Children from remote areas find Kathmandu dazzling, but sight of unclean rivers saddens them

By A Staff Reporter, Kathmandu, Jan. 3: Prakash Bahadur Bishwokarma from Kalikot arrived in Kathmandu for the first time in the last week of December. A ninth grader, he was amazed seeing the tall building in Kathmandu which are equal to Kalikot hills.

Sixteen students from Karnali Province and Madhes Provinces were with Bishwakarma to tour Kathmandu under an educational tour organised by Save the Children.

Those children were visiting the capital city for the first time. They observed a few important places.

All school children including Bishwokarma who arrived in Kathmandu from remote Karnali for the first time were fascinated by the development of infrastructure of the Kathmandu valley.

After observing some important places of the Valley, they thought that their villages could be the peace of heaven if their villages have such facilities. "We have a clean environment but residents are compelled to face difficult life in lack of development," Pratima Rokaya of Jajarkot said.

During the visit, Rokaya saw a well-equipped hospital in Kathmandu and she remembered that the health center of Jajarkot couldn't make available even two pills of cetamol in need. Many women are compelled to lose their life during delivery in lack of well health facilities, she said. According to Rokaya, there is a big difference between the service facilities of Kathmandu and of Karnali.

Tenth grader Dilkumari Pun Magar of Dailekh said she became very happy when she got a chance to visit government agencies and cultural heritages in Kathmandu which they only saw in their textbooks.

Children not only have a positive feeling about the capital city, Kathmandu. All visitors of the group thought of sewage when they saw Bagmati River. But after they knew the reality, they became very sad because they learned in their textbooks that now Bagmati has become clean after the cleaning campaign.

Himani Avya from Janakpur said she thought that there would be pollution only in Janakpur, but a lot of air pollution and noise pollution were found in Kathmandu as well.

Though Kathmandu has a huge crowd the people, they don't take unnecessary concerns about other people, children shared their experiences.

Raj Kumari Sada of Siraha said in Madhes, villagers get concerned if any daughter goes outside of the home. But she is happy when seeing that girls here in Kathmandu are walking in the street till late at night.

During the exchange, programme children visited different administrative offices in Singhdurbar, Supreme Court, Parliament Building, Nepal Television, and cultural heritage site Basantapur, hospitals, schools, and others.

The organiser brought every child's parent with them for their safety. Parents who have crossed almost half of their life also arrived in Kathmandu for the first time. Therefore, the trip is more beneficial for their parents, Birendra Thapa, the project coordinator of Save the Children said.