Our NAGers, who travelled to Kalikot at the beginning of the summer, were well prepared for this exchange throughout the last school year in NAG. Nevertheless, they were all very excited and nervous before leaving. They suddenly realised how privileged and safe their life in NAG had been up to now, despite their difficult stories of origin. The five weeks in Kalikot were an incredibly new and great experience for the young people.

Not only was the environment new, the food was different, the people around them, the nature, the weather and the many insects. Nevertheless, all of our NAGers faced this task and returned to NAG with a backpack filled with many wonderful experiences.

The NAGers were accommodated in the ODA Foundation and everyone was given an assignment at the beginning, such as “You teach English”. Of course, things turned out differently and so our NAGers ended up teaching the students in Kalikot in all subjects. In Kalikot, the students also enjoyed dance, art and sports lessons, and our NAGers spontaneously conjured up lessons for the local children.

For some NAGers, the journey to work meant setting off at six in the morning and completing a 45-minute, relatively steep hike. This contributed to some of them returning to NAG very fit after five weeks.

To give you, dear readers, a better insight into the young people’s experiences, here are a few statements from NAGers about what they took away with them after the five weeks in Kalikot:

“My highlight is that I realized that it is the teacher who makes a difference and not the classroom.”

“In Nepal, the teachers are very focused on the book in class, nothing is creative, but very monotonous. I was able to do this differently with the children during my time in Kalikot.”

“In Kalikot, everyone has the big dream of going abroad to have a better life. I understand that and that’s why I think it’s all the more important that they receive a good education in order to protect themselves and perhaps see a future in Nepal.”

“I want to be an example for the students and not just a strict teacher. Teachers are not perfect, nobody is.”

Since not only our NAGers had a good time in Kalikot, but above all the teachers and students in Kalikot also benefitted from this project, the ODA Foundation and NAG have decided to continue the project. Manjita has already put together a plan. The new NAGers in the graduating class will begin their training in November and then travel to Kalikot and now also Dolpa in May 2025. In addition, four teachers from each school will come to NAG for a month to get to know the school in NAG and enjoy our teacher training. We are happy and excited to see what experiences the next group returns with. We wish Manjita and her team the best of luck and success!