ANSWER’S 2024 Spring tour will be April 12-27. We apologize for the lateness of this announcement as a number of considerations had to be factored in, not the least of which is that a delegation of board members and volunteers about to visit Nepal as well as a party of trekkers headed by one of our California sponsors. In addition, my visit during this time will be a short one to visit my daughter’s family, who has recently relocated to Sydney, Australia.
The major impact of Covid has been far-reaching. While our students are advancing and graduating in record numbers, many of our younger students have been promoted to middle school without being replaced by newly sponsored students in the lower grades. Since each of our 75 or so primary and secondary schools are losing ANSWER students as they move up and graduate, ANSWER has now fallen below the critical number of students per school to sustain our future enrollment. It could impact our school visitations with our sponsors in the fall (so keep in touch with us if you hope to visit in the future). But that’s not all: our AAA and SWC meetings outside Kathmandu must be restored!
Sponsorships decline > Primary School enrollment declines >
- Sponsor Visits to Nepal postponed
- Social Welfare Club in High Schools on pause
- Students lose the upper hand
- Discontinuance of schools
As you know, these meetings and film discussions are a critical part of our students’ education. They are quintessential in introducing critical thinking skills, public service, and political activism into the rote-learning educational environment there. We have witnessed many of our shy or introverted students gain confidence in themselves by actively participating in AAA and SWC and becoming outspoken leaders!
Moreover, our families have had to cope with soaring unemployment, rising prices, and a stagnant economy these past few years. Parents want all the more to send their children abroad to study or work, undermining ANSWER’s primary aim of having our students remain in Nepal and help it develop. We must correct this shortfall as soon as possible.
SO! ANSWER has assembled a delegation of board members and volunteers to visit Nepal to witness and address these issues with ANSWER Nepal. I (Earle) will be back May 1, and I am reaching out to churches to visit in which we can visit and recruit more sponsors this summer and fall. So, please inform your minister and/or worship committees that although the needs everywhere are acute, the secret to progress is continuity and sustainability. ANSWER has been a big part of the UUA’s international outreach and success abroad. For the first time, Nepal is witnessing and beginning to feel the impact of an upward mobility of the poor and low-caste in Nepal. Unlike India and the USA, there are no affirmative action programs, and yet, for the first time, we are witnessing these children attain professional careers and offices across the spectrum. Please help me in reaching out to your church and fellow members. I can be reached anytime, if not by phone, by text, or by email [(+1 )616-516-0955, jecan314@gmail.com]. Thank you.
