April 19 was the day, the container completely filled and we left for Nepal.
If everything goes according to plan, the container will go by boat from Rotterdam via Tanjung Pelepas Malaysia to Visakhapatnam India where it will be put on the train to Nepal. And will then arrive June 14 in Birganj Nepal, from there via Kathmandu to Shailung. How surprised people will be with all the stuff we packed.
Thanks to all the people who donated stuff and those who helped to puzzle everything in the container and especially to Jan E. who coordinated the entire transport for us.
We have already collected school furniture, teaching materials, clothing, medical supplies and other items in the Netherlands to support the community. We are doing this project in collaboration with the Nepal Federation Netherlands to make it possible for other foundations to send items to their projects in Nepal.
March 19, a 20 foot sea container will go by boat to Calcutta (India) from where it will be delivered by train to Birgunj (Birganj) just across the border in Nepal. There the items will have to be transferred to small trucks to be taken to the locations in the mountains.
Contacts with Social Wellfare Commity and the Chairman of the VDC, Village Development Committee have led to the commitment to provide the necessary import documents so that we have to pay minimal import duties. Although the price of container transport is at a very high point, a total of more than €6000, we would still like to send the goods and see it as a learning experience to look at the possibilities for next time.
In the meantime we already have more than 80 school tables and chairs, teaching materials, medical equipment and we are in consultation about sending hospital beds and other things.
We also received a lot of clothes and shoes, especially for the children, sewing machines, tools, a power generator, computers and beamers.
The items will arrive in Nepal around mid-June. We are very curious how this journey will go.
Thanks for all the support for this project as well.
After 6 weeks of bureaucratic delay, a lot of consultation, many new documents and more than €4000 extra payments, the items were released and loaded from the container into the colorful truck. Until the end it was unclear whether we could take all the clothes with us. After the last intervention of a journalist, the truck was finally able to leave.
The truck was able to take the stuff about 100km past Kathmandu to Mude. There it is packed into 4 small trucks that can make it up the mountain for the last 40 km to Sailung via the muddy mountain trails.
The journey took about 5 hours. A few times they got stuck on the way and the men had to free the tires from the mud with shovel and heel.
Now and then try to give everything a place and see what has been sent in the boxes.
All classes are equipped with tables and chairs. Big difference with the previous benches. Now also nice sizes for the older children. Learning materials, lots of computers with accessories, clothing and much more.
Thanks a lot for all contributions.
