Joining Hands Nepal
A Family Orphan HomeArchive for Nepal
School Entrance Exams
Today the children will visit their new school, Arundaya Secondary English School, for the first time. The younger children will check out their classrooms and the schoolyard, while the older children will take entrance exams to test their knowledge and determine their class placement within the school. Some of the children are coming from government schools, where only one class a day is taught in English, to this new boarding school, where all classes except one are taught in English. This means those children may have to drop back a year or two to catch up in their English reading and writing, but it will be to their great benefit and the long run, and it is not an uncommon phenomenon in English boarding schools here in Nepal. The children who must take entrance exams are feeling nervous, because they are used to taking exams where they have been given a clear indication of what material will be covered in advance. We are confident that they will do well, however, and each will find their proper level in the school so they can advance comfortably moving forward. It is an exciting day, and despite the nervousness, all the children seem eager to start the new school year and mark a new beginning.
This Year’s Children
We are back this week with the wonderful news that we have taken in our 5th orphan child from Sindupalchowk district of Nepal. His name is Gautam, and he is 6 years old. He is adjusting to the home and the other children quite quickly, and we are happy to welcome him into our family. We intend to only take in these 5 children for the year so that we may give them the best possible care and attention until we have the staff and facilities to expand in the next year or two, and so our class of 2011, as you might call them, is now complete. We hope to give you a more complete profile of each child of Joining Hands Nepal here on the blog in the coming weeks so you can get to know them individually. School will be starting soon as well, so updates on classes and English language progress will be coming also. In the future, we have big plans that include sharing writings and art of the children with you via this blog, as well as starting an international pen pal program and perhaps Skype English practice sessions with children from around the world. It is going to be an exciting year, and we hope you stay tuned and get involved with us to make it truly special!
Gift of Knowledge
Our first package of foreign supplies arrived over the weekend from a good friend of the orphanage in America. We received several story books for early English learners, coloring books, pencils, crayons, and a puzzle game which the kids mastered in under an hour. The children were so grateful for the gifts they asked when they can say hello and thank you to the generous donor of said gifts on Skype, something completely unknown and unimaginable to them 2 weeks ago. The are quickly learning the wonderful benefits of having proper facilities, a wealth of people who care for them, and the exciting new possibilities those two things can open for them. Never would they have thought about video chatting with some person halfway around the world from Nepal, but now, after the interest they have shown, perhaps we will be able to start a Skype pen pal program with other children around the world sooner than we could have hoped. The possibilities are exciting to us too.
Joining Hands Nepal 