2021 Didi’s Beauty School

by admin | Aug 15, 2021 | Women's Centre

After months of lockdown Didi HQ’s started our first vocational course ‘Beauticians Course’.

The two-month course teaches women the art of nails, beauty treatments, hair care and design. Also, training in bridal hair and makeup. 15 women were selected from 129 and were selected due to their current social and cultural dilemmas and their desire to succeed.

Graduates will have the opportunity to work in this growing industry or start their own business. Didi Savings and Credit Cooperative will support eligible women with a small low interest, start-up loan to commence their businesses.

This course was sponsored by the Municipality.

Successful applicants for the Beauticians Course

Tutorial lesson on Beauty Course

2018-21- Didi HQ – The Construction Journey

by admin | Aug 5, 2021 | Didi HQ Building

The seed had been planted to expand Didi HQ to cater to the growing need of women seeking to become independent through vocational education. The Didi Foundation was growing its reputation of being a safe and welcoming place for women of all caste and religions to learn skills. By 2017 we had definitely outgrown our rented three downstairs rooms of a house in Kageshwori.

With the support of wonderful supporters, we were able to secure land in Mulpani Kathmandu and raise the funds to build our own purpose-built building. Mulpani had very few community services for women. Therefore it was the ideal place to establish Didi Headquarters.

Stage 1

Construction started in January, 2018 and complied with all local regulations and was built to be earthquake-proof.

January 2018 – Construction started

2018 April and a first floor added

2018 September -Stage 1 completed

Stage two

Construction commenced adding a second floor with the support of an Australian Aid Friendship Grant

2019 Second floor constructions with the support of a Australian Aid Friendship Grant

2019 June – Second-floor constructions

2019 August – Second floor completed

Stage 3

A Pre-fabricated class room was added to the 3^rd floor

2021 December – Sewing room

2020 Didi’s Cooking School

by admin | Jul 11, 2019 | Didi HQ Building

Didi’s Cooking School

We’re creating a new cooking school on the second floor at Didi HQ’s which is in partnership with an Australian Government AusAid Grant.

The cooking school is to be constructed on the 2nd floor of the new DIDI Headquarters in Mulpani, Kathmandu Nepal and will:

provide employment opportunities for graduating marginalised and deaf students
provide opportunities for disadvantaged women and single mums to learn culinary skills (we now have the creche to support young mums)
provide workplace training opportunities
provide employment opportunities
be income generating for Didi Nepal
(we already have orders for hundreds of cupcakes)

I am sure you will agree that partnering with the Australian Government and flying the Australian logo will empower Didi Foundation to move forward in 2019-20. It will support our aims to provide vocational life skills programs and to encourage the development of independent and sustainable futures for more women.

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2019 Didi Aid Tour

by admin | 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

by admin | 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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