Saturday morning

 

It's Saturday morning and the kids are doing a family work project in the side yard.  We haven't been able to grow grass because the kids are out there playing 24/7.  It's filled with stones, dust, mud and hard soil that constantly gets tracked into the house. Monsoon has officially begun and when it rains all the water drains into this one particular spot that we are working on redirecting.  Otherwise it's just a constant puddly muddy mess.  (Although we did have a lot of fun splashing around in there this week.)  Ultimate rainstorm water fight.  

See exhibit A and B!

So the kids are digging and wheelbarrowing out the stones and throwing down manure and blasting music from the window.  We are singing "I knew you were trouble when you walked in." That song is so darn catchy. Oh Taylor Swift, how my children love you.  We are planting grass and fencing the area off for the next few weeks while it rains and trying to get a good little lawn going.  It'll be a good area for the pups to play in. Nicki and Nacho are getting bigger by the day.

We are cleaning our rooms and washing clothes and enjoying our Saturday time together.  We're going to slice open a watermelon and pick some corn this afternoon and play a family game.  The internet has been awful this week and I'm trying to get caught up on applications, and email, and facebook messages. I'm sorry to those of you who have been trying to reach me. Spotty internet and no electricity plus 330 something kids makes staying in touch rather difficult. I know you understand and I appreciate it. I also want to thank all the Nepali friends who sent me the sweetest messages and feedback from the article in My Republica this week.  I can't tell you how much your support and encouragement means to me. You all make me hopeful for the future of Nepal. 

I was having a conversation with two of my board members last night. We were trying to explain Kopila and our relationship with the kids in our home and our message. "We're raising children. They're like ours, forever, like when you have a child, they're yours forever."  I loved how my chairwoman put that.  When you have a child, you don't ask the mom what her exit strategy is.  We are here for these kids and we're in it for life.  Yes, it's a little crazy to have so many of them.  It's crazy to think about them all getting older, to think about the future.  I'm writing an updated business/strategic plan now and it's all so hard to picture.  

I was talking with the girls the other night about how they never want to leave this place. They want to be living here together just like this when they're all in their 30's and 40's. We were all laughing and joking about how volunteers coming from abroad would all be younger than they would be and we'd all still be yelling at Maya to behave and Krishna to brush his teeth. I told them their minds would change when they're older and pursuing their dreams and careers and falling in love and starting families of their own, but I remember feeling the same exact way when I was their age. I never wanted to grow up.

I never want them to have their hearts broken either.  Even watching the boys strike out at bat in their cricket match this week was hard for me.  They lost in the finals and my heart sunk a little every time I watched them carry the bat off the field with their heads down. You never want your kids to fail or experience hardship and to think about them leaving home and going off into the world is hard... even though deep down you know it's all inevitable and part of the package and what you're ultimately preparing them for.  

What do I really want for them?  I want for them to stay close with each other.  I want for them to always have this place to come home to, this place to call their own with good memories from their childhood.  When they are sad or heartbroken or lost or disappointed or lonely I want them to be comforted by remembering a time when they were happy and content and safe and loved and to know in their hearts that everything will be okay again.  I want them to feel loved, and to know that this place is their home and we will be a family forever.  

Art Month at Kopila

It's Art Month at Kopila Valley and the kids and teachers are having lots of fun coming up with fun creations.  The pictures really say it all.  Homemade playdough, paper mache, painting, thumb print art, and much much more!

If you have any ideas for creative art projects that require very little resources, please share them here!!!

what we're reading!

The Kopila Kids tell you what they're reading! Thanks for your donations to our book fund!

In case you want to catch up, here are two oldies but goodies from our "what we're reading" series!

Interns for BlinkNow

Hi everyone, it's THE BLINKNOW TEAM here with a quick announcement!

We're on the look-out for summer interns for our U.S. based BlinkNow Foundation.  As a summer intern you will work alongside Maggie and Ruth, our U.S. Director of Operations, to support us with the domestic operations of our foundation, which directly supports our work here in Nepal.  We realize that not everybody can pack up a backpack and move to 8,000 miles away to help us on the ground at Kopila Valley Children's Home and School but there is a lot of other help we need with BlinkNow and the non-profit side of things, to spread our message, create and build partnerships, and gain support for our work and mission. As part of our intern team, you will gain valuable experience helping to run and manage a small non-profit working to change the world! These are non-paid part time summer positions with the flexibility of working either virtually or from our office HQ in Morristown, NJ.

BlinkNow Summer Internship Positions

The Data Master will cull through and analyze program data to evaluate the impact of our interventions and identify opportunities for growth and expansion in the future.  Your skill set: You love a challenge almost as much as you love numbers. You are meticulous and curious. You have the professional knowledge, skills and tools to find what is important. You are proficient with Excel.  You thrive at creating order and clarity and are able to translate complex information into easily digested morsels. You find new and efficient ways to streamline information. You’re a problem solver and strategic thinker.

The Development and Outreach Specialist will develop and maintain targeted communication to connect with supporters, funders and school groups. You will assist with maintaining our database and correspondence to various constituencies.  Your skill set: You have excellent written and oral communication skills.  You are detail oriented and demonstrate effective relationship management.  You have the creativity to help produce and market new initiatives.  You are able to work with very little guidance and manage multiple tasks at once. 

The Grant Seeker will assist in bringing new resources to BlinkNow by investigating and forming partnerships with grant makers, foundations and donors.  You will provide writing and editorial help for grant applications and other potential revenue generating activities.  Your skill Set: You have solid research and writing skills. You are fiercely organized and follow through on projects and tasks with minimal oversight.  You are creative and curious and see a world full of potential.  You are a detail oriented, clear communicator and work well independently or as part of a team. You are flexible, passionate about the cause and eager to learn. 

Guest Post: KOPILA BUDDIES! (by Nena and Kelly)

This Wednesday we were finally able to start our buddy program between Kelly’s 7 class homeroom and Nena’s nursery kiddos. Buddies were something we both had at our schools and thought it would be a fun addition to the Kopila school community.  Our hope is that the kids will begin to form relationships that will extend beyond this school year. Kelly matched up the big and little students and got her homeroom excited for their first ever school buddy meeting, Nena told the Nursery room during their daily morning meetings they would soon be getting older special buddies. On Wednesday morning the 7 class greeted the little nursery boys and girls and finally got to meet their buddies.  We were totally unsure how it would go or if the nursery kids would get scared or just have a crying meltdown. Each group went off to various spots around the school to introduce themselves and get to know each other. The morning exceeded our expectations on all levels, not only was it one of the most adorable moments, but most pairs were really developing a special bond by the end.  While some kids were playing chase, others were learning new games or laughing at silly jokes. We are so excited that both classes were so enthusiastic and open to our little dream vision for creating stable role models for the new nursery kids. The 7 class has tons of ideas and projects planned to teach and do with their new special friends. This is definitely a project that will only get better with time and we can’t wait to watch it unfold. We hope you enjoy these quick shots we captured as much as we did!