By Karen O’Hara, MHP Board Member
In Nepal, Hinduism is the majority religion and Buddhism is a significant minority tradition. While there are important distinctions, both faith paths recognize that human beings, nature, society, and the universe are interconnected.
I obtained fresh insights on these faith practices during a recent visit there, but I did not go to Nepal for spiritual enlightenment. I went as a volunteer to work on the construction of a community center in the Dang District of Lumbini Province where women and girls will have access to healthcare services, education (including literacy), and support for micro-businesses while benefitting from the power of togetherness.
The trip was sponsored by Developing World Connections (DWC), a humanitarian organization based in Canada. The mission of its in-country partner, Creating Possibilities Nepal, is to “employ women and youth through education, life skills, and income opportunities to break the cycle of poverty and create a future free from exploitation.” Our determined team of seven women approached our assignment with open-mindedness, warm hearts, and a willingness to do manual labor in hot, humid conditions.
The Nepali people we encountered consistently treated us with sincere kindness, appreciation, and respect. I left the country feeling uplifted by the deeply felt connections I had with my Canadian teammates, the Creating Possibilities staff, and members of the local community who participated in this mutually gratifying experience.
Our Journey
After meeting up in Kathmandu, we flew to the Terai, an agricultural region where rice is the predominant crop. The Terai spans the Nepal-India border. Sadly, this year the monsoon season lasted longer than expected, damaging hundreds of acres of rice before it could be harvested.
After visiting temples at the UNESCO heritage site in Lumbini where Buddha was born, we had a three-hour drive to Lamahi, a utilitarian town with busy shops, a spacious park, and a large bus depot. We stayed there for two weeks while working on the project. It didn’t take long for us to realize that Western visitors were not a common sight. We drew attention wherever we went.
To navigate the roads in Nepal, drivers have to skillfully navigate through around potholes, sleepy dogs, sacred cows, trucks, buses, cars, tuk-tuks, ox carts, motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians, some carrying heavy loads, fishing nets, or colorful umbrellas. As a passenger, it’s exciting.
Life in Nepal
Our philanthropic outreach gave us a front-row seat to daily routines around our rural project site – harvesting, herding water buffalo and other livestock, rocking babies, getting kids to and from school, cooking, cleaning, bathing, hand-washing clothes, weaving baskets, selling and buying food and sundries, and visiting neighbors.
We noticed how willing the people were to share their limited resources with others. We also admired their sense of humor, grace, and the inner calm they exude. They invited us to eat, dance, learn Nepali words, and joke around with them. We were proud when we heard that the women and girls we met, included two Creating Possibilities volunteers from the Czech Republic, viewed us as role models.
Chances to Engage
While we were there to work – digging ditches, passing and dumping rocks, mixing and pouring cement to form foundation walls – we also had multiple opportunities to engage with the community. Among the highlights:
During three school visits, we were greeted by students eager to learn about Canada, the U.S., and our lives. Later, they waved and shouted greetings from school buses when they saw us in town. At a government-funded school, we danced to popular tunes with the student body while rain poured down during a thunderstorm. After our school visit, we held hands with helpful strangers as we waded across a rising river when our tuk-tuks got mired.
We were honored as guests at an annual women’s group business meeting attended by dignitaries and hundreds of women in colorful saris.
Seeing a need, each member of our team anonymously donated money to purchase bicycles that will make life a bit easier for those who do not have one or access to motorized transportation. We were able to buy four sturdy bikes with wire baskets that were given to recipients selected by the Creating Possibilities Nepal staff.
We were honored to serve as ambassadors on behalf of DWC and the local municipality to deliver financial aid, food, and other emergency supplies to four grieving families who lost loved ones in the devastating flash flooding and debris flows that were triggered when a glacier collapsed at the Chinc (Tibet)-Nepal border on Aug. 26. We wiped away our own tears as family members shared memorials honoring their loved ones and wept.
At least 1,455 deaths were confirmed and more than 5,000 people were reported missing after the disaster. Among them were 44 men and nine women from the local district who went north to find work and send money home. Only six from the area who were feared lost had returned home.
In another instance of interconnectedness, these tragic personal losses have widespread socio-economic consequences for the entire country. For example, in rural areas, wives usually live with their husband’s family. With the loss of a wage-earning spouse, a wife and her children typically must remain with in-laws unless they remarry, creating a financial burden for the entire extended family. One of the widows we visited was pregnant. Another family had lost a daughter who had not been working in the north long enough to send money home yet.
Other Economic Pressures
Ironically, Nepal is committed to developing hydropower and other sources of clean energy to counteract climate change. This land-locked country has been recognized for meeting, and in some cases exceeding, the efforts of wealthier nations. Now, climate change activists in Nepal are demanding direct accountability and compensation from major global carbon admitters.
In addition, the U.S.-Iran war has dramatically driven up diesel and gas prices for a nation of people who can ill afford them. Nepal’s dependence on imported petroleum makes it particularly vulnerable to international supply disruptions and price hikes that affect transportation, food distribution, and household costs.
The Borgen Project reports that Nepal has a deeply rooted poverty crises, with an estimated 25% of the population living below the national poverty line. According to wage.is, which publishes international salary data, the minimum wage in Nepal is 83 cents an hour in U.S. currency; the median monthly income is about $109 when converted from rupees.
The Importance of Co-existence
Western visitors might find it difficult to understand how Nepalis manage to meet their basic needs with so much generosity and curiosity. With each encounter, my awareness of the importance of peaceful co-existence increased and helped me appreciate how deep inner resilience and community engagement help people find joy despite hardships.
This trip allowed me to fully appreciate the quiet dignity of those who have little, the consequences of personal loss, the promise of education, and the sense of security that comes from human connection.
I went to Nepal to help build a structure and experience a different culture. I ended up contributing in a small way to the prosperity of a developing country via its familial networks.
I also learned that when we are preoccupied with first-world problems, we are at risk of confining ourselves to a narrow world view when we should be nurturing mutually satisfying connections that open our hearts and minds to others. Meditation practice is one way to activate neural pathways that connect our brain to our body so we can function more effectively. When we take time to meditate and increase our appreciation of the interconnectedness of belief systems and cultures that differ from our own, everyone benefits. Namaste.
Retreat Participants Tap into Wisdom of the Land
