Philosophy – of Nepalhilfe Beilngries
Dear friends and supporters, Nepalhilfe Beilngries can look back on more than 30 years of social commitment in Nepal. With your support, the original little plant has grown into a strong tree that has since offered support and protection to many people in need.
The executive member of Nepalhilfe Beilngries
l.t.r. Michaela Rebele, Michael Rebele , Claudia Thumann , Ralf Petschl , Manfred Lindner (Erster Vorstand), Helene Pfaller
The member board of Nepalhilfe Beilngries
The Nepalhilfe Beilngries e.V., founded in 1992 by the four Beilngries police officers Karl and Michael Rebele, Manfred Lindner and Christian Thumann, is made up of 15 members. Over the years, with the help of numerous friends and sponsors, this dedicated and versatile team has succeeded in providing the people of Nepal with a wide range of help and support. Nepalhilfe Beilngries is registered as a registered association at the Ingolstadt District Court and is therefore authorised to issue donation receipts.
front row .l.t.r.: Maria Hundsdorfer, Ingrid Petschl, Michaela Rebele, Helene Pfaller, Claudia Thumann, Karin Stahn 2. row: l.t.r.: Klaus Hundsdorfer, Michael Rebele, Manfred Lindner, Oliver Stahn, Helga Lindner, Werner Eisenhofer, Roman Meier, Ralf Petschl, Christian Thumann, Martin Stangl
Review to the roots of Nepalhilfe
Since the four police officers Karl and Michael Rebele, Christian Thumann and Manfred Lindner set off for faraway Nepal in November 1990 to go on a trekking tour around the mighty Annapurna mountain massif, a lot has changed in one of the poorest countries in the world. But unfortunately not enough to solve the main problems of the people in this country, or at least to significantly improve their living conditions. When the four of them returned from their trip to a country that had impressed them not only with its magnificent nature, but also with its poverty and backwardness, but also with its friendly and lovable people, the decision was made to make their contribution to improving the living conditions there.
While circumnavigating the Annapurna massif, they had already decided to put together a slide show and present it to colleagues and friends. They wanted to use the proceeds to support existing projects in Nepal. In 1992, Manfred Lindner and his wife Helga brought DM 3,000 to the English Ladies’ School for the Poor in Kathmandu. This was the beginning. But nobody could have imagined at the time that, thanks to the willingness of thousands of donors, such an aid project would develop!
Changes in the country
Whereas in 1990 it was difficult to make calls to Germany at a horrendous rate (GM 7/min), today, thanks to the Internet, this is not only possible in the cities. Many a tourist is surprised to be able to reach the last corners of the country on a mobile phone or to find WLAN. Kathmandu in particular has changed more in the last 5 years than it did 25 years ago. Modern restaurants and bars are now the norm in Thamel, the tourist district, and prices have come closer to European standards. There would certainly be a lot more to report on what has changed for the better in the last 30 years, but unfortunately a lot of negative things have not changed, which seems difficult for us Europeans to understand, even though we should not see ourselves as know-it-alls or do-gooders. The country, people and cultures are too different. We are reminded of the saying about sweeping your own front door. Away from the tourist regions, however, poor medical and educational care and a lack of infrastructure are often still part of everyday life.
Medical care in particular is often rudimentary. Hospitals or first-aid posts are often only accessible within a day’s march. Even in Kathmandu, effective medication, a visit to the doctor or even a hospital stay are still not a matter of course, as they are unaffordable for many. In addition, the earthquake in April 2015 set the country back in its efforts to modernise. Almost 10,000 people lost their lives back then. Many are still living in emergency shelters today.
Education and training – the main pillar
Since the first school in Kadambas in 1995, we have been able to build other smaller schools around it. Thanks to flowing donations, this has resulted in more than 30 schools throughout Nepal, which are attended by more than 10,000 children. School attendance is compulsory in Nepal. However, because there are too few schools that provide a good education and are also affordable, many children are denied a sound education. The system is based on a five-year primary school. Secondary schools last three years, followed by a further two years at secondary school, where pupils receive a leaving certificate. As state schools are usually poorly equipped and their teachers are poorly paid and often absent, Nepalese who can afford it send their children to public schools, for which they have to pay between 70 and 250 euros. Only a very small proportion of the population can afford this.
33
schools
125
rooms
10.356
students
8,5
mio. €
Gesundheit, Pflege und das Shaligram Kinderhaus
In addition to the school sector, Nepalhilfe Beilngries has been involved in the health sector for many years. For example, the Siddhi Memorial Hospital – a women’s and children’s hospital in Bhaktapur, with the financing of a three-storey extension including an operating theatre. The adjoining old people’s home, also financed by Nepalhilfe, was extended from its original two storeys to four. By 2025, the Madhyabindu District Hospital in the south of the country will be built together with the provincial government of Gandaki. 100 beds are planned. The dispensary for the poor at Bir Hospital in Kathmandu, one of the first ‘mainstays’ in terms of material and financial support, supported by the DNHG-Stuttgart, has received significant financial support from the NHB for many years. The centrepiece, however, is the Shaligram Bal Griha, a children’s home that was built in 2001 in Lubhu, a suburb of Kathmandu. Around 35 boys and girls between the ages of four and 18 are looked after there and prepared for their future lives. In the not always easy Nepalese reality, a good school education and social skills are the cornerstones for a better future for the children.