Daly Systems goes east
November 2005

This summer, due to the charitable support of businesses in Leicester and Nottingham, I was able to spend an unforgettable 2 months volunteering as an English teacher at a monastery in Kathmandu. Daly Systems Limited of Leicester helped with a donation towards my living expenses, vital in making my trip reality.

Nepal 's ongoing conflict between the Maoists and the King has circumvented the resources needed to address other areas of serious failing, such as in education.

Although there is an abundance of schools, many of them half-built when the money ran out, the shortage of steady teachers is a problem and often children are too poor to attend, instead devoting their days to surviving in extreme poverty. In spite of the conflict, the Nepali people were good-humoured, kind and generous, and festivals and parties gave cause to celebrate every few days.

I got a lot from the challenge of teaching English, although I have to admit I must have had it easy in a classroom of obedient monks who want to learn. By the end of my 2-month placement they had practiced so much that even those who'd started from scratch could confidently hold a basic English conversation. The voluntary work was incredibly rewarding and my experiences of the richness of Nepali life and diversity of culture will stand me in good stead to write my dissertation on Nepal's political situation this winter. I'm sincerely grateful to all those who were so charitable in making this possible, so once again, thanks to Dalys Systems Ltd of Leicester for all of their much needed and greatly appreciated support.

Tirion Davies with some of her class.