Spirit of Service

Dear Friends (old and new),

I have spent the past month in Australia. While most of the time was spent with family, I also managed to catch up and meet with a lot of people interested in our trip and how they can help immediately and for the long term.

Tom & I are by no means doing anything heroic. Through the past few months, we have discovered that Michael and the children have been a very healing influence on our lives. What we hope to offer Papa's House is nothing compared to what has been given to us.

Before we even leave on our trip, I have learnt so much from people I have met:

1. People have wonderful hearts.

Just the mention of our trip and what we are planning to do gets the average person interested. They want to know what we are doing, how the children are and what they can do to help or if they can plan a similar trip. The usual question is "Are you going with a church or charity group?", the response that we found Papa's House on the internet and set up our visit with Michael leads to a few dropped jaws and "Wow, we would love to do something like that but wouldn't have know where to start". If nothing else, I hope our trip will let people realise that they too, can take time out of their usual life and rejuvenate their spirits by helping others. That each person can make a huge difference even if they do not have every resource in the world at their disposal.

2. People are disillusioned by charities.

For people who know us personally, they were more than willing to join in our journey by making a financial contribution to Papa's House. They know of Tom's meticulous nature when it comes to charitable financial accountability. But for people who don't know us, the natural question is "How do you know this is not dodgy?". It just breaks my heart that the general perception of charities is that of charity CEOs earning 6 figured salaries and wining and dining at the best restaurants while only a fraction of the donations make it through to those they are suppose to support. This dim view is often true. It has taken us many years, and many disappointments, to find a place to put our energies and our hard earned finances. I urge you not to give up looking for a cause to support. Keep the spirit of service alive in you.

A spirit of service that comes from the heart gives more that it thinks it can and in return, receives rewards beyond its imagination.

Let me close this note with a challenge. I challenge you to take time out from your everyday lives and plan to volunteer. Be it two weeks, or two months, find a project that captures your heart and your spirit. Step away from the excuses and as the Nike ads say "Just Do It".

http://www.VolunteerNepal.com/

Blessing to you,

Fiona

The Courage of One

All it takes for evil to triumph in the world is for good men to do nothing. - Edmond Burke



Good evening Web Wanderers,

This week I've given much thought to Burke's quote above and what I call, "The Courage of One". Examples fill our collective ethos, perhaps the most notable being the photo of a lone man standing against 4 tanks in Tiananmen Square in 1989. But this is simply an example of the extreme...each day, people of courage and conviction perform acts big and small that, even if they are never noticed or recognized, leave an indelible mark on the social tapestry that binds us together. Each of us has the opportunity and potential to perform such acts every day of our lives. Yet, despite living blessed lives, the majority of us (myself included) go through entire days where the only person we enrich is ourself.

Then there are people with less than nothing who end up giving more than we can fathom. People, who despite their own adversity and unmet needs, give of themselves unconditionally and without reservation. This week I was introduced to one such extraordinary individual.

This past week, I learned that Michael assumed responsibility for a new orphanage with 12 young residents. The long story short, the individual who was in charge of the house was exposed as being a cheat, liar, and a drunk. The man stole all of the money that was intended to care for the children to support his own vices and philandering ways. The 12 children were expected to share a single twin bed, and were lucky to get a serving of rice each day; their diets void of vegetables or basic proteins. Their only care was provided by a lone didi (female house staff), Sabrita. Despite not receiving any of her owed wages, or a bed to lay her head each night, she has stayed in the home day after day to ensure the safety of the children and to provide for them to the very best of her capability.

This would be impressive and have earned my respect if the story ended there; but it does not. When you look at the picture of Sabrita to the left, you see the modest smile of a 27 year old woman. What you cannot see, and which silences me in awe, is that Sabrita has done all of this despite the fact that she lost her feet in a tragic accident as an infant. This amazing woman, who has every right to feel society should be taking care of her, instead has found the strength and innovation each day to care for 12 high energy youths. How many of us could claim to have such courage?

So now I'm a man on a mission. My trip to Nepal is no longer so much about the children, but rather meeting, being inspired by, and doing all I can to support remarkable individuals like Sabrita. I'll be in Nepal for only a month, and then I'll head home to the comfort of my own condo. My goal is to help give and/or develop the tools they need to be successful in their own lives so that they can continue to help others.

Fiona and I would love to be able to introduce Sabrita to a doctor who would be able to provide her prosthetic feet to increase her mobility and general quality of life. She deserves the same life-changing blessing that she bestowed on those 12 children. Without her, they never would have survived to join Michael's fold. If you, or someone you know, could be of assistance in this endeavor, please contact us at TomandFiona@JourneyToNepal.org. We're all immeasurably blessed when individuals stand up for what's right. People are inheriently good, but sometimes are afraid to stand up against seemingly unconquerable odds. But when one person stands up, it often gives the courage to another to stand beside them. And then two more. And then four. Join me at Sabrita's and Michael's side. Together we can indeed change these children's lives.

Humbly,

Tom

Thinking Beyond

Good evening Web Wanderers,

A month has passed since our last entry, but that is not to say we've haven't been actively occupying our time preparing for the journey ahead. Our pile of supplies we're taking with us has grown substantially; almost to the point that I wonder how we'll be able to carry all of it and still have a change of outfits for ourselves. Much of our free time is spent either researching items the home is in need of, or socializing with others to help spread awareness of Papa's House and it's mission. We've met many new people along the way, and truly appreciate the moral support they have shown us and their generous financial support for orphanage itself. Thank you to all who have contributed or are considering to do so.

Over the past month, I decided where I want to focus when I'm in Nepal: I want to help the older children develop workable business plans and then help finance their venture once a viable plan is produced. At the end of the day, these children will grow up, and will need to be able to provide for themselves and their family in order to break the cycle of poverty and broken homes. Michael and I have exchanged several emails on the subject, and are also looking at ways to bring vocational training into the home. For example, we're currently looking to acquire an embroidery/sewing machine. Not only would it provide seamstress training for the girls, it could also help offset the costs of the home by allowing them to sew their own school uniforms and make basic repairs. Also, the embroidery function could allow a small business embroidering names or disney characters, on hats, sweatshirts, school bags, etc. So if anybody reading this blog has a contact with a sewing machine distributor that would be interested in helping in our cause, please email us at TomandFiona@JourneyToNepal.org .

For those visiting for the first time, please take a few moments to read our posts, and visit the Papa's House website at http://www.nepalorphanshome.net/ . For those with a few extra minutes on their hands, http://www.nepalorphanshome.net/news.asp is Michael's blog which gives extraordinary insight into the daily lives of the children.

Again, thank you for your support.

Best,

Tom

The Carabiners Arrived!

Hello Web Wanderers,

Today Fiona and I got a pleasant surprise...the carabiners we ordered to help promote the website arrived. When we first created this blog, we began debating how to best "get the word" out about Papa's House and the Journey ahead of us. After going back and forth, we decided on custom made carabiner keychains. After numerous web searches, we found Marshall Song (lgyou@hotmail.com) at http://www.promoldings.com/. Pro Moldings is a Chinese based company, so it was a little nerve-racking wiring money overseas, but Marshall took our mission to heart and made us an excellent deal on producing these carabiners. He always treated Fiona and I with the utmost professionalism, so I highly recommend his company if you're looking for something similar.

You will notice that the keychains are "for sale", but really this is only to satisfy Google Checkout policies. Really, their purpose is strictly to help guide traffic to this site, so if you don't have one already, or you know people who would be interested in following Fiona's and my Journey, please let me know and I'd be happy to give you extra keychains to share. And since I would expect that "selling" them will open me to tax liabilities, my preference is for you to donate directly to Papa's House via the paypal link. But if you prefer for me to your steward to ensure the money is well spent, I have left the Google Checkout option available and I'll figure out the tax consequences when April 15th comes around. Ultimately, our goal in this all is to maximize your comfort and trust in supporting what we feel to be a vital institution.

This leads to the serious part of my entry this evening; why is Papa's House truly vital? It was recently reported that 1 out of 20 children in Nepal is an orphan. Some of these children have witnessed unimaginable acts of inhumanity. As Fiona highlighted in her previous blog, the Maoist problem is very serious. Some of these children have families, but it is simply too dangerous for the children to live with them due to the Maoists "recruiting" them through torturous means. Others have witnessed their mother being abducted, never to be seen again. And yet others have witnessed horrors too horrendous to think about. Michael Hess does everything in his power to provide a safe home and an education to these children to give them an alternative to being conscripted into Maoist "army" and a fresh start to acheive a potential that was almost deprived from them. Mikel Durham, an author and photojournalist, interviewed one of the boys in the home while visiting Nepal. An excerpt of his story follows:

"I have been in the orphanage for one and a half years. There was a Maoist problem in my village. The Maoists came to our house and asked for things, food. They came at night and if we could not provide food for them, they would beat us and do a lot of bad things. They showed us their guns and told us over and over, if we didn't give them what they wanted they would hit us and shoot us. They used to close the school and take us to their programs. One time they came and when I refused to go with them, they beat me. Then they took me to a far, far place. They did not give me food. And they threatened me. if I didn’t stay with them, the police and army would come and beat me. They locked me in a room. In the morning, they opened it again and brought me and some other children to a place far inside the jungle. One night, in the jungle, they told us that we could go home. But we were so far away that we didn’t know where our home was. So we could not leave. Then they took us further ahead and said, “You now have to join us.” They gave me a Maoist name. My mom and father were looking for me but they didn’t know where I was. One night we managed to escape from the Maoist camp in the jungle and I found my way back to my village. My family sent me away to here, to Papa's house so that I could be safe and get an education. I don't want to go back to my village."

Michael has spent over $200,000 of his own money (the vast majority of his assets) over the past few years to provide this safe sanctuary to 30+ and an education to over 340. But this isn't the main reason I've grown to respect him. I respect Michael most for allowing himself to become such a public figure in a land that knows no rule of law. Where any showing of "wealth" leads to people conniving and scheming how they can part him with it; whether it be by trickery or by physcial threats. However, despite the ever-present danger his work puts him in, Michael stays the course. Every time the threats reach new heights, the smiles and hugs of his "children" compell him to stay the course. Being willing to risk his own life (and that's not an exaggeration) in order to care, nurture and educate his charges is what truly earns Michael the right to carry the moniker "Papa".

Please take a few minutes to read Michael's website (http://www.nepalorphanshome.net/). Especially, read his "News" section (http://www.nepalorphanshome.net/news.asp). As you read his chronicles, you'll come to understand how much he truly cares about having each and every child grow and develop into a remarkable adult.

If you haven't done so already, please consider donating. Michael is not independantly wealthy and the continuation of his good works require our help. And of course, please share this website with your friends, family, and colleagues. Help create a sustaining wave that will ensure each child has the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Namaste,

Tom

Maoist Rebels 101

Pictures: (l) from BBC News (r) from The Age Newspaper

"...Nepal has not normally loomed large in the consciousness of the average educated person in the English-speaking world." (John Whelpton, "A History of Nepal")

When we decided to spend a month in Nepal, it occurred to the both of us, that as well-read and traveled as we thought we might have been, we really didn't know much about Nepal, its history or even its current political situation, however, it is this political situation that Papa's House is so needed by the children and our support and understanding integral to its survival.

Most of the children at the Papa's House have been displaced due to Maoist rebels and I thought I would do some research and condense my reading into one blog entry for you.

Most of the reliable information I have been able to get my hands on have been written by John Whelpton. John's major work is "A History of Nepal" and he is currently an English teacher in Hong Kong. John has been wonderful in responding to my emails and answering my questions. However, this summary (based largely on web readings) and all its mistakes are mine alone.

The very basic of summaries is that since 1996, the Maoist rebels have waged a decade-long campaign against the constitutional monarchy. So far, the rebellion has left more than 12,000 people dead. The UN claims over 100,000 people have been displaced. Its envoy says the use of torture by government forces and rebels is routine. When King Gyanendra's direct rule ended in April 2006, the rebels entered talks on how to end the civil war. A landmark peace deal was agreed to in November and in early 2007 the Maoists joined an interim government

"Those who have money have to give them cash, those who have food have to give them rice, those who have clothes have to give them clothes, and those who have nothing have to give them one member of the family." (Ogura cited in John Whelpton, "Thoughts on the Maoist Problem").

While some members of the Maoist rebels have to chosen to join as their career path, many are "conscripted" to fight. Their ranks are made up of girls, boys, men and women of all ages. It is rumoured that the illustrious Gurkhas have provided their training, thus making them more formidable than the official Nepalese army.

This then brings us to Papa's House. The young Maoists cadres (Young Communist League) are proving to be particularly disruptive to everyday life; they are the ones travelling the country "converting" villages and villagers by persuation or brute force. It is assumed that many of the missing have been conscripted to fight or sold into prostitution in South and South East Asia. This is how many of the children at Papa's House have lost a parent or both. The young Maoists have come to their homes, taken all the food and money available, set fire to their humble homes and took away or killed their parent(s). The ones that make it to Papa's House are the most fortunate ones. They will forever bear the scars of witnessing their parents killed or kidnapped but for now, they have a safe home.

"Most ordinary citizens of Nepal are trying to survive by following the orders of whoever appears more powerful at a particular time and place." (John Whelpton, "Thoughts on the Maoist Problem).
The power of the Maoists grows through fear and intimidation. Last week we received an email from Michael saying that the previous night, the young Maoists marched through Dhapasi in the dead of night in formation and chanting. While Michael's school was being built, 100 YCL members moved in and then invited an extra 150 of their comrades to join them. There was nothing to do but wait until they got bored and moved along. Violence by the YCL has been legendary and although even former President Jimmy Carter has joined the call for the Maoists to rein in the YCL, there is little anyone can do but to sit out these school yard bullies.

I am a total outsider who hasn't quite faced the real reality of what is happening on a daily basis. I find myself asking "why are they letting the Maoists trample all over their lives?" but deep down, I also know why. Daily survival for food and shelter wears on you very quickly. How can you even think about standing up to people with guns when you can't even feed yourself and your family? Is it so bad for the poorest amongst them to give the Maoists a child to fight, knowing that the child may die anyway because they cannot feed them?

Democratic elections are scheduled for the 22nd of November 2007 with the Maoist Party registering itself this July to contest the elections. There is great hope for Nepal to finally find its feet but the reality is that the Maoists are already planning the next "People's Movement" despite participating in the democratic process.

Naturally, the Maoist situation and the general Nepalese political stage is many times more complicated than I have laid out, but I do hope it gives you an quick idea of what is going on and how these children have come to need the sanctuary of Papa's House & Papa's Trinity Academy and why they need our support.

Fiona

Let the Blog Begin

Hello Friends, Family, and Web Wanderers.

For those who don't know me, my name is Tom Gilbert, and my wife Fiona and I are planning a trip to Dhapasi, Nepal (on the outskirts of Kathmandu) to volunteer for 1 month at Papa's House (http://www.nepalorphanshome.net/). The orphanage is run by Michael "Papa" Hess, an American who moved to Nepal three years ago after being introduced to these remarkable children. Beyond meeting the physical and emotional needs of 30+ children in his direct charge, Michael founded Papa's Trinity Academy, a school providing an education to 340 children of the greater community without regard to their ability to pay.

Fiona and I stumbled upon Papa's House after deciding we needed to remove ourselves from the "comfort zone" of our daily rountine that is in fact slowly wearing thin our physical, emotional, and spiritual well being. We believe this will be a life-defining voyage...a journey more of the mind than of the body. The main thing that drew us to Papa's House is the smile on each and every one of the children's faces. Too often, orphans are used as part of a marketing campaign; often times the children are unbathed and miserable, with the tag line that unless you help immediately, the child will surely die. While these images invoke a strong, emotional response, I often wonder, "Why can't they even meet the basic need of bathing this child, or give him or her the love and nurturing such that a smile is inevitable despite legitimately having the right to wallow in despair?" Our goal is to support a man, who through his own personal finances, has succeeded in developing a framework for instilling hope in the hopeless.

When you browse the website, you may not feel the need is urgent. All the children are indeed well fed, clothed, clean, and receiving an excellent education. But I submit to you, this is exactly when your support is needed and will have maximum returns. Your money will not be used to fix old mistakes or pay off bad debt. Michael isn't exploiting the children for his own personal gain as happens far too often in other orphanages.

Fiona and I have already booked our tickets and started gathering arts, crafts, toothbrushes, and other supplies to bring the children. Despite that we don't board a plane for over 4 months, we're constantly thinking, "I wonder if the children would like that." Fiona and I exchange emails almost daily with Michael. Each exchange is roughly the same; after a brief update to the previous email, we try to figure out what we can bring with us that would further support in the care, education, and nurturing of the children, and each time Michael responds to just bring ourselves. He never asks for anything, and yet, because we know there are so many areas where we can help, our minds are constantly in motion.

Please give thoughtful consideration as to whether you would like to contribute to this journey. Donations can be made directly to Papa's House at http://www.nepalorphanshome.net/donate.asp or via the paypal button in the column to the left. I'm also "selling" JourneyToNepal.org carabiner keychains via Google Checkout. They were intended to be a free gifts, but Google does not allow me to collect donations as I am not personally a tax-exempt charity. So while I recommend donating directly to Papa's House, I would be happy to collect your donations through the Google link in the "Buy a Carabiner" section in the left hand column. I will distribute all Google Checkout payments once I am on the ground in Nepal and verify first hand that everything is how it appears. You can also discover other volunteer opportunities at Michael's other website http://www.volunteernepal.com/.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions.

Until later,

Tom