Demi Tour of the World

UN, where are you is another slogan.
UN, We Want Justice… to this one UN says its disability

Community Awareness Team

Last month I’ve started the link through email. Ravi was very happy that someone was interested in his project so he replied quickly and few days later we met.
He came to Boudha, we had tea. He described is association I talked about Free Radicals. He talked about their actions, I gave him a bag of 150 condoms. Like that Emeline, my GP and others know where are their donations
 More about the assocation here (past activities, aims, etc.), signed by Ravi.

The 19^{th march, we met again, this time a made the move. I went to freak street (behind Durbar Square, with Coralie, a French girl on the road who was interested in the visit and the sort of activities Saarathi was into.
We arrived in their apartment when a social worker volunteer just started his tuition for 2 new comers in the Saarathi family. The tuition: how to get out from addiction. As Ravi, the teacher himself is an ex-drug addict.
This tuition room is the bigger one, empty but the white board and the sentences on the walls. The second and last room is the office, quite small but everything is there for a warm welcome.}

Through the photos, while Ravi’s new wife was preparing tea, we were presented the main big events organized by the association.
Their New Year was on the Royal Place itself, DJ and workshop “how to use a condom”
Last October they set up a day to prevent the use of drugs. That was still on Durbar Square, with a famous Nepali actor, a general of the army and of course doctors to talk the best of the day’s topic.
Of course the volunteers were also active for the condoms day. More than the core of 25 volunteers, there are more ready for special events.

Daily, they welcome people dealing with HIV contamination and/or addiction. They do it everyday, the phone’s always on.
They do a real social work. What they want to achieve is reflected in how they call themselves. Saarathi are the strong warriors of the Mahabharata. Don’t think that there are traditionalist though. Their leitmotiv is to encourage their neighbours at an everyday awareness. STD, drugs but also pollution. In Kathmandu the rivers are disgusting; in the streets open-air corners play the role of bins!

Noticeable, they’ve got money for the rent through an aid which will end in June… there they depend on generous landlords-helpers.

AIMS

SAARATHI NEPAL aims to improve the quality of life for families living with HIV and drug users in Nepal by providing opportunities for empowerment, taking control of issues controlling their life .Empowerment of families living with HIV and drug addiction concerns not only health related issues but the protection of human rights, involvement in the development of policy, non discriminatory access to the legal and health care system and the education of the wider community.

SAARATHI NEPAL aims to provide a voice for families living with HIV, drug users and their children at the local, regional and national levels in order to facilitate systemic change in critical areas such as care and support, after treatment care, community and school awareness program assist to treatment and addressing issues of discrimination in society.

At Saarathi’s every one’s got the smile. When we went, Pritesh walked with us, led us to an optician for Coralie. While we waited he asked me if I gave a gift to Ravi? … “because I didn’t know what was it and I opened the package in Ravi’s home in front of his mother and his sister… the bag was so well closed that when I insisted it burst! All the condoms scattered in the room. I was so ashamed.”

I can’t even imagine what went up in Ravi’s mother head in front of such a sight a day before his wedding!

Last year I made it in London . This year it’s in Kathmandu .

The difference? It is officially forbidden to demonstrate in the streets.

I arrived late at the monastery. While the children and their teacher were inside, Srongtsen school’s students were playing flute for a kora around the Baudha Stupa. The place was filled with Tibetan flags, the air filled with tunes and slogans.

49 years ago, the Tibetan uprising against the Chinese occupation brought them on the road of exile, their leader, the Dalai Lama, received the Peace Nobel Prize, but he’s still seen as a terrorist by the chinese government. They talk about his clique like it was missing the cultural revolution… that’s may be why it supports Myanmar and Sudan dictatorship.

This year is special for the Tibetan People, the world will look massively at JOs right in the middle of a new empire which could be describe as the mergence of totalitarian and free trade.

China is their two generations oppressor! So they feel this year, we’ve got a chance.

The slogans, were shouted with more will, the flags flew in the air with more strength.

The same day marchers started a journey which should lead them to Tibet , their country. Tenzin Tsundue is at their lead. Not a week after the indian police stopped and enjailed them. All sentenced for 14 days. I just wonder what their crime is.

Non-violence and the memory of Indian’s first days of uprising and independence are now in the background of its newly chinese friendship.

After the ceremony at the monastery, the children went back to school with the teachers. The latter had their mobile connected with their friends and relatives on their way to the chinese embassy. But the chinese ambassador reached the nepalese faster.

The dark alliance waited for the protesters and for any excuse to use their cherished long stick. I’ve already seen them in action! Really, they don’t even need a reason to use it. This police are a machine. Just beat the strikers, any one running or looking suspicious or just to scare the others. It could be a woman, no difference.

And so it happened on Monday in front of BBC’s cameras.

And on Wednesday, then on Friday, Saturday and Monday 18^th.

The Chinese fired at Tibetans, including monks. Nobody can agree with numbers. What sure, chinese are the only one two know… so not much expectation to know the truth from the world leader in censorship.

In Nepalese the police did its job as usual, but this time while the Tibetans look for the help of U.N.

Here it is also interesting. Two of our teachers have been in custody on this Monday 16^th. What they wanted? To know how many of their brothers died from the chinese bullets.

Miss P. and Miss C. stayed in custody with 70 others from the 9.30am to 5pm at the police head quarter. There a UN representative came to talk. What the woman said: UN-Nepal is unable to act!!!! What a surprise, now UNO is no more international!

If UNMIN (UN mission in Nepal ) can’t help, I’m sure, as any Tibetans, that this woman knows people who could ask for inquiries.  On the man’s head you can read “UN where RU?”. The photo has been shot the 10^th today this man is on hunger strike.

I’ll ask another question: is UNO remembers the Society of Nations?

You understand that I, the children of the school and my family support the Olympics’s boycott. More you need to contact your local champions, you need to tell them, if they go to remind tem about the Berlin Games, to tell them there is no shame in going at Beijing but there is pride for democracy to shout there, For Taiwan, for Ouighurs, for Tibetans, for democracy, for freedom

Thursday, 21st February.
In the morning, after the sport session, Miss Tsultrim sent her three french volunteers to Kopan Gompa (= monastery). “You’ll see… today is last of Losar (= Choenga Chopa). The lamas are sculpting with butter. That’s impressive.”
If volunteers are off duty, children had to be at school. On the day the headteacher started her scolding training, the next she used the stick for the one who’ve been absent with no excuse.

Noemie had still a paining knee so we took the taxi. Special day, no petrol and our “foreignness” made ask the driver for 350, but 200’s been the last price.

Inside, the monastery, the same we visit empty every saturday with the kids, was crowdy. Traditional garments for the majority. Everybody had to eat a meal of oily rice with dry fruits especially cooked by the monks for this holly day and offered to visitors and believers.
At the foot of the main temple, a novice was collecting offerings against khatas while the lama behind him took care of this truely amazing sculpture. Just something unseen before. The main feature represented the buddha enlightment and at the bottom three frames showing the Boudha’s Stupa and the Tibetan flag.

But first of all, and the khatas were for this reason, all buddhists came to recieve the benediction of the Rimpoche (= the precious one). At sport, one of the children had told me that we could ask him to realize one’s wish. May be that’s why the queue was so long and looking like not moving.
Anyway, time was of no importance, most of the people planned to spend the day there. They brought everything needed for a tibetan pique-nique, sweets and kapse of course, but also their favorite meal which is meat dried from the Tiebatn Plateau in attics. “The older, the better” from Khampa’s saying… but I never tried.
The monastery’s rice was delicious.

On this day, the usually peaceful lawn of the garden was covered of blankets and colourful people. Not only here but anywhere suitable in the monastery.
We found a spare piece of grass backside the stupa where a 2 years old baby in a nicely fitted khampa suit introduced us to his family. His father is an artist, he knows Marcelle (France-Tibet’s president) and visited France with the help of a Tadol association’s member (still french!)
Above our head, as the ground was stiff, three pupils from manasarovar were playing at sliding on the lawn.
The time to show the girls the sights from the hill - also place of pique-nique, and crossing a primary school head-teacher and her german volunteer, and we were back to the world of noise and pollution (pandemonium).

I have to say that the tibetan dresses are truely beautiful and than the elder women’s face are attracting the attention. The children were wearing thir parents clothes. Lamas were praying, playing instrument and recieved many bank notes.

PS: the two ducklings are dead. They didn’t suffer, so quick it happened I don’t understand. The news reported the bird flu in Tibet… but I don’t think it is this… or may-be…