Monday 5 October

We arrived in Bhaktapur this morning: an ancient, world heritage listed city comprising beautiful temples, the old King's palace, a Dhurbar Square made from bricks and intricate wood carvings and narrow streets lined with pashmina vendors. We are staying right in the middle of the heritage listed area and in fact our guest house is yet another restored traditional Nepalese house with low ceilings.

Our work this afternoon involved running clinics at the Bhaktapur Women's Refuge, a Bhaktapur Rotary Club sponsored project. Ben conducted TB prevention classes, Ali and Sue did HIV/AIDS prevention, Geri and David taught basic conversational English, Trevor and Damien taught dental hygiene and Kath conducted knitting classes for about 9 women. In all, we taught over 100 women throughout the day as they rotated into each of our classes. They made a special lunch for us which involved the ceremonial application of buffalo curd on our foreheads!

Kath's students excelled with making a woollen hat and we have discussed the possibility of helping the women start a small business so they can sell the hats locally or we may be able to assist them by selling them in Australia.

The women who go to the refuge are in desperate need of education. The refuge's philosophy is to start educating women in Nepal so that their children will receive a higher level of knowledge about health, hygiene and literacy.

Many of the women at the refuge have been raped or badly abused by their husbands or other men that they encounter during their work in carpet factories and on building sites. Women often wash cement or cut stone. Urmila, the Centre's President, told me that one of her women was killed by her husband last Christmas over a dowry dispute. He poured kerosene on her and set her alight.

The monthly rent at the Refuge is AU $100 / month. They are in need of assistance to continue to pay the rent and ensure these women continue their journey of education. Most of them are the first members of their families to hold a pen and write.

It was a successful day. We'll return tomorrow to the project for dinner and to watch a dance show the women have prepared for us.

Photos to follow, but the connection here is difficult.