Nepal Abroad!
Hello! Thank you for taking your time to read our fundraising request. We are four college students from the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. We are raising money for our educational trip to Nepal. We will travel to Nepal during our winter break. However, we will depart on December 20, 2019. Our goal for this trip is to learn about Nepal as it relates to each of our majors.
Two of us are majoring in Laboratory Science Technology. Our goals are to research air and water pollution in Nepal and its affect on people’s lives. One of us is majoring in Information and Computing Studies and would like to see the development of new technologies such as robotics, computer vision, and bioinformatics in Nepal as compared to the United States and the potential use and benefit of these technologies in not only Nepal but other developing countries. Lastly, one is majoring in Visual Communication Studies and focus on history and art. We will visiting museums to learn about Nepali history and art. We are eager to take part in this journey and share our experiences with the world!
Kathmandu is the capital city and has the largest Himalayan state in Asia. According to environmental studies, air pollution is the biggest environmental health risk for the country, particularly for Kathmandu where the rapid population growth makes the situation worse. Scientists in Nepal are still struggling to identify the sources of harmful air pollutants. Also, we want to learn about water quality. The water quality creates a lot of risks for Nepalese communities. According to studies, about eighty percent of the total population have access to drinking water. At the same time, poor and excluded groups in rural areas have limited to no access to clean drinking water. Most of the surface water is polluted by industry and domestic waste. However, the second largest freshwater lake in Pokhara called “Phewa Lake,” located in the south of Pokhara Valley, is the only healthy water in the area.
In addition to the research-related activities related above, we want to take part in other activities that are personally important to us. As college students, we have a personal interest in education systems for deaf children in other countries. We will visit different schools to meet children with disabilities and will learn about their education system. Governments in these developing countries often fail to make the school environment accessible for children with disabilities. We want to see what, if anything, is being done to provide physical access, communication access, and curricular access to meet the different learning needs of children with disabilities, particularly those who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing. Also, we will visit the National Federal Disabled of Nepal, a program for all people with disabilities—to focus on employment, citizen rights, and access to the education system.
Lastly, we want to see and learn more about the history, art, and religion of Nepal. Particularly, we will visit the Buddhist pilgrimage site in the Rupandehi District of Nepal at Lumbini. It is well-known for having the largest number of temples, monuments, museums, and monasteries. It shows so many works of art from famous artists during the war. Also, religion is an important part of life in Nepal. Nepal occupies a special place in both Hindu and Buddhist traditions and it is a great place to visit to learn about their religious beliefs and cultures.
Our trip will cost about $10,000 in total. Each of us would need estimate $2000 to cover our food, hotel, and transportation expenses. The goal is not to make the tour free but we do need your help. Your gift will provide college students with world travel, cultural exchange, and lessons in life that will be sealed by the trip. We will have an unforgettable time. We hope this trip will inspire a lifetime love of travel at the very least and more importantly, the lessons we learn will last a lifetime, and carry us into our careers. Your generosity will make a lasting difference in our lives! Thank you in advance for your consideration.
