Anyway, here's the email I sent today to the list of folks who'd expressed interest already in coming out to WN. Unfortunately internet issues in Nepal continue and all of my links (to the WN homepage, and to this blog) were stripped out when I received the email back. Eh, that's Nepal, but it's little things like the ease of access (being able to click rather than having to type wrenchnepal.com) that make a big difference in rather tenuous activities like recruitment.
Hello everyone!
This email goes out to everyone who's expressed interest in working with Wrench Nepal. We'd love to have you work in Kathmandu!
Wrench Nepal continues to teach bike repair to some of the most disadvantaged kids in the Kathmandu Valley, though our methods have changed a little from our founding--we currently parter with local, Nepali-run NGOs, which are our kids' primary social support. (More info about these changes at the Wrench Nepal blog.) One NGO rehabilitates former child laborers and girls who have been trafficked; the other provides schooling and opportunity for the children of the incarcerated, who (in true Dickensian fashion) would otherwise be in prison with their parents, despite committing no crime. For a variety of reasons, these kids are caught in a trap of poverty that we are trying to free them from.
You'll be arriving at a really exciting time for the shop--a time when we embark on uses for the basic bike repair skills that the kids have learned in the trainings I've taught. This can be in the old repair shop, might be making bike-machines a la Mayapedal, or something else--anything else--that you're excited about. Or even all three!
We're hoping to get at least one person out here as soon as possible, and at least two within the next two months. In addition, anyone who comes before September can stay at my apartment until then for free--bed and all. Yeah, it's a bribe, but we're not above that.
You should have:
- Working knowledge of basic bike mechanics
- Good communication and organizing skills
- Willingness to live in a foreign environment and work with people
from a very different culture
Wrench Nepal continues as an all-volunteer program ,but the cost of living is very low here, with rent in a comfortable place at times as little as $50 per month--my own rent is about $68, and about $74 with utilities, and I didn't look very hard. Volunteers can also pursue part-time paid work to support themselves while here.
If you'd like to come, please send a brief resume to me at mario@wrenchnepal.org. Make sure to highlight your experience working with bicycles and working in community organizing positions.
Thanks, and I hope to hear from you very soon!
Mario Bruzzone
Wrench Nepal
mario@wrenchnepal.org
I'm looking forward to class with RugMark on Friday!
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