When my friend Sue rang to ask if I would be interested in going to Nepal with Eyes Wide Open, I practically jumped down the phone at the opportunity to travel to a country I would never have visited of my own volition. I had heard all about a previous Eyes Wide Open to Vietnam and Cambodia and was inspired and excited by the idea of a broad based humanitarian trip.
Like many people, I harboured an inclination to do some international volunteer work at some stage but doubt anything would have come of it had I not discovered Eyes Wide Open. Confidence in my ability to contribute something positive from within our team waned a little when the only ‘special skill’ I could think up was that I can sing. Slight panic set it when Sue and I were given the task of teaching HIV prevention at the Bhaktapur Women’s Refuge. This was clearly out of our area of expertise and it began to open a Pandora’s box of philosophical questions about the possible negative impact of short term involvement in an unfamiliar culture. However, we studied up on our facts and met with some experts at Melbourne hospitals. Armed with a donation of 288 condoms, we spent an amazing day imparting knowledge that in the simplest sense could potentially help protect these courageous women and their children from contracting HIV. The refuge now has a condom distributing service and over a hundred women now know how they can avoid contracting this potentially fatal disease.
It was after our experience at the Women’s Refuge that the penny dropped as to how anyone can make a difference if they are willing to give some of their most precious commodity; time. The direct contact that Eyes Wide Open afforded in Nepal allowed us to understand in the most tangible way the importance of children learning English to secure a higher paid job in service, tourism, management, finance, teaching, health or education sectors. An illiterate woman can face a difficult life of manual labour.
I am compelled to say here a huge “hats off” to Kew on Yarra Rotary Club who have generously helped fund the Bright Future Community Centre and Dreamtime Computer Centre in Kopan. The local children come to the library centre before and after school to learn English, read, play, dance, interact, learn about recycling, gain computer skills and so on. This was a great example to me of a Rotary project that engages local abilities and promotes human dignity. The children are from extremely poor and often difficult family situations but the centre promotes education as the key to better futures and I would not hesitate to assist this program in the future. Again, Eyes Wide Open has provided an opportunity for direct contact and an establishment of trust in a country where public services are largely a civil responsibility. Our trip also included an extraordinary four day trek of the Annapurna mountains. Our total exasperation at the lack of public services, policy change and implementation was immediately surmounted by awe of the beauty of the Annapurna range, the Nepalese people, their music, culture and optimism.
I can honestly say that every human exchange organised by Eyes Wide Open has touched me in on a profound emotional level. From reading, swapping songs, playing or painting at the orphanages to delivering wheelchairs to the children’s disability centre, touring the leper home and buying their goods to visiting the cancer hospital and seeing the radiation machine that cannot be used until a calibration machine is acquired. More importantly it has given me an understanding of Rotary’s impact and the importance of each individual project.
Travelling to Nepal with Rotary and Eyes Wide Open has personalised my involvement in humanitarian aid – it has been a gift to be part of this team of diverse individuals who are
motivated to help people in desperate need of assistance. Our group ranged in age from 32 to 72 – all with an adventurous spirit, a sense of fun and only the occasional grumble about the third world conditions. I recommend anyone to jump at an opportunity to participate in this remarkable program, and invite a family member, friend or colleague along they will be rewarded with the most unforgettable experience!
Find out about the next Eyes Wide Open Trip