I am currently in Kathmandu, Nepal with the Himalayan Trust and working with REED (Rural Education and Environment Development).

I arrived on 2nd December and the next day I went with a small group to a village to open Shree Parbati Higher Secondary School library which had been damaged in the earthquake. It was only 40 kms away but took 2 1/2 hours in a four wheeled drive vehicle. This village is located in a very steep area. The scenery is absolutely beautiful yet one cannot forget the tough lives some of the families lead and the amount of time they take each day to get to school. The school itself is small but caters to about 800 students, and is run in three parts from 6:00am until late in the evening. The welcome that was given to us was as humbling as their kindness was great. Garlands of marigolds were put around our necks and we were clapped in around the courtyard to our seats. It was their day off but many students, teachers, families and officials attended. Several groups of girls performed traditional dances for us.

I have just attended an inclusion workshop that was run by REED and people from the University of Canterbury. With Nepal's large population there are many people with disabilities and at this workshop there were disabled peoples, those from disability agencies, teachers, teacher trainers, government officials and NGOs. They want to create an inclusive and cooperative learning environment for their students. There were many remarkable individuals who were united in their belief that disabilities are not negative but a resource and they want to improve their education.

We have more planning with the teacher trainers from REED and then on the 10th December we fly to Salleri in the Solukhumbu region where we will observe some classes and conduct some literacy training. From the 22nd to the 31st of December we will go into the mountains in the Necha area where we will walk from village to village to do more training.  It is all very exciting and I am looking forward to getting into the mountains and meeting the people.

It is a great privilege to be a part of this programme and I would like to thank the school Board of Trustees for the Highgate Fellowship that has enabled me to have such a fantastic opportunity.