Reflecting on an inspirational trip to PA Nepal

Rukmini Foundation has see the confidence of the scholars grow and grow through interactions with inspirational women leaders and other confident women. We continue to look for new role models and new opportunities to show girls that they are capable of great things.

This month our Didi program was a follow-up to a field trip that the girls took a month before. In the program we had different activities that would strengthen scholars’ leadership confidence and presentation skills. Our Didis Pramila Gajmer and Puja Pudasaini led this program, and all of the Rukmini Scholars along with 11 of the 12 recent graduates aling with other Didis and Rukmini Team members gathered at Shikharapur Community School. There was a lot to cover in this program so it was divided into three sessions.

Session I: Rukmini Song

One of the leaders of our organization, Mr. Kedarnath Acharya wrote a song for the Didi program. We decided to sing the song to welcome the Bahinis because we thought it would make the environment more entertaining. We think it worked.

Session II: Acting Game

In this game, all of the participants stood making a circle. First, one person acted out one thing, and the other friends had to identify that expression. Once one of the Bahinis identified the act then it was her turn to do act something. All of the friends got the chance to act something out. The idea of the game was to teach the girls to pay close attention to each other and observe body language. The Bahinis learned not only how to act something out, but also how to better understand expression and build good communication with another person.

Session III: Reflection of visit to Prisoners Assistance Nepal (PA Nepal)

After playing the game, everyone was feeling happy and excited. We all gathered in a circle and the girls were divided in four groups. Each of the groups were assigned a topic, which are as follows:

1. What was your experience of travelling to PA Nepal, and what was your expectation before reaching the venue?

The girls were so excited to visit PA Nepal that on the way they were singing and dancing in the bus with joy. When asked to reflect back about their journey, they said the idea of traveling in a bus with all of the other scholars together was fun because it was the 2nd time all scholars were together in a bus, and they made friends because they had a chance to interact with each other.

When asked about their expectation before reaching the PA Nepal, Roshani Rumba said that she was not expecting to really interact with Indira Didi. When she got there, the warm welcome of Indira Didi and her children mesmerized her. Moreover, she was really pleased that Indira Didi sat down together to interact with the scholars after a brief tour of her school, and shared about her life and her story. She feels that she has learned a lot and had fun more than she had expected from the visit. Those girls who were shy before opened up and expressed their feeling and talent.

2. What was your feeling of seeing and being in PA Nepal?

Our Bahinis were very excited and curious about meeting Indira Didi because she is such a prominent woman doing such great work. Reflecting about the visit, Ashmita Sunuwar said that PA Nepal was a very good environment, and suitable for children.

3. How did you feel about the Interaction with Indira Didi?

While discussing about how scholars felt when interacting with Indira Didi, Shreejana Tamang and Junu Tamang said that when they interacted with Indira Didi, they learned the importance of respecting each and every person. Regardless of what position you may have in life, treat others with kindness and respect. They also shared that they learned that they can do good works in society without having a high position in any organization. We can all start from our current situations, and we can follow the “Simple Living, High thinking” idea. They also learned about the importance of not getting frustrated because there will always be challenges.

4. What were some of the lessons learned from Indira Didi and PA Nepal?

When asked about what some of the things they learned from this visit, the girls mentioned the following:

• Indira Didi’s life story and her experience
• How to use opportunity – don’t let it go to waste
• To do good Social Work, you do not need a big title in any organization
• We have to invest in children. They are the future
• If we have dedication, we can achieve anything.

Ashmita Mangrati and Manisha Tamang said that Indira Didi motivated them to build a good future and about self-reliance. Indira Didi’s story, her great works, and her friendliness with the scholars really inspired all of us.

We felt so happy to hear that the girls had taken so much from that field trip. We were also very proud of how they shared so many things with the group. We had some of the girls present their reflection in front of the group, and we were so proud of how well they all did.

We love each and every one of our Didi programs, but being able to celebrate the graduation of so many scholars and to have this wonderful reflection session made this even more special for us. The Didis who ran this program, Pramil and Pooja conducted it so well, and we are thankful to have them and all of our other Didis who inspire and support the girls every day. We would also like to thank Indira Didi and PA Nepal again for this wonderful opportunity for Rukmini Scholars.

Usha