Day 1 (not counting the 28 hours of travel) of DREDF’s Outbound Portion of the Empower Partnership sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and Mobility International USA.
While we were building the Ed Roberts Campus (ERC) in Berkeley, California we often said to funders that one of the important features of the building would be the ability for individuals with disabilities from around the world to leave their homes, arrive at San Francisco International Airport, access BART, and connect with some of the most outstanding disability rights and independent living organizations in the US. I lived that experience in reverse this week, catching BART in the basement of the ERC at 4:30 on November 21, and arriving about 28 hours later in Kathmandu, Nepal on November 23. As the plane descended into the Kathmandu Valley, we could see the incredibly majestic (though all I could think of at the time was “big”) Himalyan mountains. As expected, I was warmly greeted by DREDF’s Empower Partners, Nirmala Dhital of the Nepal Disabled Women Association (NDWA) and Rakshya Risal of Feminist Dalit Organization (FEDO). Nirmala and Rakshya welcomed me with a traditional necklace of beautiful bright orange marigolds.
After a nap and shower at the hotel in Lalitput we scootered to eat in Patan Durbar Square, a world heritage site, which is filled with temples dedicated to Krishna and other Hindu gods and goddesses. We entered the Bhimsen Temple (built in 1637), and strolled past stone water spouts where women filled large jugs with water to carry to their homes. Nirmala and Rakshya introduced me to delicious Nepali momo and warm mineral water. It was a lovely evening, perfect for recuperating from what seemed like a never-ending flight. Tomorrow, I head to NDWA’s offices.