[1]At the start of 2023, we would like to wish you and your families good health, the fulfilment of your personal wishes and projects, and lots of fun and friendship. It’s hard to be optimistic in today’s roaring world, but we need to keep the energy we need to continue laying our little stones …
We are also sending you the greetings that Yadav sent from the villagers of Rapcha for all the members of ANUVAM.
– An event will be held in Burgundy on 4 April (Maison du Terroir in Genouilly).
Jean-Claude Raimbault and Elisabeth will be presenting the association in the company of ANUVAM’s “Burgundians”: Marc Bechet, Claudine and Bernard Simonet.
At the same time, a series of photos by Jean-Claude will be on display in the reception area of the Maison du Terroir, so that visitors can admire them and also order some.
– On 03 and 04 June, we will be meeting in Auvilliers-en-Gâtinais, in the Loiret region, at Evelyne Pichenot’s home, for the Annual General Meeting. Please reserve your dates!
– In autumn 2023, a group of around ten people will be leaving for Nepal.
The trip, led by Louis Laurent, will take place from 18 October to 08 November and will include a short stay in the village and a twelve-day trek to discover the local people, their way of life and the achievements of the association.
During a friendly evening with the villagers, photos and videos of the many moments shared during the various trips and stays will be shown. We’ll be choosing which documents to keep during the AGM, so please dig deep into your memories and share your nuggets!
A warm welcome to our new members, and we wish them a very pleasant trip and an excellent discovery of Nepal.
While we can be pleased about the positive effects of Nepal’s somewhat stabilised governance, the administrative organisation of the territory and the apparent desire to fight corruption, the corollary is the introduction of legal constraints that generate complications and financial costs: before being able to receive the funds, FEILSS had to bring itself up to date in terms of legal and accounting declarations. To do this, they had to enlist the services of a legal expert, and the formalities are not yet complete before they can transfer the funds to the FEILSS account, and then send the village the sums due.
This new regulation will entail a charge of around €900 a year in account-keeping costs and various declarations. We will have to take this into account in our future decisions.
That’s why we were delighted to learn that Vincent Peña and Sarah, his partner, spent the festive season in Nepal, partly in the village. Vincent was reunited with his fellow workers (rebuilding houses) and friends. There was a great deal of joy and emotion on both sides. He was able to monitor the earthquake-resistant reconstruction, to note the successes and shortcomings, and to provide technical advice on the maintenance of existing structures.
He was enthusiastic about the achievements of the Thulodhunga farm and the projects of several young people. In his opinion, the substantial improvement in Internet access is a major factor in the lives of the villagers, but the financial aspect remains a brake on the young people’s projects. During her first visit to the village, Sarah discovered the life of the villagers and the extreme poverty of some of the families. She was surprised to find the marks of so many years of collaboration with ANUVAM. They will be sharing their impressions with us at the Annual General Meeting at the beginning of June. We understand that the state is increasingly taking charge of local development.
Our support will certainly evolve in line with this reality. However, we will continue to be attentive to the proposals for direction, the choices and the expression of the needs of the villagers of Rapcha in the next emails from Yadav and Jase.We thank you for your presence within ANUVAM, some of you for many years, and we hope that new, young and dynamic members will join us.
Let’s be open to their fresh eyes!
On behalf of the executive committee, the president Gisèle Bonnet