Gurje Trips

At the end of March, after the exams, school holidays started in all Nepal, for approximately 3 to 4 weeks, depending on the schools and grades. In Gurje was school holiday too, so a “Gurje holiday camp” was organized for Umbrella children to go breathe some fresh air.

During the first two weeks of April, 4 groups went in succession. A total of almost 50 children came for two or three days to enjoy the countryside, coming from Sagarmatha, Sugarloaf and Annapurna houses, and all ages were involved, from 6 to 18 years old.

The way to go there is a bit long, but the place is really worth it! A first bus took us from Swayambhu to Samakusi, located on the ring-road north of Kathmandu, where a second bus took us to a village called Jhor. From there, a 1.5 hour walk up and then down the hill brought us to Gurje. Fortunately, some little rivers and springs made the walk easier and really enjoyable (Happy holi!).

5 people welcomed us in Gurje as they are working for SolHimal-Umbrella there: three didis working for the “Food for Education” program, Parvati, Rosina and Sharmila), as well as Jyoti who works in the Agricultural area and Milan, helping for SolHimal Sponsorship program.

Depending on the group, the children took part to different activities, like going “kaphal-hunting” (*) in the jungle, picking-up aceilu (**) around the house and farther, visiting a fish factory, playing in rivers, swimming and even diving, going Laliguras-hunting (***), playing karom board, making a fire camp, playing guitar, cooking Tibetan bread and visiting the “Umbrella Future” construction site.

Everybody enjoyed the place very very much and a lot of children would have loved to stay longer, or even settle there for some. Hopefully, the next holiday will be a new opportunity to