The day after we had come back to Ratankot we were up early to get ready for the grounbreaking ceremony for the Home of Hope. The monks had been up early and held ceremonies to remove evil spirits and pray for forgiveness for us to dig into the ground. The ceremony began with Pema and I standing in front of a picture of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the thought of the children who come to stay at the Home of Hope. Pema took hold of the big rock that we dug a hole for. So we put down in the hole together.
In Sweden, we take a first shovelful while here in Nepal there is a tradition of putting down the first stone or “lay the foundation stone” as it is called in English.
Perma then held a very fine speech in which he asekd the villagers to contribute and help as much as they are able to. The he thanked us for our support and emphasises how important it will be for the orphans village as well as the nearby villages. Pema cried a little and I did too. It was a very moving and beautiful ceremony. I also got the chance to say a little about the company. I had a brochure with me about the foundation including some Partex brands that everyone had read.
Here I am with the family who donated the land that the orphanage will be built on
Here is the land that the orphanage will be built on – the finest and least hilly in the whole village!
Blankets to the elderly
We also had Loof Foundation fleece blankets with us that we gave to the elderly in the village – they were incredibly happy and grateful. Although it was a hot day and it’s clear that the nights are very cold up here in the mountains. Winter gets really tough since the stone houses have no kind of insulation. It felt good to share with the older ones too.
The nights get cold in Nepal so it felt very good to be able to distribute blankets to the elderly in the village.
Farewell and goodbye!
Then we took farewell from all the great people in the village successessay and returned to Kathmandu. The car broke down on the road so we had to walk a long distance before it all worked out and we could get in the car again. Back home in Sweden again, we feel incredibly grateful for all that we have experienced. Likewise, we are enormously grateful that we have had the chance to support the village and orphans who will live at the Home of Hope. It gives me tremendous meaning and pride! Now we follow the construction with excitement and hopefully it will be completed in April 2015 when we go there again and have dedication!
Me and Johan on our way back to Sweden with many new impressions and experiences with us in the luggage.
// Sophie
16 Comments
You look very happy on these photos. By the way, it was very interesting for me to read this post!
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