Tag Archives: STF360Nepal

STF in Nepal: Teaching the Kids to Create Films

Did we tell you the Kopila Kids are also budding filmmakers?

With school back in full swing, it was time for Britt and I to jump head-first into our role as teachers at Kopila Valley. Since we were going to be spending so much time filming the students and the school, we decided to switch gears and put the kids behind the camera for a documentary video workshop!

Armed with five donated Flipcams (thanks to Brittany’s family!), we kicked off two days of hands-on workshops with the 6th-, 7th-, and 8th-graders. First, we held a group discussion on the basics of a documentary, and the kinds of things the students would want to document. It was fascinating to learn about the subjects they were interested in — we talked about everything from their soccer team and their teachers to more serious topics like arranged marriages. We then ran a practice interview exercise to get them asking the right questions, a task that conjured some serious giggles but also some serious reporting right off the bat. Then it was time to split into groups and start producing films!

Each group decided on a topic they could tackle within the school’s gates, and after a quick course in Flipcam basics we sent them out of the classroom with a camera, a checklist, and one hour to make a movie!

The kids had a blast interviewing each other and the staff and volunteers and getting B-roll shots of their subjects. They set scenes, tracked down the teachers who were experts on their topics, asked tough questions, and continued to giggle a lot as they interviewed each other for the first time on camera.

After the hour was up, we collected the cameras. We couldn’t wait to see what the kids had come up with! With some quick editing by Britt and myself over the next few days, the films were ready for Kopila Valley’s first-ever documentary film screening!

Everyone laughed, applauded, and cheered on their classmates as we watched their videos together in the school’s computer lab. Already, the kids were ready to talk about what they learned and how they could improve for the next round. We hear whisperings that a Kopila Valley news team will be emerging in the very near future, and I personally can’t wait to see what they churn out next!

Want to see the results? Here are a few of our favorites – and trust me, it was pretty darn tough to choose!

And we even taught the boys, too! ;)

(Photos by the fantastic Brittany Brothers and Benjamin Heiber. Videos by the uber-talented Kopila Kids, of course.)

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STF in Nepal: Shopping for Kurta Surwals

Kopila Valley took a holiday from school on the day after Christmas to recover from their big Annual Day performance, so Britt and I took advantage of the break to see the town and experience Nepali culture. The girls were impressed that we wore traditional Nepali dress (kurta surwals) on Annual Day, so we thought it was time to get our own. With the help of Hima, one of the fantastic girls we sponsor, and some of the Kopila Fellows, we set off to the market to pick out some fabric.

We were overwhelmed by walls and walls of fabric choices, but Hima stepped in to translate and help us choose (and took over as photographer – she might have a career there!).

After we made our final picks, and found matching shawls, we went for the girls’ favorite snack – chaat, which is a mixture of potatoes, chickpeas, onion, tomatoes, and a heavenly array of spices. So. Good.

The next step was a trip to the tailor to get measured for our kurta surwals to be made.

A few days later, and the results are in! The girls are incredibly impressed. Even though my hair is a bit too blonde, they think we rock the Nepali fashion. I’ve also been taught the multiple ways to wear the shawl. I’m a bit of a scarf fiend in the U.S., but these were all new to me!

How do we look?!

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STF in Nepal: A School Day at Kopila Valley

After all the Christmas festivities — and a day of vacation for the students to recover from the big show (we went shopping with Hima; look for that post next!), we finally got to experience our first full school day in Nepal.

As soon as you step inside the gates of Kopila Valley, the world gets just a little bit happier (arguably, the kids and the baby chicks on the walk there help with the lead-up). The students and teachers alike couldn’t be more welcoming. I’m likely to start greeting people in my office with “Namaste” when I return to the States, guaranteed.

Each grade has their own homeroom, and the halls are plastered with artwork, stories, paper snowflakes – you name it. These kids are on top of their decorations. (Remember that Annual Day stage? They did that too.) The students definitely take ownership of their school, and are incredibly proud to show it off.

The classrooms surround the Kopila Valley Organic Garden — just another shining example of the kids’ accomplishments. The students are broken up into houses, Hogwarts-style, and each house has control of a plot of the garden. They compete against each other, with the help of their “Aunties” (the incredible women behind the scenes at KV, who help teach and raise the kids), to see who can produce the best crop. I can’t say I have enough of a green thumb to tell you who is winning, but the whole thing is pretty darn beautiful. The garden is a large provider of food for lunch at the school, and a great way for the students to learn about sustainability.

We caught some of the girls we sponsor in class, all smiles, of course. Here’s Jarana, who’s in Class 4:

And Sarita, also in Class 4:

And Parbati, a kindergartner. We know — we love her hair, too:

Finally, here’s Anusa, Class 2, seriously concentrating on her lesson:

The school bell rings at 4 p.m., but the students stay for hours afterward, playing sports and hanging out with their friends and the staff. Here’s Swastika (left), a kindergartner, playing musical chairs.

Soccer practice is always half giggles, half serious competition, with a heck of a lot of skill. Suscila, pictured here, is particularly great:

Around dusk, the Kopila kids finally head home. We’re a small amount of exhausted, but we can’t wait to be back for day two. We’re also teaching a video workshop with the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades this week — stay tuned to find out how it goes, and to see the films the kids make!

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Merry Christmas from Nepal!

This Christmas, Brittany Brothers (STF Videographer extraordinaire) and I (your trusty Penpal Coordinator) are spending the holidays in Surkhet, Nepal, with our fantastic partner school Kopila Valley.

Brittany and Brianne with Hima in front of the Kopila Valley School

Best Christmas Ever? That would be a bit of an understatement.

The kids at Kopila Valley celebrate and learn about holidays from all cultures and religions, but Christmas is clearly a school-wide favorite. And not only is December 25th a day for Christmas trees and carols about Santa Claus (they know all of them!), but it also marks the anniversary of the school’s founding and the much-anticipated Kopila Valley Annual Day Celebration!

A crowd gathers for the Annual Day celebration!

The Kopila Kids pulled out all the stops for their school’s third birthday, putting on a four-hour performance full of songs, dancing, drama – even a flashmob-style Black Eyed Peas number! These kids are crazy talented, and man, do they know how to put on a show. Check out the photos below for some stellar appearances by the girls we sponsor – we were blown away!

And then, for the most incredible Christmas surprise yet, the Kopila Kids found out they are getting their very own school bus!

*Note: This is not the actual bus.

After Annual Day, we headed back to the house for a Momo dinner party (a Nepali dumpling, and the kids’ all-time favorite food), and then gathered around the Christmas tree for what has to be the most wonderful and hilarious gift-opening sequence we have ever experienced. The kids each picked a name for their Secret Santa earlier in the week, and had a blast watching each other open the gifts they had gotten. Britt and I even got our very first Mango juice boxes!

Christmas in Nepal!

Talk about an incredible welcome to Nepal! Now we’re ready for a week of filming, teaching, and hanging out with the girls we sponsor. Stay tuned; there’s more to come!

(Photos courtesy of Brittany Brothers and Kopila Valley Fellow Benjamin Heiber)

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