AURA QUE is not just about the finished products; its about the fair trade producers and their families that I work directly with, the constant challenges working in Nepal, as well as all the people I meet on my travels....

14 March 2011

The recycled cardboard house that 11 yr old Alish built

Recycledhouse_blogfeb11

When I was last in Nepal, I was invited to lunch again by Kumar, one of the sample makers at the leather factory, at his family home on the weekend.  I have been before and blogged about how welcoming his wife and two children are also.

This time, Kumar's son, Alish had drawn a picture for me - its really good and now on my wall in the UK!  I had asked him about what he likes doing after school in his spare time and he told me how he liked to draw pictures and fly kites.  

I was pleased to find out that he loves to draw, make things and be creative - especially as this is not really developed and nurtured in the Nepalese government school education system.  The 11 year old showed me what he had made recently - a 'Nepali' house and an 'Indian' house, that he had made out of old boxes, cardboard and mobile phone charge cards.    He said that he had made it when he was bored from what he could find.  Its fantastic!

I found it refreshing to see Alish entertaining himself by making things from limited resources, including the kites that he flies by the river with his friends after school.  I know its a bit of a cliched comparison but it seems a lot more fun for a kid than in the UK where some kids seem to sit indoors playing computer games all day or watching TV on their own, and always want the latest gadgets.

So in preparation for my upcoming trip to Nepal, I am stocking up on sketching and painting materials for him, and I am looking forward to having a go at flying that kite!!

Kumar_blogfeb11

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