EkNews No 2 - January/February 2009

Welcome to EkNews - Ekno Experience’s Volunteer newsletter! We hope that you have a very happy New Year and a prosperous 2009.

2008 was a year where history was made and remade in many parts of the world. On a positive side we saw Nepal become a Republic with a democratically elected government and a President to guide Nepal to its challenging future.

On the downside, we watched terrible floods during India’s 2008 monsoon displace a million people in the heavily populated areas of Bihar, its surrounding area and parts of the plains of Nepal. This combined with India’s inflation rate which hit a record 13% and combined with the global food crisis having its impact in India, has forced many people to join the ranks of the extremely poor. Also as the year was closing, we saw the terrible Mumbai terrorist attack on Indian soil, unprecedented in history.

On a world scale, the global financial crisis has been reported as "the worst of its kind since the depression" and inflation and world unemployment have reached historic levels in the western world. Amongst all this doom and gloom, this is the time that people who can give their valuable time will help make the world a better place.

We wish to thank those volunteers who have been part of our program in 2008 and touched a lot of people’s lives in India and Nepal through their work as Teachers, Nurses, Social Workers, Administrators and many more. May the world in 2009 be a better place for all of us to live in and with your help it can be!

Do you believe you can make a difference? Do you believe you can change the world?

Does helping children or monks learn English or lending your skills to help villagers with maintenance appeal to you?

Does the simple joy of contribution in such a meaningful way to the lives of those less fortunate also appeal to you?

Perhaps the first step to pursuing a volunteer opportunity in India or Nepal is to sit and ask yourself ‘why do you want to volunteer?’ There is no right or wrong answer, but your response can provide great insight into your expectations and intent.

Ask yourself, is your desire to volunteer related to a wish:
To help others who are less fortunate than yourself?
To develop a lifelong relationship with a country and population that has always intrigued or inspired you?
To explore another culture while having a minimal impact (benefitting local communities)?
To further your career by gaining hands-on works experience?
To contribute to positive social change?

To choose either of these destinations is to choose a responsible destination to visit. The positive impact of your Volunteering and/or Work Experience is an important one to offset the inevitable damage done by visiting in the first place.

Our placements range from 1 week to 5 months.

14-day short programs for those who want to combine work with language lessons with travel in both India and Nepal.

More details on our website www.eknoexperience.com – Work

CURRENT JOBS/WORK EXPERIENCE

Other Volunteering opportunities are also available around Dharamsala and Nepal. Full details on our website www.eknoexperience.com or email Sharon at info@eknoexperience.com for further details.

DHARAMSALA NEWS!

Dalai Lama News

The Dalai Lama has now fully recovered from the operation a few months back as we reported in our last newsletter. He has been busy again on his travels throughout the world and has just completed a successful tour of Nigeria and France where he met the French President. He also made an appearance close to Christmas at his Temple in Dharamsala for a puja. He will teach in Sarnath early January. Unfortunately his annual Spring Teachings have been cancelled for 2009.

Other News – 2009 is an important year on the Tibetan calendar as it represents 50 years since the National Uprising in Tibet in 1959. The Tibetan Government in Exile are making the occasion by holding a series of functions in Dharamsala and in other parts of India, including Delhi. You can check out some of these events on www.lta.org and various other Tibetan websites.

There was also an important event in mid November in Dharamsala where 500 Tibetans came from many parts of the world. They included a broad cross section from Government Ministers, Harvard Professors, and Street Activists to former Political Prisoners to engage in ‘free and frank discussions’ on ideas and strategies to help resolve the crisis faced by Tibetans inside Tibet. The delegates were encouraged to come up with strategies and ideas on how to resolve the Tibetan Issue. The main points to come out of the week long talk fest was that the delegates came out in favour of maintaining the present middle way stand of seeking genuine autonomy for Tibet. If there is no positive response from China in the near future in relation to this decision, then the Tibetan government will be forced to change its position to a call for complete independence. There was also a strong recommendation that whatever policy the government would follow, the movement would remain non-violent. The group also expressed the Tibetan’s faith and confidence in the leadership of the Dalai Lama.

NEPAL NEWS!

The Director of Ekno Experience, Sharon Thrupp, recently visited Nepal and is proud to announce that Ekno Experience will sponsor two students currently studying Travel and Tourism at Seabird International College, Thimi. Their sponsorship will include all expenses paid travel to Dharamsala for on the job training and remuneration for their work experience for one month at the completion of their 10+2 year or (Grade 12) – around June 2009.

We are proud to be associated with Seabird International College which aims to provide a good standard of education for students who cannot pay high fees for College level education. The Principal, Mr Surendra Prajapati has worked tirelessly for over 20 years in the Thimi District and this part of the ongoing program to provide education with a good standard for students of local, poorer families. Mr Prajapati is also looking for a ‘sister’ education organisation in Australia and other parts of the world to allow students from poorer countries like Nepal to be able to study abroad and vice versa.

Also a big thank you to Sophie from Australia who spent 5 months in Nepal volunteering and Marijke from Switzerland who spent 7 valuable weeks there. We applaud their wonderful efforts and their stories will be coming later.

Our volunteers are placed at the College and Vinayak Shiska Niketan School and we are delighted to be associated through our partner organization Experience Nepal.

WHAT OUR PAST VOLUNTEERS HAVE SAID

A big thank you to Lesa Lake who spent November and part of December 2008 teaching the monks who are studying to be Gehse’s as part of the Dalai Lama’s program. Lesa also taught Tibetan Refugees at LHA and here is her story.

"I have just spent a magnificent 2 months in Northern India as a volunteer English teacher. Volunteering is a unique opportunity, as it enables you to experience cultures and people in a way that regular travel can’t. Waking up every morning to the brilliant snow capped Himalayan Mountains and experiencing the daily joy of giving to others is something that will stay with me forever. I thoroughly enjoyed my time and every day was filled with laughter, great times, new friends and wonderful experiences. My only regret is that I didn’t take this opportunity earlier in life. My advice to everyone is GO NOW and just go with the flow." - Lesa Lake, Sydney, lesalake@yahoo.com

WORKING HOLIDAYS

If you have a short holiday planned why not try one of our working holiday programs – Teach English to one of the Dalai Lama’s monks in India, teach English to Nepali school children while combining it with learning Tibetan or Hindi or combine it with a holistic course and a cooking class… the choices are endless.

Full details are on our website www.eknoexperience.com – Work - Holidays.

Other Travel News:

Bookings are now open for the 2009 Nirvana Ladakh trip which leaves Delhi on 25 June 2009 for 16 days and 15 nights. This trip is a fundraising trip for Thosamling International Institute for Buddhist Women. Further details are on our website www.eknoexperience.com – Travel, Nirvana Tour.

Our Nirvana Buddhist Sites tour will take in the sites of Sarnath, Varanasi, Bodhgaya, Kushingar and Lumbini. It will depart from Delhi on 21 December 2009 for 12 days and 11 nights. This is also a fundraising trip for Thosamling and full details are on our website www.eknoexperience.com – Travel, Buddhist Sites.

If you are the independent type, take advantage of our expert advice and experience to help you with your transportation and accommodation needs. If you want to learn a new skill combined with some travel to Dharamsala then one of our Mind, Body & Soul Packages will be ideal for you. Whether it’s a Meditation, Reiki, Yoga, Language Cooking or Jewellery making class, your journey won't be complete without one.

Other courses offered are: Reiki, Meditation, Yoga, Massage, Tarot Card Reading, Crystal Healing, Dance, Cooking, Language and more...

See our full range of courses and descriptions on our website.

We at Ekno Experience will do all organization, leaving you free to concentrate on getting the most out of your travels and your experiences in India. Be warned however, once she (India) is in your blood it could be there forever.

Email us your suggested itinerary and we will do the rest to arrange all the details.

Check out the list of destinations on our website.

Email us to discuss your travel plans at info@eknoexperience.com
or
call or SMS on 0437 967 819 in Australia.