Sisters charity changes lives in Nepal

Though Ten Friends co-founder Rand Runco has been in Nepal for just one month, he has made much progress toward achieving the Sisters-based non-profit's goals.

Runco has taken a two month leave of absence from his teaching post at Sisters High School, and has high hopes for his trip.

So far, his main focus has been establishing and solidifying the Himalayan Teacher Training Center (HTTC). The program's emphasis is on producing teachers from Nepalese mountain areas that will someday return to their region as teachers. At this time, the HTTC has 14 residents, two leaders who are currently finishing their Bachelor degrees, and 12 young women, ages 17-22, in teacher training.

"This is an amazing achievement, considering that, culturally, women have very few opportunities to have an education," Runco said. "The literacy rate for women in Nepal is low-to-non-existent, less than 2 percent in some mountainous, rural regions. Watching the pride that the girls have in their education makes me realize the truth in the need to educate women. I really believe that assisting this program will have an everlasting effect much larger than the individual girls' education."

In addition to getting the program established, "we have also been looking at the structure of the program and how we can improve it. The girls live with just the essentials. They have one knife, a small kerosene stove, one pot and so on - all for 14 girls. We have been adding a few items and they are so excited. I cannot express their gratitude toward the donors that are helping them with this opportunity."

Another one of Runco's objectives is to visit the Hopeful Home Orphanage, an ongoing Ten Friends project providing safe and secure living conditions for the forty abandoned or orphaned children at the home. "We have about 100 locations where we have given some assistance to children in need," said Runco.

The house for the Hopeful Home children was purchased last summer with help from Ten Friends. Runco is making sure they have the essentials in their new home. Their well needs to be deeper to get clean water; that's on Runco's to do list for the orphanage.

Installing water filters has been a Ten Friends project from the very beginning and during his latest visit to Nepal, Runco is "doing a little filter trading and putting in at least 20 new filters. A widow's home and school for physically handicapped are new programs we will be helping with water supply. Water is a constant issue. When we twist the faucet at home in the U.S. we are in one of the few places that can do this and expect to receive fresh, potable drinking water."

Nepal truly is a different scene from the Western world. Currently Runco is in Khandbari in Eastern Nepal.

"There has only been a road here for five years. Villagers from all over the region come here to trade and sell at the Saturday Market. There are two banks, both guarded by a guy with a double-barrelled shotgun, and about 40 shops selling the same things. It is a complete contrast of early 1900 and 2009," Runco said.

Runco describes Nepal as similar to "the scene from Butch Cassidy where they arrive in Bolivia."

Even the simplest of necessities cannot be taken for granted, Runco said. Because of low rainfall, which is depended upon for hydroelectric power, the government is engaging in a practice called "power shedding," which boils down to rotating power among different customers.

In Kathmandu, Runco said, "the power is out and everything is dark for 16 hours of the day. It is on for four hours during the day and from 2 a.m. to about 6 a.m. The news says it will be shut off for 18 hours, then 22. Its effect is dramatic on heating, business, refrigeration and all other aspects of a city which even in the best of times has a minimally functioning infrastructure."

Ten Friends' projects are affected by the power shedding, as the water filters the organization installs are powered by electricity, so they must be run whenever the power is on, which is sometimes the middle of the night.

In spite of the very poor conditions in Nepal, Ten Friends continues to have a positive impact. Ten Friends will return to Nepal this summer with interns from Sisters High School to immerse those students in Ten Friends projects and the culture and beauty of Nepal. To view Runco's letters from Nepal, visit http://www.tenfriends.org.