The Fishtail Project

1st February 2024 The Fishtail Project   Rob Barron

Rob (RC Dronfield/Fishtail Fund Trustee) began by thanking the club for our support of a number of the students right from the inception of the project in 2010. There have been 5 students starting with Bibek at £30 per year ranging to Rajan in 2018 at £500 per year. The project is based in Pokhara and the reason it is called the Fishtail project is that there is a mountain called Machapuchare, famous for its fishtail shaped peak. Nepal is a very poor Country, which although it has a ‘caste system’ (tribal), they don’t fight, because of the poor conditions, but try to support each other. When Nepal comes into conversation, generally there are 4 reasons: Everest, the Gurkhas, Trekking and adventure and finally, the children.  Obviously, Everest at 6 miles high and in high profile since Sir Edmond Hilary conquered it in 1953, but latterly suffers from over use of the basecamp trekking in queues and trekkers paying around £55k to £60k for the experience....and 210 lives lost in 2019!

The Rotary District of D3292 has been operating for the last 56 years, with 114 clubs and 4000 members. The RC Pokhara Club partners with RC Dronfield as the contact for the Fishtail project.  With Binod Koirala as the main link with 7 others proactive in working the secondary schools. Laxi Thapa, a female Rotarian, a successful business woman from humble origins who has started up her own business for clothes manufacturing, is also a major player  The Headteachers at their schools identify suitable children, once nominated are interviewed and their family also gets a presentation, so they understand the commitment required. A typical primary school might have about 30 students, but this can reduce to about 4 at the secondary level due to economic pressures to leave and do jobs to earn the family money. (Carrying trekking bags, sewing clothes and even prostitution.  Fishtail do an Annual Cheque -giving ceremony and have policies to ensure that the sponsors money is safe from corruption: * no connection to Government agencies; * a dedicated Rotary account in Nepal; * interrogation of this account from the UK; All monies go directly to the student or headteacher; * running costs (such as credit transfers) are covered by Gift Aid; * the Fund is operated by volunteers at their own expense.

Following the great Earthquake in 2015, Pokhara RC built a new primary school and the Fishtail project, through the Dronfield RC sponsored the building of a secondary school (raising £5k through their local comprehensive school). This school now having water fountains and toilets. To date 94 students have been through this programme, started and driven by David Lumb of Dronfield R C, who was motivated by a quotation from Nelson Mandela about education being the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world and providing unbelievable opportunities for children from a poor background.

The members joined Gordon in the normal enthusiastic round of appreciation, having explained that we have supported this very worthy project, and better understand now the mechanics of the process and hope it continues to educate the children born into poor circumstances.                  AR