Zack and David are in Kathmandu

Greetings everyone! I hope this message finds everyone well. We reached Kathmandu yesterday. I actually tried to send this from Pokhara, but it did not go through. One more full day in Nepal- what a mixture of emotions. See you soon! Here is the message I tried to send on Monday:
We had our farewell ceremony at the school yesterday. It was a very memorable experience. Several teachers gave speeches, we were presented with certificates and shiny Nepali drinking pitchers, and we received tika and flower garlands from the staff and students. It was a bit overwhelming to be given so many flowers and garlands. By the end of the ceremony, I had something akin to a floral lion's mane draped upon my neck and my face was red(der) with tika. It was a very moving experience. Here is the speech I gave: "Greetings my friends! Our time in Nepal is coming to an end. This makes me sad. People from different nations can learn much from one another. I have learned that many of you want Nepal to change; to become more developed. However, sometimes it takes a great deal of effort to create even a small change. So change is difficult, but it is still very important. Nepal has faced many hardships and difficulties recently. Difficulty can make a nation weak, but it can also make a nation strong. I hope our work here has made Nepal a better and stronger country. Ultimately though, for Nepal to become better and stronger, the work must be accomplished by Nepalis. This is your country. You should be proud of your country, and you should be proud to be Nepali. There are some parts of Nepal that I hope never change. Nepal is a beautiful country. Nepali khana deri deri mito cha (Nepali food tastes very, very good). Most importantly, Nepali people have good hearts. I believe this is more important than money, or material wealth. In some ways, since Nepali people have such good heart, Nepal is already a very developed country. You have shared your homes with us. Dhanyabad (thank you). We will always remember our Nepali friends. Namaskar." We rose early today and finished packing our things for our departure. It was a very sad and somber time as we prepared to leave the Dhakal house. Before we left, Megh's wife, Manikala, gave us tika and red flowers behind our ears for a safe journey. I sweated off the tika on the hike to Kushma and dropped the two red flowers- luckily I picked them up. This retrieval proved most fortuitous, as later in the day our bus swerved on a slick road to avoid an oncoming truck, flew into a ditch, and smashed into a tree. We are unhurt (repeat, no injuries), although some of the other passengers were a bit banged up. I am happy to be alive and everything, but I felt I was entitled to at least a partial refund. This proved impossible because the bus driver and conductor sprinted away immediately after the crash. While admittedly they did get us about halfway to Pokhara, they certainly did not fully render the agreed upon services. I would have liked at least fifty out of one hundred rupees back- sixty would have been nice, as our travel plans were delayed finding another bus. Regardless, I am very grateful for the flowers Manikala gave us- it seems they did indeed assure our safety.
Here is an e-mail I wrote about (five, six, ?) days ago but was unable to send due to connection problems at Sarkuwa (and Pokhara). Take a look....
Unfortunately, there is a problem concerning the school that I have been investigating. We were told earlier during our stay that Janata had given funds to an organization to provide a computer lab for the school. However, this has not materialized. Today Megh and I found and reviewed the school’s folder about this matter. Its contents are described below. I will qualify this in advance by saying 1) all documents were written in Devanagari (Nepali script), so all of the information here was translated to me by Megh and Krishna Icharya (10+ 2 English teacher). Furthermore, the teacher who is most directly involved in this matter is away from the school due to a family illness. I also have trouble communicating with him since we do not share a mutually intelligible language.
We were told that Janata gave app. 60,000 rupees to an American NGO for five computers last year. The staff informed us these computers have never been delivered, nor has an explanation been given by this organization. Here is the information about the organization/s involved:
Committee for the Promotion of Public Awareness and Development Studies (COPPADES) [I was told this is actually a Nepali organization/company]
Supposedly this organization is working in some relation with Nepal ICT Project (I was unable to discern what this acronym represents). The telephone number provided for COPPADES is 01-4355873
The address provided for Nepal ICT Project is: G.P.O. Box No. 5926 (or possibly 5928, 5826, or 5828- I took this information from a grainy, photocopied sheet), Kathmandu, Nepal. Telephone no. 977- 1- 353573
Internet info:e-mail- coppades@ntc.net.npURL http://www.interconnection.org/coppades
When I was asking Megh about this matter yesterday, I specifically asked if there were any written documents that people had signed. There is in fact a contract/ agreement between the school and the aforementioned organization. I think this may be the most important document in this twisted tale. Its contents are divided into two sections: the obligations of Janata School, and the reciprocal obligations of COPPADES.School’s obligations (I have added parenthesis to certain points):
1) Must have electrical supply.
2) Must possess minimum 1 telephone line.
3) Must possess suitable area for computer lab, including appropriate furniture (i.e. chairs, desks, etc.)
4) Must submit a letter from the district education office (in Janata’s case, this office is located in Baglung). This letter must certify that 1) school meets physical prerequisites for a computer lab and 2) the school needs a computer lab.
5) The company to provide the computers is World Computer Exchange, USA (“World Computer Exchange, USA” is written in English). The monetary amount required is 58,500 rupees, with the conditional statement that that price is variable 2,000 rupees (dependent upon ?). Janata submitted 59,500 rupees to COPPADES. The stated fees of 58,500 rupees was to pay for:
Sourcing cost [administrative]
Ocean shipping
Land Shipping [including customs tax and commercial tax]
Administrative and computer installation costs
6) One teacher will travel (somewhere) for computer training. The school is responsible for paying this teacher’s room and board during training.
7) If a computer is damaged, it must be stored in an environment where it will not incur further damage.
COPPADES obligations (parenthesis added again):
1) The organization will send a representative to observe the school’s infrastructure. A school will be selected on the basis of this observation (this is first mention of “selection”).
2) The organization will provide training for one instructor from the school. This includes training instruction, instruments, and fees.
3) The organization will provide the school with:
5 computers
1 printer
instruments needed for network, network cord, etc.
cables
minimum 1 modem
software CDs, according to necessity
4)Within 3 months of computer installation, the organization will provide a representative for supervision, observation, and repair. Representatives will then visit the school a minimum of once a year afterwards.
Signed: Prakash Nepali Narayan Paudel
School supervisor (COPPADES) Head teacher(JanataHSS)
63- 06- 07 (Nepali date) 63- 06- 07

Apparently, the company did send a representative to observe Janata for selection. One instructor, Prem Thapa, also received approximately three months of computer training in Pokhara (training began early December ’06, possibly at NITT in Pokhara [once again, unsure what this acronym [NITT] represents]). COPPADES has not delivered any hardware or software to the school. So, the organization has fulfilled its first two obligations. It has not fulfilled the third, and therefore obviously not the fourth. Janata has documents (from COPPADES) certifying that COPPADES has received all necessary forms and fees from the school. Janata also has photocopies of forms they sent describing:
Janata School’s physical infrastructure
Demographic information: student info (age, sex), instructor info (names, addresses, subjects taught), and school management committee info (names, addresses).
I did not see a copy of the recommendation letter from Baglung, though this does not mean it was not sent.
As I said earlier, all of these forms were written in Devanagiri. Megh also told me that Mr. Thapa phoned the organization approximately a month and a half ago. Megh says they informed him that the organization had no materials for Janata School. As I said before, Mr. Thapa is out of town due to a family illness.
So what does this all amount to? I was considering some possibilities. My first question was whether the money Janata gave COPPADES covered only the expenses of computer instruction in Pokhara. The contract states otherwise. David noted that the school had neither consistent electrical supply nor telephone line (or a very safe area for a lab) upon our arrival. Perhaps this negated any COPPADES obligations? However, if the fees submitted by the school were for computer delivery charges, Janata’s money should have been refunded. Instead, they have received no refund nor any computers. From what I was told, nothing was said about non- refundable fees. Another thought is that something was lost in the translation I was given, or that there was some informal personal communication that abrogated the agreement (would such an exchange be legally binding?) There was also a mention of “selection”- perhaps another school was chosen instead, but Janata was neither informed nor recompensated? Though I am far from expert in these matters, it seems like this entity may be trying to take advantage of the school. An isolated school in a developing country (struggling to modernize) seems like an appealing target for a technology scam. While 59,500 rupees is not a gargantuan monetary amount, it could be used to provide many materials for the school. It is also distressing to think that this organization (if in fact it is predatory) takes advantage of vulnerable, underprivileged schools. Unfortunately, we have little time left here, and I am not sure what can be done from outside Nepal (or inside Nepal for that matter). Maybe some of the other members of the Sarkuwa Project could check out the web listings this organization/s, and see if they seem legitimate. Please share your thoughts on this situation. From my experience, analysis from a single perspective is often deficient.
Much love, Zack