The Care & Community placement
Projects Abroad allowed me to work with malnourished children at a nutritional rehabilitation home. We painted walls and terraces, played with the kids and learnt to cook traditional Nepali food and work with the mothers and children there.
When we were painting, we were able to use our creativity and paint sea animals like octopus, jellyfish and other creatures that the kids would marvel at. A memorable experience would be a young boy putting his hands on wet paint only to get his whole hand covered in blue paint. He would then walk around and get some stains around the paintings, which we easily covered up.
We also learnt about how the nutritional rehabilitation home was teaching the mothers how to take proper care of their children’s diets and the foods and kinds of cooking that were introduced to them. For example, they learnt about the importance of a balanced diet with food including meat, vegetables and other sources that could provide vitamins and minerals on a fundamental level. The mothers were encouraged to cook food for specific amounts of time so as not to overcook and deprive the food of its natural nutrients.
I especially found this important and relevant to life, as nutrition is something I am interested in studying. As well, I believe it is an essential life skill to understand and carry out, whether through cooking a meal or learning about which foods to choose. We also had a chance to visit an HIV home for kids and learn to make traditional “momos”, which are similar to dumplings, and also try them after they were cooked. They tasted delicious!
Janusz proved himself to be an amazing leader throughout the placement. His sense of humour resonated with us and the kids and he got along well with the Nepali people as well as maintained a sense of knowledge and fun. Afterwards, I learnt that he would be leading more volunteer trips and placements to Tanzania as well as other places around the globe, which I would love to be involved with one day in the near future.
Free time in Nepal
We also hiked through a jungle-like forest with lush trees and unique animals like hippos, elephants and exotic birds.
With a lower standard of living, my most stunning images of the busy city capture the dusty streets, non-existent traffic lights and warm smiles of the welcoming Nepali people. I realise now that there is something so powerful about the connections I have had in Nepal. The whole experience has granted me an ability to be present in the moment and create life as it happens. I will continue to be thankful for all the things in life that keep me grounded to my happiness.
I definitely recommend Projects Abroad to anyone, youth or young adults, who want to try something new in a country and learn wonderful things. This was an incredible two weeks I will never forget and I look forward to more of these experiences to come!
