March 12th 2008, Child Haven School Opening

Driving north-east from Kathmandu, Nepal, the road deteriorates quickly in to a dusty, pot-holed lane. Our bus bumped and jarred its way along, trying hard to retain its suspension, dodging the meandering cows and people, the heavily-laden pushbikes and the yapping motorbikes. Just when the road appeared to give up and disappear in to a field, we arrived at the magnificent new red-brick and tiled building – the Green Tara Child Haven School.

On a gloriously warm sunny day, far from the white-banked roads of Ottawa, dignitaries took their seats on the canopied stage for the official opening of this new school. The children sat cross-legged, expectant and wide-eyed, waiting for their chance to sing and dance and entertain the audience of 350.

Speeches were kept to a minimum, perhaps as the speakers had been reminded that while everyone would benefit from hearing their words of wisdom they should remember that this was a day for the children who would get restless if speeches dragged. It seemed to work because after a relatively short amount of talking, the audience was entertained with a wonderful sequence of dances from different classes of children. Dressed in their finery, they performed beautifully choreographed traditional Nepali dances and comic routines and sang and played musical instruments. Occasionally stopping to smile and wave at a parent or teacher, they danced their tootsies off.

Conceived, designed and built by Child Haven International, the school offers education for children from nursery-age to Grade 8. If good architecture should inspire people, then this school with its white balustrades, elaborately carved porticos and turned wooden banisters should be a tremendous inspiration for generations of students.

After three years of golf tournaments and buy-a-brick campaigns, after sponsored haircuts and photography sales, after presentations and dinners, we were able to witness the opening of the new school. Former students and colleagues, friends from his Irish roots, family and expedition members all contributed. The Ottawa-community had been enormously generous in response to Sean’s death and it was a tribute to the amount of respect in which he was held.

In front of the school is the Sean Egan memorial garden with a hand-carved bust of Sean with his cheeky smile and his infectious good spirit that looks over the entrance. You can almost see him wink and hear him say, “Aim high and be the best you can be.”

Child Haven was established in 1985 by Ontario-based Bonnie and Fred Cappuccino and now operates eight homes in Nepal, India, Tibet and Bangladesh.

To see Bonnie Cappuccino in action is a wonder to behold. At an age when any self-respecting grand-mother spends time with her grandchildren before heading to an early bed with a hot chocolate, Bonnie spends six months a year travelling from home to home, driving the organization forward, spending time with her extended family and managing its affairs. This slight old lady, whose arms jingle and jangle with scores of colourful bracelets, lives a life of simplicity and humility. There are no airs or graces, no corporate jet or expense account, no fancy hotels – just a determination to make the world a better place.

Just across the valley from the new school is the Child Haven Home which cares for 125 children who have come from socially disadvantaged situations offering them 24 hour care, shelter, education, nutritious vegetarian meals, emotional and medical care. By opening the new school, Child Haven will be able to free up more space in the Home, allowing them to offer a refuge and a future to more local children. Fees at the school are kept low to serve the local community and 60% of the places are open to scholarship.

Perhaps uniquely, Child Haven does not try to proselytize or impose western values. The children are raised according to the highest ideals of their own culture and the homes are operated by qualified local managers and staff. They follow Gandhian principles of equality, simple living, non-violence and vegetarianism.

Inside the school is a brand new library, set up by two Canadian educators, Marion Sewell-Sneyd and Cathy Wilson, to encourage a lifelong love of reading and learning. The resources, in English and Nepali, are designed to reflect the local Nepali culture.

As the opening ceremonies progressed, barriers melted away, and the visitors and children relaxed and started to mingle. Before long, the children were pushing their heads inside the straps of digital cameras hanging round visitors’ necks, trying on sun-glasses and hats and giggling as they took each others’ pictures and examining the results.

It was difficult to leave the children at the end of the day and head back along the dusty lanes to Kathmandu. But it is inspiring to think that Child Haven, with the help of Ad Astra in memory of Sean Egan, is making a difference in the lives of so many young people.

We don’t all have the opportunity to affect massive change in the world, but we do have an obligation to help our fellow citizens and give them a start. Who knows? Perhaps the future leaders of Nepal and the world are being groomed in the Green Tara School?

Tim Redpath
Ad Astra

A hand-carved bust of Sean Egan now welcomes people as they arrive at the school

Child Haven’s Bonnie Cappuccino at the school opening, flanked by Seamas and Anna, Sean Egan’s children.

Thank you for helping us raise $150,000 for Child Haven to build a school in Kathmandu

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