March News

Forget Me Not General Meeting

Our next Forget Me Not General Meeting will be held on Sunday 10^th April at 4pm. It will be held at our regular meeting place which is the USQ building on Old Maryborough Rd.

At this meeting we will hear stories from the last Nepal trip and tie rakhi for the April visitors. We will also discuss the new child sponsorship options in detail, the progress of the Forget Me Not Love Project in Uganda, upcoming fundraisers, future visitors trips and of course watch a little DVD to bring the meeting to a close.

Committee News

Last month the Forget Me Not Administration Secretary Linda Keyworth resigned from her position due to moving to Brisbane. We thank her for her commitment to Forget Me Not over the past months and wish her the best for the future.

To fill this position, Kate van Doore stepped over from President to Administration Secretary. Craig Manley, a long-time supporter of Forget Me Not and a member of the Strategy Committee, has stepped into the role of President. Craig and Mel Manley have travelled to Nepal twice to visit with the children and are looking forward to travelling there again in April.

A new addition to the Forget Me Not Family

Forget Me Not Children’s Home congratulates Lars Olsen and Carla Thomas on the healthy birth of Saisha Souraya Olsen. She was born at 9.46pm on the 13^th March and weighed 9 pounds 3 ounces.

All the girls in Nepal have conveyed their excitement and well wishes and can’t wait for March 2012 when Saisha comes to visit them!

Feb 2011 RAWCS Building Trip

The Feb 2011 team arrived having more than achieved the goals that given to them to achieve.

Below is a write up from Hervey Bay man Lawrie Beacham and then some excerpts from Jason Walls Journal which should give you all some great insight into the trip.

Contending with biting spiders, rain, no formal toilets, cold water washes instead of showers, lack of machinery and the remote location they have been constructing stone walls as retainers on the roadway that travels through what will eventually be an eco-friendly, sustainable village which will support 60 children and employ 10-15 local Nepali staff.

Six of the volunteers were from Hervey Bay, Qld and 2 from Mooroolbark, Vic. All the digging and preparation was by hand including the mixing of the sand and cement and breaking and placement of the large rocks that were trucked 6 ton at a time from a quarry 15 kilometres away.

With assistance from 2 Nepalese stone masons (known as mysteries) and 2 labourers they were able to complete one wall 14 metres in length and 2.5 metres high beginning with an underground foundation of 1.2 metres wide and tapering to 600mm at the top and 22 metres of a 74 metre wall in the first 7 days. They completed 855 hours of hard labour even with some downtime caused by sickness and fatigue. Locals will complete the job within the next few weeks and by then 240 tonne of rocks and 96 tons of river sand will have been used in the 114 metres of wall and 132 metres of drain construction.

Rain and cold along with tents not quite suitable for the job at hand slowed their efforts but they took advantage of the “down time” to spend some enthralling hours visiting the 21 girls at the Forget Me Not Children’s Home in Kathmandu itself. Dubbed the “hHouse of Love” by the volunteers they were totally immersed in the aura of the girls and staff and enjoyed many hours of laughter, dancing and food preparation.

Excerpt from Jason Walls Feb 2011 Journal 

So, I returned myself to my seat, I fastened my seat belt, I returned my seat to the upright position, I secured my tray table......... and thought......... I’m ready........ HAAAAA

The second descent into Kathmandu was just as impressive as the first, the thick layer of what some may call Fog.... was just as thick. It’s in fact a Hybrid of Fog, and Pollution..... Dusty and thick and just lies there.... and its revolting.... You can’t see through it.... You just hope the pilots can. The mountains around the valley of Kathmandu well I was going to say they don’t change... but three weeks or so into the trip I learnt .... They Do.... Every angle you look at them, every angle of the sun or shade they have the ability to give you a different perspective.

Its Infectious.........The smiles, the laughs and ..... The cuddles.... Open arms they come to the gates and welcome the new comers, I , well I stood back a little.... I stand back to try and confirm in my heart and mind what I have been thinking over the days, weeks and even year since last here. I felt an enormous welcome and acceptance the first time, but the next day when I came back..... It was like....... “Your back, You do love us, we didn’t scare you away, you wont leave us” all in one jackerbox type outpouring of welcoming love.....

I’m six foot, I weight 140kg, I rowed surf boats for five years, I played rugby Union- League, soccer for many years and well..... all I can say is that these girls have the ability to melt my heart and turn me into a blubbering mess.... and they have done so in the past.... to see them so happy and content and so interested in a new bunch of FMNers ... well.... its so close to happening again...

We have a Mo Mo party, a trip to the land and an evening meal planned over the next two weeks or so..... It just doesn’t seem to be enough for me.... I just enjoy the company, the chitter and the chatter, the laughing and the dancing, the eternal questioning and the never ending requests for hugs and dancing and wondering of hand in hand with a different kid each time to get a little “them Time”. They have the ability to almost take it in turns, like there is an unwritten roster that we visitors are oblivious too.... This... Folks , this is where the individual personalities really come out I think.... You get the time to really see and hear their own individual minds working, ticking over, the inquisitive looks deep within their eyes, the questions turning from thoughts to words, the questions that have the ability to strip away all boundaries and leave you open and unable to hide from anything, questions that you ask yourself late at night, or in a quiet time of your own reflections..... Questions that you would probably blush at or even cringe at when asked by an innocent child at home and may be even a slight chastise of the child to suggest that they not be so...... Intrusive when talking to an adult...... but...... but with these kids.... you cant do that, you have to answer, you have to be honest and face up too their questioning..... these kids cant be stopped, they cant be halted in their tracks..... They are open, honest and giving in themselves, how can you be nothing but equal with them back...... ?

About the building experience

We survived and well, then we headed for the hills the next day...... Rani pauwur..... yes I know that is spelt incorrectly...... (Sorry Lars) We headed for the hills and this is when the “Work Started” this is where the Haa, ‘I was not really prepared for “ in this trip comes in.... I am sure we all thought it was going to be hard...... But when Old “Last Minute Lars Change The Goal Post Olsen” is involved..... well...... You’ve gotta know you’re in for an adventure.....

We surveyed the surroundings, we had but minutes to let our feet hit the ground, and then we were into it.... we hit the land and then....... well, the land hit back...... Dooonga.... Yeah misspelt again, but its rough translation is Rocks..... Earth, Rocks, Cement, and well more.... more of all of it.... Earth Rocks and bags and Bags of cement..... We had trenches to dig, we had rocks to move and then cement by the tray load.... yeah, tray load.... Little incy, wincy, tincy, freakin trays, and heaps of the flippin things... we were back in the dark ages... Well at least that was my first impression.... Where’s the diesel digger? Where’s the bulldozer, Hell where are the bloody wheel barrows at least...? And give me a shovel that has a handle please...... (Ok Ok) at this point I will explain that we were situated on land that was most suited to goats, terraced on the side of a hill, the terrain is rough, the dirt road goes straight through the property, the water is syphoned from a spring just outta town, we employed a lady to do nothing but kart water all day.... The land was rocky, and rough and hard to dig. And wow did we dig, a trench big enough for me to ride my motor bike down and easily get buried in, we dug and dug and it felt just like we kept diggin and when we thought we had got it right, we had Old Komatzu come along and rip another few feet out and so we dug some more...... At some point we heard that there was no more digging required..... well you could hear the bones and hands and backs and arms moan with joy..... joy, elation and exhaustion.... so what was next..... DOONga.... Rocks, breaking rocks, moving rocks, stacking rocks, sorting rocks, lifting and heaving rocks..... Yeah...... Where’s the shovel......??

APRIL 2011 VISITORS TRIP

On April 18^th , ten lucky people will be flying out to visit the Forget Me Not Girls during their end of school year break. Included are Gunilla Myren and Phil Wheeler of Hervey Bay who were the winners of the Major Vocal Auction Prize at the 2010 Forget Me Not Ball which included an all-expenses paid trip to Forget Me Not Children’s Home for two people during 2011. This trip will be led by Management Committee members Andrea Nave and Kate van Doore, along with Craig and Mel Manley.

We wish the visitors the best of luck and look forward to hearing their stories and seeing pictures upon their return.

NEWS FROM NEPAL

The February trip to Nepal was one the girls will remember for a long time. There were three birthdays held during the 20 days that the team was there. Steve Styles was the first, then Sneha’s, and finally Matt Walters. There was dancing and momos and laughing and cuddles! It was, as it always is a trip filled with an abundance of love!

The girls then had to settle back into getting prepared for their end of year exams. Over the month of March into the beginning of April the girls have been preparing hard for the final two week block of exams that starts this Monday. Best of luck to all our girls!

Two weeks ago the girls also celebrated the Festival of Holi, which is a day filled with celebration and colour.

UGANDA

This year has seen some wonderful changes for the children of FMNCH Uganda thanks to the generosity of Forget Me Not friends and supporters over recent months.

The children returned to school in early January, proudly sporting their first school uniform, school shoes and very own school bag complete with writing paper, pens and pencils.

Five of the older children (Priscilla, Hannah, Julius, Lydia and Steven) have begun attending boarding school - a long awaited opportunity that now enables them to better focus on their exam studies.

Much needed mosquito nets, mattresses, bed linen and blankets were also provided in February along with essential items for the home.

Uplifting song and dance is increasingly becoming a big part of the children’s lives in the home, providing both a creative outlet and a healing experience. February has also seen the provision of a keyboard and two traditional African drums to help nurture this budding talent. Look out for footage of the children singing and dancing - coming to the new look FMNCH website soon…

A large water tank is due to be installed within the coming month to prevent the children having to walk long distances in the evening to fetch water – a very basic but important development on the road to improving the children’s health and quality of life.

Other exciting news includes the launch of Wild Beauty - an import project instigated by Nicole Wood, also now on the newly formed FMNCH Uganda Committee. Inspired by her recent trip to Africa, Nicole has set up an initiative to promote the sale of beautiful African items and accessories, sourced directly from artisans during her travels. In supporting this project you will be helping both the children of FMNCH Uganda and vulnerable communities and widowed women in Uganda, Tanzania and Peru who have hand crafted each unique piece with love. All proceeds from the sale of Wild Beauty products go to the Forget Me Not Children’s Home Ugandan Project. For more information contact Nicole on 0410 474 460

FUNDRAISING NEWS!

Time to get fundraising!!!

Our first fundraiser for the year will be the Judy Luggs Forget Me Not Tombola which will be held on Sunday 15^th May 2011 at the Hervey Bay RSL. Once again there will be over 400 prizes, raffles and lucky door prizes. Put the date in your calendar and bring a friend!

A BIG thankyou to Mick Larkin of Hervey Bay for raising money for FMNCH on his 50^th Birthday celebrations.

Also another thankyou to a Sydney couple Jamie Sharkey and Sally Miskella who are currently raising money for Forget Me Not through their ‘My Cause’ page http://www.mycause.com.au/mycause/raise_money/fundraise.php?id=18067. Their goal is to raise $5000. Currently their total is up to $3130

Jump on their page and follow them through their journey. Their story is as follows.

Sally and I both love trekking and did our first trek together in Nepal in 2009. A beautiful country, with beautiful people and Nepal will always be a special place for us. During that trip to Nepal and also in many other places we have travelled in the world, we have seen or heard about orphaned children. Of how little money it takes to give them the basics that we in Australia take for granted. We have the opportunity to travel and enjoy what life can offer, without even having to think about these basic things. Our desire is to try and give others this same chance.

We have been hard in training and our goal is Mt.Aconcagua February 2011. Mt.Aconcagua in Argentina, standing 6962m above sea level, is the highest point outside of Asia and the second highest of the "7 Summits" after Mt.Everest. It is the highest mountain in the Southern hemisphere. It'll be a huge challenge for us both physically and mentally, but it will be easier knowing every step is helping children to enjoy a better life, with more opportunity for their future. Please join us on our adventure, chip in as we chip away at almost 7000m.

Sausage sizzles are still taking place thanks to Re-Use and Recycle who kindly donate their premises. Currently they run every fortnight and usually bring in $400 - $500 in one day. Thanks to those people that donated their time to hone their sausage flipping techniques! We are hoping to run these sausage sizzles more frequently but currently we are short on volunteers. If anybody wishes to volunteer to help out with a sausage sizzle your time would be greatly appreciated. Please contact George Olsen (sausage sizzle coordinator) on 0741254662 for more details.

New Child Sponsorship Options!

As of April 1^st 2011 there will be more child sponsorship options available. Email the Forget Me Not Sponsorship Chair Andrea Nave on andreanave@forgetmenot.org.au to find out more info.

Kingfisher Bay Resort Charity Ball proudly supporting Forget Me Not Children’s Home

Forget Me Not Children’s Home is very pleased to be the recipient of the inaugural Kingfisher Bay Resort Charity Ball. The Charity Ball is set for Saturday June 4^th 2011. Please contact events@kingfisherbay.com for information on tickets. We are on the search for silent and vocal auction prizes for this event. If you have any great items or know of anybody who would be willing to donate some, please let us know!

Nepal Volunteers and Visitors Trips November 2011

If you are interested in coming along on the November 2011 Forget Me Not Volunteers or Visitors trip, please contact us on enquiries@forgetmenot.org.au for more information. The Volunteers Trip will be focussing on construction of the Forget Me Not Eco Village, whilst the Visitors Trip will be visiting the Children’s Home.

Ugandan Visitors Trip 2011

The inaugural Forget Me Not Children’s Home Love Project Visitor’s Trip will also be happening in November 2011. Once again, if you are interested in joining this trip to Uganda, please contact us on enquiries@forgetmenot.org.au for more information.

Nepal-Uganda Extravaganza Trip 2011

If you simply can’t decide and wish to travel to both Nepal and Uganda, then our Nepal-Uganda Extravaganza is for you! Three weeks; two countries; Sixty children = unforgettable! Please contact us on enquiries@forgetmenot.org.au for more information.