2019 Didi Aid Tour

2019 Didi Aid Tour

by | May 14, 2019 | Didi Aid Tours

An amazing group of ‘friends of Didi’ joined us for an adventurous and productive 10 days. We visited Didi HQ and visited Jagriti School while taking in the sites of Kathmandu.

We headed east to our remote school in the high desolate mountain area of Ramechhap where we were greeted by the students with massive garlands of flowers and excited children who were ready to party. The road up the mountain has been mostly tarred which took at least an hour off the trip.

As usual, Sindhuli School just filled everyone’s hearts with happiness as we implemented a sports program and did storytelling and colouring with these highly disadvantaged children. Sadly, in Nepal, if you are born with a disability, your family is said to be cursed and you are worthless. Together, we are making small steps towards breaking down this century-old stigma by incorporating inclusivity into our work at Didi Headquarters with the future vision of supporting the graduating deaf students with career opportunities.

It was a great tour packed to the brim with activities and I think we were all in bed at 8.30pm every night in order to kick start early the next day. Everyone enjoyed the trip to Chitwan National Park where we saw rhino’s, crocodiles, elephants and monkeys in the wild.

A huge shout out to Sue, Bev, Jenny, John, Gail, Rubilyn, Val, Bettina and Jo for making a fabulous team and a big thank you for donating a sewing machine and computer for our Women’s Centre, together with the mountain of resources that you brought with you.

See more photos: 2019 Didi Aid Tour
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2019 Aid Tour-Lower Mustang

2019 Aid Tour-Lower Mustang

by | May 14, 2019 | Didi Aid Tours

Ten adventurous souls set off in jeeps on a mammoth journey to Lower Mustang. They were on a mission to deliver educational aid to a remote school in Kagbeni.

The sometimes nerve-wracking hours in the jeep encountered narrow dusty and rutted dirt roads which occasionally turned to unpredictable mud tracks where the jeep slipped and slidded. But this drama was overshadowed by the intensely beautiful and towering snow-covered Annapurna Mountains and the twisting, turning, everchanging and unpredictable Kaligandaki River that verged into sometimes dry and arid riverbeds, or swollen fast moving and dangerous rapids. We rested in the beautiful and calm town of Marpha, famous for its apples and white painted brick homes and narrow alleyways.

Unpacking the surprises of the medieval town of Kagbeni was like unveiling a jewel. Sitting on the Kaligandaki River and flanked by black onerous mountains of rubble and rugged rock formations which were beautifully juxtaposed against snow-capped mountains. Deep in the bowels of the town was a hidden medieval village that is home to a small thriving community that was living like it did hundreds of years ago.

We were the first ever aid team to visit the Shree Janashanti boarding school for 165 students. It was worth the journey to be at the school where we supplied and implemented sports programs, dental hygiene and a girl’s reproductive health lesson implemented by Molly. A visual flip chart gave the girls an open forum to discuss their menstrual issues. We handed over 65 re-usable sanitary kits that were made at Didi HQ.

Thank you to David, Geoff, Molly, Linda, Chris, Wendy, Val, Anne and Michael for making this a memorable experience.

See more photos: 2019 Didi Aid Lower Mustang Tour
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2019 Opening of new Didi HQ

2019 Opening of new Didi HQ

by | May 14, 2019 | Didi HQ Building

25th April 2019 was a very auspicious day for all of us here in Kathmandu and for the Didi Foundation

  • It was 4 years, to the day, since the tragic Nepalese earthquake of 2015
  • It was Anzac Day, a special time for commemoration
  • AND it was the opening of our new Didi Foundation HQ, which is a symbol of hope, growth, equality and empowerment through education.

The Australian Ambassador to Nepal, His Excellency Pete Budd and his wife Emma Stone attended the lavish ceremony and he unveiled the inauguration stone of the new Didi Headquarters. The ceremony was attended by:

  • Municipality Mayor Krishna Hari Thapa, who was acknowledged for his continued support. He was joined by other senior local government ministers and dignitaries
  • 18 Australian guests joined us in Mulpani Kathmandu for the grand opening
  • Over 250 women gathered to celebrate the opening and hung on to every word that spoke of their opportunities for empowerment.

The 25th April will always be a significant day in the growth of the Didi Foundation and congratulations must go to the Didi Nepal team for their effort in creating such a celebratory day.

Regardless of race, colour or caste we are CREATING A FUTURE AND CHANGING A DESTINY for hundreds of women in Nepal.

See more photos of the event: Grand Opening of new Didi HQ
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We love our Tradies!

by | May 2, 2019 | Uncategorized

Tradies Underwear have sponsored us with 180 pairs of underpants for use with our reusable sanitary kits.

And we’re spreading the Tradie spirit across Nepal. The underpants will be included in the kits distributed to highly disadvantaged schoolgirls during our humanitarian aid tours. Some will be delivered to Lower Mustang and others will go to schools in the Ramechhap and Sindhuli Districts.

In remote regions families cannot afford sanitary items and girls miss out on school for up to seven days a month. Giving girls these reusable sanitary kits empowers them not only with dignity, but equality in education.

Our girls at Bright Future just love them!

Thanks, Tradies for empowering up to 180 school girls in Nepal.

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