EliseKerle 1

GorkhaJanuary2nd–23rd,2018

Whatatrip!Threeweeks,39mealsofdahlbhatandanadventureI’llneverforget.

SincemydecisiontovolunteerinGorkhawasaverylastminutedecision,therealityofwhatIwasdoingandwhereIwasgoingdidn’treallysetinuntilIwasboardingtheplanetoAbuDhabi-aplacethatisverymuchnotonthewaytoNepalfromAustralia–andthusbeganthefirstlegofmy24hourjourneytoKathmandu.IarrivedinNepalthefollowingeveningandvisitedeveryforeigner’sfavouriteKathmandurestaurant,OR2K,beforeheadingtobedforanearlynight.ThenextmorningIsetoffonatreacherousandunforgettablemicrobusjourneyheadedforGorkha.ArrivinginbustlingGorkha,IwasgreetedbySaritawhotookmetoherhomeandintroducedmetoherkindandwelcomingfamily.ThateveningSaritaandIattendedameetingwiththeboardofGDHEDSwherewediscussedwhatIwasinterestedinandwhereIwouldbeofbesthelpduringmytimeinGorkha.Followingthismeeting,weestablishedthetwoplacesI’dprimarilybeinvolvedin–GorkhaDistrictHospitalandMahendraJyotiSecondarySchool–alongwithnumberofothershorterprogramsthatwouldbeoccurringduringmystay,suchastheSchoolHygieneProgram,Women’sHygieneProgramandTeacherTraininginruralcommunities.Followingtheconclusionofthemeeting,SaritatookmetomeetthefamilyIwouldbestayingwithinGorkha–theMaskeyfamily.TheMaskey’swereafamilyofamum,adaughterandason(whowascurrentlyinKathmandustudyingengineeringatuniversity),andtheylivedinanewlybuiltthree-storeyhome.Althoughitwasdauntingtobeina

foreigncountry,stayingwithpeopleI’dnevermetbefore,amaanddidiwerekindandalwaysmadesureIhadeverythingIneeded.FollowingdiscussionswithLindaandZoeaboutmyexperience,GDShasdevelopedaHomestayGuideforfamiliesinGorkhawhowishtotakeonaGDSvolunteer.Thisdocumenthasbeenwrittentohelpfamiliesunderstandsomeoftheculturaldifferencesthatmaybepresentbetweenthemselvesandthevolunteers,suchasdifferingfoodetiquettesortheearlybedtimesthatresultfromjetlag.Ithinkthatmakingthisinformationavailabletofamilieswillhelpprovidealittlemoreclaritytoboththemandthevolunteers,asthelanguagebarriercanbequitedifficulttonavigateinitially.Allinall,thehomestaywasafantasticwaytotrulyexperiencelocallifeinGorkha.Ialsobecamegreatfriendswiththechildrenthatlivedacrosstheroad,whotookmemanyadventuresduringmystayandwhooftencameovertoplaygameswithmeintheeveningsbeforedinner.

Mynewhome!

EliseKerle 2

Day2sawmemeetingBadriatthehospitaltodiscusswhereIwouldbeworking.IntrueNepalistyle,itwasalittleunorganizedandtookawhiletofindthedoctorsweneededtotalkto,butultimatelywedecidedthatthebestplaceformebewasintheoutpatientdepartment,workingalongsidetwophysiotherapistsandasocialworker.Thankfully,thephysiotherapistsbothspokeEnglishwell,sothishelpedeliminatesomeofthelanguagebarrierdifficultiesthatIhadanticipatedhaving.GorkhaDistrictHospitalIspenteverymorningintheoutpatientdepartmentatGorkhaDistrictHospitalassistingthephysiotherapistsdelivertreatments,andconductingmyownoccasionallyaswell.Asthedepartmentwasheavilyfocusedonphysiotherapy,therewasn’tasubstantialamountofOTworkformetodo,butwherepossibleIassistedintreatmentsandhelpsetuppatientstodotheirprescribedexercises.ThephysiotherapistscalledinaboutthreestrokepatientswhileIwasthere,astheyknewthat’swhereIhadabitofexperience.Unfortunatelymostofthepeopletheycalledinhadexperiencedstrokemorethantwoyearsagoandhadhadverylittlerehabilitation,sotherewasn’ttoomuchIwasabletodointhatsettingtohelpimprovetheirupperlimbfunction.Iprovidedthemwithsomeeducationonhygieneandnailcareiftheypresentedwithcontracturesofthehandandfingers(makingsuretheykepttheirnailstrimmedsotheydon’tcutintotheirpalms,andmakingsuretheydrytheirpalmscompletelyafterwashingsotheskindoesn’tbreakdown).Ididhaveonestrokepatientwhocameinacoupleoftimesaweek,whomthephysiotherapistsallocatedmetoworkwith.Thisparticularpatientwasa66-year-oldmalewithright-sidedhemiparesisfollowinganischemicstroke,andhewasveryeagertoattendtherapyandimprovehisupperlimbfunction.Ihadtakenafewsupplieswithme,suchasputtytoimprovefingerandhandstrength,therabandstoimproveshoulderstrengthandquoitstopracticeforwardreaching

Ama&Didi

Sneha,Prakriti,Partik&Spars

EliseKerle 3

andcoordination,andthesecameinhandywhenworkingwiththispatient.Mostsessionshadthefollowingstructure:- Pendulumexercisestoimproveshouldrangeofmotionandstability- Forwardreachingtotargetexercises- Throwingquoitsatavarietyofanglesanddistances- Pinchingputtywiththumbandindexfingertoimprovestrengthandfunctionality,and

rollingputtytoimprovedexterity- Heatpackasrecoverytoendthesession

Asheprogressed,morerepetitionswereadded,weightswereincreasedortargetswereplacedfurtherawaytoincreasedifficulty.DuringthefinalweekIwasatthehospital,thepatienttoldthephysiotherapistthathewasexperiencinglesspainandwasfindingiteasiertocatchobjectswithtwohands,andwhilethiscouldhavebeenduetoavarietyoffactors,I’mdefinitelyclaimingsomeofthecredit.Itwasreallyrewardingtohearthepatientgooutofhiswaytotellthephysiotherapistthis,andreallymademefeellikeIwashelpingpeopleinGorkha.Ialsogottoseeavarietyofotherinterestingcases,includingmultiplepeoplewhohadcontracturesoftheelboworfrozenshoulder,asaresultofimmobilisationafterfracturingtheirarms(somethingwhichwouldbasicallyneverhappeninAustraliabecausethereissuchanemphasisonfollow-upandtherapyfollowingupperlimbfractures),a5yearoldchildwithcerebralpalsywhichIdidgaitpracticewithandwhomIsuggested‘tummytime’activitiestoimprovecoremusclesandthepossibleuseofanankle-footorthosis,aswellascountlesspatientswithchronicbackandlegpain.

Pinchingandrollingexercisestoimprovehandandfingerfunction

EliseKerle 4

Women’sHealthGroupThroughthehospitalandwithorganizstionfromSarita,IwasalsoabletoattendaWomen’sHygieneclass.LeadbyDr.AnamikaKarna,theclassaimedtoprovideeducationtowomenregardingnewbornhealthaswellaswomen’sprolapseprevention.SpeakingwithDr.Karnaaftertheevent,shestatedhowamajorityofeducationsheprovidedinthesessionwasaroundreducingthephysicaldomesticworkloadthemotherhasaftergivingbirth,toreducethelikelihoodofherinjuringherself.DuetoNepaliculture,womenareoftentheoneswhorunthehouseholdandtakecareofalldomesticchores,soitisdifficultforthemtorestandfullyrecoverafterhavingababy,butDr.Karnareallyemphasizedtheimportanceofpreventinginjuryinthisway.Iwasalsosurprisedathowmanywomennotonlyattended,butalsoparticipatedintheclass.Womenactivelystoodupandaskedquestionsinfrontofotherwomenandeveryonelistenedeagerlytoeachresponse,whichreallydemonstratedtomehowthewomenattendingtheclassweretrulyinterestedineducatingthemselvesinthisarea,whichisabsolutelyfantastic.SchoolHygieneProgramAlongsimilarlines,IwasalsoluckyenoughtoaccompanySaritatotheruralcommunityofBungkot,wheresheconductedahygieneclasswithprimaryschoolstudentsatalocalschool.Ireallyenjoyedattendingthisclassanditwasgreattoseethechildrenactivelyengagedinlearningaboutpersonalhygiene.Itwasclearthatthisclasswasalsonecessary;asmanyofthechildrenworevisiblydirtyclothesandwhenasked‘whobrushedtheirteeththismorning?’onlyabouthalfthestudentsputtheirhandsup.Theteacheroftheclasswehadcometoteachwasalsopresentduringmostofthetalkandafewotherteacherspokedtheirheadsinthroughoutthesession,andIthinkhavingteachersattendtheclasswhocanthencarryontheeducationtofutureclassesisbyfarthemostsustainablewaytorunthissortofprogram.

Whobrushedtheirteeththismorning?

EliseKerle 5

MahendraJyotiSecondarySchoolDuringmysecondweekinGorkhaIwastakentoMahendraJyotiSecondarySchoolwhereIwasshowntheclassroomwherethechildrenwithdisabilitieslivedandstudied(thelearningsupportclassroom).Myfirstintroductiontothechildrenwasincrediblyconfronting.TheparticulardayIwastakentotheclassroom,theteacherwasabsentandwhenIaskedthestudentwhohadescortedmewhatthismeantforthechildrenhere,sheshowedmehowtheywerelockedintheirclassroombythemselves(“butsomeofthemcanclimboutthewindow”shetoldme).Thiswasverydifficulttoseeandwasn’thelpedbythefactthatmanypeopleintheschoolreferredtothesechildrenasthe‘retardedchildren’.Itwasquiteshockingtoseehowthesechildrenweretreated,especiallycomingfromacountrythat,evenwithitsflaws,isstillsoprogressiveinadvocatingfortherightsofthosewithdisabilities.Subsequentvisitsweremuchmoresuccessfulthough,beginningwithmeattendingtheclassonaSaturdaywhentheteachersweremakingtraditionalNepalibreadincelebrationoftheupcomingholiday.Mymainobjectivewhenitcametoworkingintheclassroomwastogatherasmuchinformationaspossibleonthechildren,suchaswhatdisabilityorimpairmenttheymayhave,sothatIcouldbringthisinformationbacktoGDStohelpinformfuturevolunteersonwhothechildrenareandhowtheymaybeabletohelpthem.Visitingtheclassroomandobservingthechildreninsideitandout,Iwasabletobegintounderstandwhateachchildwaslikeandwheretheirdifficultieswerelikelytobe.IquicklyunderstoodIwouldn’tbeabletogainmuchinformationfromthestudentsorteacherwithouthavinganinterpreterpresent,sothiswasmygoalbeforeleavingGorkha.Itwasquitedifficulttoarrangethis,duetomybusyscheduleaswellasonlyknowingafewpeopleinthearea,butluckilySaritawasonboardtohelpme.IttookawhiletofindatimethatworkedforeveryonebutultimatelywearrangedtohaveSaritaattendtheclasswithmeduringoneofherfreeperiodsinthe

Howmanytypesofpersonalhygienecanyouname?

EliseKerle 6

lastfewdaysofmystay.Inthemeantime,theteachershowedmesometheworkthestudentswerecurrentlydoingandwhowasabletosayorwritetheEnglishalphabet,orcount1to100.Ihelpedworkonthesethingswithafewofthestudentsandwroteoutsimplesentencesforthemtocopyintotheirexercisebooks.Ithinkitwasalsoveryencouragingforthemtohaveanewfacetoshowtheirworkto,ortohelpthemwithspelling,soIthinktheyenjoyedmybeingthereasmuchasIdid.

WhenSaritawasabletocomein,wesatdownwithstudentsandtheirteacherandwentstudentbystudenttoaskquestionsabouthowoldtheywere,whatleveloflearningweretheyat,whyweretheyinthatroomandwhattheirmainbarrierstolearningwere.AlthoughtheinformationIcollectedwasinformal,Ithink(andhope)itsstillenoughtogiveafuturevolunteeranideawhatdisabilitiesthechildrenhaveandpromptthemtothinkofafewresourcestheycouldtakewiththemontheirvisit.Ifoundoutthatmostchildrenhadeitherwhatseemedtobeanintellectualdisabilityorlearningdisability,andtherewasonlyonechildwhohadaphysicalimpairment.Mostchildrenengagedinsomesortoflearning,whetheritbeinthelearningsupportclassroomorinamainstreamclass,howeverthereweresomechildrenwhodidnotparticipateinanlearningactivitieswhatsoeverandweresimplylefttotheirowndevicesformostoftheday.Forthesechildreninparticular,therewasverylittleforthemtoengagewithandoftenresultedinmanyofthemdoingessentiallynothingbutsitorwalkaroundallday.Theteacheralsoexpressedhowshedidn’tknowhowtoteachthesechildren,astheywerenon-verbal,andshedidn’thavetheknowledgeorskillstoengageorinteractwiththemasshedidwiththeotherstudents.

Sobika,Yukesh,Asmita,Santos,Sargor,Ujjal,Krishna&Dipesh

EliseKerle 7

TeacherTrainingProgramFinally,theteacherofthelearningsupportclassroomalsotoldme(whenshefoundoutIwasleavinginafewdays)howshethoughtIwouldstayforalongtimeandshowherwaysshecanbetterteachthestudents,andalthoughIwasdisheartenedthatIwasn’tabletohelpherinthisway,itwassoincrediblyencouragingtohearhersaythis.Idon’tthinkthereisabetterindicatorthatchangeispossiblethantohavethepersonresponsibleforteachingthesechildrenoutwardlyexpressawillingnesstolearnandimproveherskills.Ileftthechildrenwithanextensiverangeofcolouredpencils,alphabetdot-to-dots,simplemazesandputtythatIhopedcouldimproveupontheresourcestheyhad,evenbyjustalittlebit.MorethananythingIhopethereissomeoneinthenearfuturewhoisabletogooverthereandhelpthesekids,andimprovetheirqualityoflife.ThroughmytimeatMahendraJyoti,Iwasalsoabletoattendathree-dayteacher-trainingprogramintheruralcommunityofSiranchowk.AccompaniedbyLaxman,RamchandraandUpendra(NELTA)theprogramaimedtoteachteachersofprimaryschoolstudentsmoreeffectivewaysoflearningEnglishskills.Primarily,theprogramfocusedonusingsongsandsimplerhymestolearnasmanyEnglishwordsaspossibleinawaythattheywouldhavemeaningandbenefittothestudents.Throughoutthecoursewecoveredareassuchasthealphabet,daysoftheweek,bodyparts,correctuseoftenseandcomprehension.Althoughamajorityoftheprogramwasdesignedbeforemyarrival,Iwasabletohelpteachpronunciationonanumberofoccasions,aswellasbeingamodelreadertodemonstratetotheclasstimingandpronunciationwhenreadingtext.OnthefinaldayIwasalsoabletoteacheveryone‘TheHokeyPokey’,asongthatallAustralianchildrenlearninprimaryschool!Itsfun,itinvolvesdancingandhelpsnameandidentifybodyparts,soitseemedtobetheperfectfittothethemeoftheprogram.Despitethelongdaysoflearning,alltheteachersmadeanoutstandingefforttoremainengagedandaskquestionsduringthecourse,whichIfoundveryimpressive,anditwasclearthattheygainedalotfromtheexperience.

Teachertrainingattendees

EliseKerle 8

Andthat’sawrap!Allinall,mylastminutedecisiontogobacktoNepalreallypaidoffwithafantastictripfilledwithmanynewexperiencesandevenmorenewfriends.AbigthankyoutoeveryoneatGDS,inparticularLindaandZoeforallyourhelpandsupportinorganizingthisgreatexperienceforme,andtoeveryoneatGDHEDSformakingmefeelwelcomeinGorkha.It’sdefinitelysomethingI’llrememberfortherestofmylife.