2019 Didi Aid Tour

2019 Didi Aid Tour

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

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 make a difference in Nepal

2019 make a difference in Nepal

Join the Didi team in Nepal in 2019 as we double-up our humanitarian aid efforts to Didi projects.

In April 2019, Didi Nepal is organising 2 Didi Aid Tours on either side of the Grand Opening on the new Didi Headquarters in Kathmandu on 25 April 2019 (Anzac Day). Join us for one or both Didi Aid tours! Don’t think too long as spaces are strictly limited.

Didi Aid Tour 2019 – Lower Mustang, Nepal

Commences in Kathmandu: 15 April 2019
Finishes in Kathmandu: 24 April 2019

Our tour takes us to LOWER MUSTANG in the northeast region. LOWER MUSTANG oozes Tibetan culture in an isolated and arid environment. Once an independent Tibetan kingdom, it is now overseen by Nepal. Join us as we deliver aid to isolated and very poor government schools. Visit our Didi Projects and whilst in Kathmandu, spend time with the children at Bright Futures Learning Centre. Attend the official opening of the new Didi Headquarters.

Note: Not for the faint hearted – wild jeep driving – optional trekking

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Didi Aid Tour 2019 – Kathmandu, Nepal

Commences Kathmandu: 25 April 2019
Finishes Kathmandu: 4 May 2019

The Didi Foundation Nepal offers an inspirational 10-day humanitarian aid tour where you will experience first-hand Nepalese culture, support local community projects and see the wonders of Nepal.

Your world will open up to the medieval city of Kathmandu. You’ll stare in disbelief at the gigantic Himalayan peaks and look in wonderment at remote rural communities. Be overwhelmed by how far a little goes when you visit our outreach community projects that support disadvantaged women and children to develop sustainable futures.

  • Visit the ancient sites of medieval Kathmandu
  • Visit Didi Headquarters and Bright Future Learn Centre
  • Join us for the official opening of the new Didi Headquarters
  • Travel down to Chitwan National Park for some jungle adventure
  • In Pokhara, sit by Fewer Lake and gaze at the Annapurna Mountains
  • Note: 5 day Annapurna Trek is an optional extra

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2018 Didi Aid team at Ramechhap School
REGISTER YOUR INTEREST TO ATTEND

GRAND OPENING – new Didi Headquarters
Kathmandu – 25 April 2019

Join the Didi Team for the official opening of our women’s centre. We are honoured that the Australian Ambassador to Nepal, His Excellency Pete Budd, will open Didi’s new vocational centre. Many Nepalese dignitaries and Ministers from various government departments will also attend the opening. And we’d love you to be there too!

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2018 ‘The Didi Angels’ visit Nepal

2018 ‘The Didi Angels’ visit Nepal

Organised and managed by our awesome supporter Veronica O’Mara the group hung out with the Didi Nepal team in November, 2018.

Veronica went above and beyond to collect fine motor skill toys for the crèche and collected sets of clothing for all the kids at Sindhuli School. One hundred of them. The team also raised funds to implement a mushroom farm at Sindhuli which they physically dug and constructed the foundations.
The team beamed out with their homestays in Kathmandu and sprinkled stardust on the lives of hundreds of kids in Nepal.

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Dental hygiene at hearing impaired school

2018 ‘The Dream Machine’

2018 ‘The Dream Machine’

These amazing young Year 12 graduates took a walk on the wild side with Didi Foundation Nepal. They embraced Nepali culture with dignity and respect and like sponges, they absorbed everything that came their way.

A gorgeous group of strangers who came together and bonded as a united team. As a team, they worked hard at implementing their Didi Aid responsibilities and travelled the wild roads, long distances and ate a lot of dust, without a single complaint. They got down and dirty cleaning the new Didi Headquarters, painted a mural in the crèche that they so proudly funded. They gave literacy classes at Jagriti School, met the children at Bright Future and went above and beyond at Sindhuli Deaf School.

This team just fills my heart with so much pride and I am sure you will want to give them a big SHOUT OUT if you meet them.

Jan Pryor | Founder | The Didi Foundation

Reflections

Cate: When I read the email giving all the details of what the Didi Foundation’s Schoolies Trip would be like, it just clicked that this is exactly what I wanted to do… to be part of a team working to help others and experience a whole different world in beautiful Nepal

Alycia: After hearing and learning about the empowerment and dedication to creating sustainable futures the Didi Foundation provide throughout Nepal quickly convinced me to be a part of this life changing experience! The aid tour allowed for a great balance between aid work, exploring Nepal’s biggest attractions and travelling to remote areas, while also celebrating finishing school.

Nyah:I would definitely recommend schoolies with the Didi Foundation as it is a fantastic way to see a beautiful country at it’s realest and to make a difference to the people who live there.

2018 Didi Aid Tour

2018 Didi Aid Tour

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An inspiring group of supporters joined me in Kathmandu for our 2018 Didi Aid tour. For 10 days the team walked in my shoes and experienced my Nepalese life and the town I call my second home.

Here is what we got up to:

  • Showcased the new Didi Headquarters building site
  • Visited the historic sites of Kathmandu – Bodhnath Stupa, Pashupatinath Temple and the ancient city of Bhaktupur
  • With the children from Bright Future Learning Centre (BFLC) we walked through our town to Didi Headquarters, which was a photo mecca of brightly coloured saris, small vendors selling their wares and open butcher shops.
  • An afternoon at BFLC for our annual birthday party and the distribution of my birthday ‘love letters’
  • Lyn Thorpe handed over PUL Fabric, donated by Days for Girls Newcastle NSW. This fabric is waterproof and is an essential component in the manufacture of sanitary pads.

With the Didi Mobeel loaded up with educational resources, care packages, re-usable sanitary kits and medical equipment, we began the long, arduous and sometimes crazy nail-biting road trip to Ramechhap and Sindhuli. Regardless, this was definitely the most rewarding part of our journey when we delivered aid to highly disadvantaged schools; where a beaming smile on cute little faces made it all worthwhile. The tour finished with a lot of fun and adventure in Chitwan National Park and Pokhara.

Jan Pryor | Founder | The Didi Foundation

Reflections

The Didi Tour was one of my best travel experiences. It was very diverse and covered any traveller’s dream of seeing Nepal in its natural state. It was certainly value for money and we saw places that would not have been available via a tour company. Just loved the children and warm hearted Nepalese.  EXCELLENT adventure and highly recommended for anyone who is looking at making a difference.
Lyn Thorpe OAM
2010 Senior Australian of the Year

Thank you for a wonderful trip. It’s great to see where the Didi Foundation support goes to and to get a real appreciation of the need for it on the ground in Nepal. I was happy to meet with the Didi Nepal team, Sudip and Deepak, who do so much good work to empower women in Nepal. Also, it was good to meet some interesting and caring fellow travellers. Hope to catch up with some of you in the future.
Cheers, Vik