I can’t believe it’s here.  In just over one week (next Monday night), we’ll be stepping on Continental Flight 85 (non-stop!) from Newark, New Jersey to Delhi, the first leg on our journey to meet the people of Tikapur and Nepalganj over a two-week period.

Google shows you where we’ll be (try calculating driving directions for this trip!)

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Last week, while driving through Boulder, Colorado, the song “See The World” by Gomez found its way onto our rental car’s satellite radio.  The essence of that moment could not have been captured better.

With so little time, we urge you to accept the Moo Challenge.  However, I can’t overstate how encouraging each and every one of you have been.  Your support has been overwhelming and awesome!  While Jasmine and I are making the physical journey, the mission is really a consequence of every one of us banding together in support and solidarity.

To keep the momentum alive, we’ll be providing daily postings right up to departure day… stay tuned.  And, as conditions permit, we’ll be live-blogging during the journey, using Jasmine’s new smartphone.

Those of you who attended our Benefit Event last weekend (thanks a million, by the way!) may have heard us speaking about the “Moo Challenge.”

It’s a simple as this.  We’re going to use the next week to secure as many “moos” (water buffaloes) for the people of Nepal as we can. For each $250 donation (or two $125 “half-moo” donations), we can provide one more “moo” to a family.  This animal provides enough milk for four families.  Each family that receives a moo can nourish itself and also sell surplus milk to other families, providing a sustainiable microloan.  In short, it’s a win-win situation.

In addition to working on a banana plantation, providing these water buffaloes is a way to provide immediate economic benefits to some of the world’s poorest residents.  Sustainable, natural resources provide a means of participation in the economy, leading to empowerment and dignity.  It’s gain for all of us.

Please consider taking part in the challenge this week.  It’s our final week before we head out.  Already, several remarkable individuals have risen to the Moo Challenge.  To maintain privacy, we won’t publish names, but to those who have already stepped up, we salute and thank you!

You can give a moo (or whatever you’re comfortable giving) right now at our donations page.  Peace!

Those of you who have heard me ramble about our upcoming trip have undoubtedly heard an earful about the technology portion of what we’ll be doing.  I can’t hide it – I’m pretty excited!

We’ll be bringing at least two or three older laptops with us, loaded with software suitable for training and educating young children from ages 5 – 10.  The primary purpose of this effort is to 1) get technology into the hands of people who otherwise may never see it, and 2) use the technology to teach more efficiently and effectively than we otherwise could.

To that end, we’ll also be training the teachers.  Part of this exercise will involve building a primitive weather station outside the Grace School that can measure temperature, rainfall, and humidity.  We’ll then create a spreadsheet that teachers can use to update the daily minimum temp, maximum temp, and other weather “vitals” – the goal of which is to provide a tangible and practical use of information technology.  Charts and graphs of weather stats can then be created and used to demonstrate the value of storing all those bits and bytes.  ”Let’s look at the trend.”  It’s uncertain if the next Al Roker will emerge from Tikapur, but we certainly will be organizing information!

On the topic of computer software: we can most certainly use any modern (meaning, post Windows 95/98 era) software with educational or entertainment value.  My plan is to create a very basic software image consisting of open-source tools combined with commercially-available games/educational titles that can be used interchangably on machines of varying power and speed.

How can you make a difference?  Most certainly, if you have 

• a Windows-based laptop with power supply (a good battery isn’t a must, but the power supply is.)
• educational software (think Encarta, BodyWorks, learning games suitable for grades preK – 3)
• technology teaching ideas

we can use them most certainly right now, right away.

That old laptop you have in your home office or in the attic (yeah, that one) that runs Windows 2000 or XP, that was good back in the day but just wasn’t fast enough for the newest PowerPoint, could be used immediately in Nepal.  I’ll bring over as many as I can pack.

Please… drop me a line if you have any ideas or donations.  We’ll make good use of them.

We just talked to Yasser and he’s extending the menu on Sunday to include dinner food as well! There will be a buffet table set up with salad, falafel, chicken kabob with rice, swordfish, chicken wings and fries! Yasser’s Middle Eastern delights won’t dissapoint. And if that isn’t enough, you can order any breakfast items off the menu you want!

You won’t want to miss the benefit event at Soundbites. We’ll have live entertainment thanks to Ksenia Mack and some of her Porch Party Mama friends. And the full bar (beverages from bar sold separately) will be open, and Yasser will personally be your bartender!

Tickets are still available on our website!

Planning the benefit event has been incredibly exciting! In addition to legendary food, members of the Noronha family will be joining us to speak about the ten-year history of Nepal ministry efforts.

We’re also pleased to announce that local musician Ksenia Mack will be performing. Ksenia is a very talented singer/songwriter with classical training and whose style is influenced by many legendary talents, such as Lucinda Williams, Patty Griffith, and many others. A resident of West Medford, she also offers very reasonable guitar lessons to students of all ages and levels.

More to follow on entertainment. Until then, we wanted to share our poster with you. Print one out, put it up! Thanks for all your support!

SoundBites - May 10 - 5 pm - Be There!

Gateway to Nepal T-shirts designed by Tara Peterson are on sale now for $15 through our website and can be purchased at our benefit event on May 10 at Sound Bites. Shirts can be hand-delivered to you either at Gateway, Tufts, Yoga in Me studio or at our benefit event. If you are outside our local area, they can also be shipped to your home for an additional $5 shipping and handling fee. Shirts are available in unisex sizes L and XL.

You can purchase a shirt here.

We’re excited to announce our Benefit Event for Gateway to Nepal, planned for Sunday, May 10th, 2009.

Last week we went to visit our friend Yasser Mirza, owner of Sound Bites in Somerville, MA. If you haven’t yet enjoyed breakfast there, we suggest you visit him soon! The legendary breakfasts and coffee were a staple of Jasmine’s grad school career at Tufts, most certainly a place where she could swap “war stories” with her friends in the program. For me, a bottomless cup of great coffee was love at first sight. We’ve made a special effort to bring as many of our out-of-town guests to meet Yasser as possible.

Over the years, Yasser has developed an extremely loyal following at Sound Bites. Long lines of hungry patrons waiting to be seated are a common sight on Broadway on the weekends. His breakfasts are known for consistent quality – not surprising as he is a trained engineer from Damascus.  In 2007 he moved from his original location adjacent to Victor’s Deli to a more spacious venue – the former “El Guapo” Mexican restaurant. He has truly been a positive influence on the Ball Square neighborhood, anchoring and mentoring several other small businesses that adorn the block. I could go on, but I’ll stop here for now!

We’ll be posting more details as they become firm, but here’s what we know for now:

Gateway to Nepal Benefit

Who: You! This is a family event, all ages are invited!

When: Sunday, 5/10/2009, 5pm

Where: Sound Bites, 704 Broadway, Somerville MA 02144

Why:

• To promote awareness for the work of Gateway to Nepal
• To connect our work in Nepal with the local community in Greater Boston
• To dually provide support for the mission abroad and businesses and artists
• To share, connect, and have a fun evening!

Cost: The per-person cost in advance will be $20 ($25 at the door), which will include all-you-can-eat “brinner” (breakfast for dinner), including coffees (yes, you read that correctly!)  Beverages from the full bar will be sold separately. The best part: Half of all monies collected that evening will go directly to our Nepal efforts. Hard to beat!

Entertainment: We are working on securing local musicians to perform!  We’re very excited; more on this as the details become firm. We also plan on providing some more information about our work.

Did I mention that the food is awesome?  And how can you beat breakfast for dinner?

You can purchase tickets in advance from our donations page. Not only can you save $5, but advance purchases will be very helpful in allowing us to plan ahead for the numbers.