On 9^th January, 2018 NJSI team went to handover the women center. A total of 70 people were present for the program.

The program started around 11:30 a.m. in the presence of Vice mayor of Mandendeupur- 7, some government officials and beneficiaries with welcome speech. Social Audit was done by NJSI staff and finally government official cut the ribbon, Fr. Arul handed over the key to the Vice Mayor and the Chairperson of the women’s group inaugurated the center by opening the door for all the attendant of the program.

The work of NJSI was appreciated by everyone presented there and appreciation certificate was provided to the team. They were happy to receive the women center in their community. They even requested for some life skills training programs which would help to sustain themselves.

Thumka Danda is a village located at Roshi Rural Municipality in Kavrepalanchowk District. The village is on the difficult terrain and mostly populated with Tamang indigenous community with people of Brahmin and Chettri community as well with 105 households. They do not have any water source nearby and throughout the year except the monsoon season village is very dry. They had to walk for 2 or more hours daily to fetch water from Roshikhola carrying it on a bamboo basket in plastic bottles.

NJSI helped the village by building a water tank to store and supply water to the households by laying pipelines and constructing 17 water taps for the various use of villagers. On 7^th January 2019, NJSI team went for the handover ceremony of the water supply project. The program was too lengthy with the speeches from government officials. Group of children sang self-made song about the project, the availability of water near their house and new opportunities the tap would now provide young children, thanking us for all the support. All the guest inaugurated the tap and handed over it to villagers.

Villagers expressed their utmost gratitude towards the whole team who worked for the water project. They mentioned that in earlier days, the women in the village had to wake up early in the morning, sometimes even in late midnight to walk almost 2 hours to fetch a jar full of water. Sometimes, their walk would go in vain when they would have to return without a single drop of water. A Tamang women even laughed saying that she would finally get to sleep till late mornings without worrying about fetching water now.

NJSI has been supporting the children with special needs of Shree Bhagawati Care Center and Kali Devi Care Center which is located at Kavre district from the beginning and in every two or three months as per the need, NJSI has been providing the nutritious foods and medical interventions to the children. On 4^th January, NJSI team went to these places to supply the nutrition food and take the blood sample of the children for thyroid test. There are 8 children in Kali Devi Hostel and 21 children in Bhagawati Care Center.

The set of nutritious food that was provided included Grains, Flours, Horlicks, Sarbottam Pitho, and eggs. At First the team went to Kali Devi Care Center where the children were so sensitive and scared seeing the injections and all the lab equipment. The team applied different techniques to convince the children so that they would allow the technician to take the blood but still they were unable to take sample of 2 children. As prescribed by the doctor, 3 children from Bhagawati Center had to repeat the thyroid test. So on the same day, NJSI team went to Bhagawati center which is quite far from Kalidevi to collect the blood sample of those 3 children. One lab technician accompanied with us to collect the sample. Children were very cooperative here in comparison to Kali Devi Care Center so the technician easily took the blood sample from them.

The children from both the center were quite happy seeing us, they gave us a warm welcome with their cheerful smiles and greetings. The caretakers also were really happy seeing the food and the medical provision.