Reach Out for Nepal Update

Thank you to everyone involved in any way with this years fund raising for the Melamchi School, with Doug Scott’s next presentation at the cafe only days away I am pleased to give the following update on both the fund raising & the School itself, so here goes:-

The total raised to date in 2018 is £8,061.80 which is significantly higher than our earlier expectations of around 5/6K, simply a great result. This figure will go higher due to a Gift Aid application I need to make for my sponsors so the final figure should exceed £8,400.00.

We will present Doug with a cheque made out to Community Action Nepal on Saturday for £8,000.00 leaving a small residual balance in our Reach Out for Nepal bank account.

The total now raised to date for the School is now a staggering £34,450.41 since our first Reach Out for Nepal day in 2015 got underway a little over 3 years ago. In addition through the Cafe sales of Prints, Tickets for Doug’s presentations & sales of CAN’s goods & artefacts have raised a further £10,500.00, this money goes to CAN’s general funds for use on other projects. We have also sold £808.00 worth of Doug’s books with this money going rightly to the Author himself, how he finds the time to write them I really don’t know, well I do actually but it’s not for me to say!

Progress of the school & it’s hostel is being monitored by us as closely as possible given the high workload of Doug & his small team i.e. we don’t like to push too hard for detailed updates. What we do know is that the Girls hostels (3 Buildings) were completed by Spring this year & were officially opened during CAN’s Spring visit on 27th April. At that time the boys hostels were substantially built & post monsoon work to complete them & fit them out has re-commenced with completion expected this winter. As for the school itself progress is less clear but we are hoping for a fuller picture after Doug has visited us, that said the fit out of the hostels represented over two thirds of the £25K we targeted to raise so our monies raised are making an impact.

John Rowell is in contact with Purma, the Headmaster, & has made provisional plans to visit the School in Spring 2019 at John’s own cost to improve both our link with the School as well as give a detailed report on progress etc.

Subject to actual costs being fairly in line with Budgets we will have substantial funds still ring-fenced for the School within CAN’s funds. With the School continuing to expand but with the Government taking over day to day running of the School from CAN IN 2020 as CAN itself focuses on other works in the North Gorkha region we will await John’s visit before opening a debate on where these proceeds & indeed future fund raising should be targeted. From where I am sat the priorities need to be ensuring we maintain our contact with the school whilst ensuring that funds are going to the Coal face so to speak & this may well mean focusing future funds raised on CAN’s other projects or a specific one.

Finally & on a more immediate note Doug will be bringing more signed book copies down with him, selling artefacts on the night as well as auctioning more of his photographic prints so if you have booked tickets please bring a bit of cash or better still a bit of plastic, it’s all in a good cause. If you don’t have tickets but would like to come & listen to Doug & Tut please be quick & call the Cafe on 01690 720429, we only have 6 tickets left!

Thank you for giving your time & more.

Paul

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