Student Diaspora stories – New theme in my blog

This section covers the personal reflection and experiences of a student studying in European countries. The images will be posted after consent of the ones who is in the picture. The general images of the environment and surroundings may not need any ethical considerations to share it in the blog.

The general contents and outlines of this portal will be

#Culture Shock

#How it feels staying  in shared house

#Social life limited in facebook

#Friendship mostly through clubbings/ partying

#Academic experiences and pressures

#Deadlines is a harsh word through out the studies

#Being Nepali -and seeing other Nepali

 

Melting pots at SINK !!!!

This is an image of my flat at Lisbon, Portugal where i had more than 7 friends at 1 house. These are the dishes, pans all the used utensils lying there in the sink for more than 3 to 4 days. This reflects each individuals habits f maintaining cleanliness. Where some may want to wash the dishes instantly after he uses it, whereas other may not was it until it really stinks (the whole kitchen). However i survived.

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Neo liberilism and need of Critical social work

Social work is a profession which works for social change, social justice and human rights. The concept and practice of social work largely vary according to country and contexts. For example, social work in Nepal is mostly about voluntary work and helping people in relief works or emergency situations or from natural catastrophes. Moreover, the social work profession in Europe is the specialized profession which works human rights, social change and social justice.

However, the trend of social work is changing.  The same social work profession in initial 1990s and in the recent period is different. The resurgence of a 20th-century idea so -called Neoliberalism which strongly debates on the contemporary issues and needs of laissez fair and liberalization model. These process of neo-liberalization has significantly impacted social work.

Neoliberalism is a political ideology which aims to transform the welfare state and change social work by deregulation and corporate capital, which encourages privatization and marketization. Steve Rogowski, illustrates an example of neoliberalism in social work as reducing benefits to vulnerable, reducing social support. There was the case of welfare reform act 2012. These reductions have directly impacted the vulnerable people creating more inequalities in society making them more vulnerable.  The concept of neo liberalising in favour of trying to generate incentive of employment and abolishing welfare dependency has left the vulnerable people making them self -responsible and depend only on family, friends or charity. For example; food bank is an example of the recent impact of the emergence of this new ideology.

These process of liberalization has created a more authoritarian model which subjugates the social work profession demanding managerialism with bureaucracy. Social work practice is dominated by managers. They control social workers on what to do and how to do, also by controlling over resources and users.  This does not allow the social worker to maintain relational work.

These authoritarian stances are seen in social work with families, children particularly while safeguarding children. Social workers are forced into being a processor ot e-technicians which is inputting data on the computer.

Therefore there is significant need of critical and radical social workers to overthrow these  authoritarian, managerial and bureaucratic model of practising social work. Then only it would allow critical engagement with real issues that lies with the social injustices and growing inequality in the name of neo-liberalisation.

Summary of: https://policypress.wordpress.com/2013/03/13/neoliberalism-and-social-work-facing-the-challenges/

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Social entrepreneurship: Chepang Retail Shop updates

Chepang Kirana Pasal has been established in the centre area of Chepang community located at Chitwan District, Korak VDC-03 Jimling. The financial support for shop was provided by Kiran Sitoula and Pranaya Raj Acharya. The amount total received was 1,00,000 (1Lakh) initially. With the amount received one shop was constructed with rs. 75,000 (seventy-five thousand) and remaining 25,000 was used for the retail items.

The opening ceremony of retail shop was done on first of Jestha. The basic necessities like salt, oil, soyabean, beaten rice, noodles, biscuits, and chocolates are kept at shop. Total of rs.20,000 was spent for the items and rs.3500 was used for travelling and the charge of those items.

The turnover of the shop on the first month seems quiet impressive. The daily average sales turnover is rs.500. So this makes rs.15,000 per months. Mr. Motilal Chepang (father of Biswash Chepang) looks after the items to purchase from the nearest wholesale distributor and Bishnu Maya Chepang (Mother) looks after the selling of items to villagers.

The establishment of retail shop has benefitted the villagers in many ways. They do not have to walk for 7 hours to reach to bazzar and purchase twenty rupees salt. Now the daily basic necessities are easily available here. If the villagers had also gone to bazzar it would add more cost on feeding themselves while walking. So it has saved time and have been able to use it in productive sector like planting maize during this season. Though giving the items on credit has been controlled only few people have taken items on credit promising to pay it in 1 month’s time. Now its rainy season; the local bus completely rest for 5 months. So the items from retails shop will be highly demanded during this time.

 Shopkeeper Perspectives:

Shopkeepers are really happy to keep themselves busy in shop. They collect all the money earned in a day and counts before they go to sleep. Now its high time to attract customer during rainy season but they express that they have only limited stocks which may not even last for 1 months. By this month of opening we have earned rs.18,000. Its not a profit. It’s a turnover. They had also reinvested rs.8,000 as the stock had finished.

What they wished is to invest more on urea and fertilizers for this month as it is crop cultivation season. But they are lacking investment and the roadways have been blocked due to landslides and soil erosion.

Shopkeepers would also like to thank the sponsors who have contributed in establishing chepang retail shop. It would not have been possible to establish on their own. Frankly speaking it would have been a dream to establish retails shop as they will not have bulk sum of money.

 Villagers Perspective:

The local people are also happy to receive the basic necessities on their own locality. They are also happy to pay the amount that is tagged for each item. Because people understand that, the transportation cost has to be added too.  They have now saved time and extra money that they would have spent on going to bazzar. Villagers says that the items are not given on credit but they understands the problem as it is a recently established shop they have to get the investment back.

Biswash Chepangs Perspective: It has been a great pleasure to establish retail shop benefitting more than 1000 people directly or indirectly. The basic necessities are kept at retail shop. What we have thought is to add more indigenous items and sell it to the visitors. We will also be collecting the locally available products from the village and selling those to the markets who pays well-Kathmandu.

Payback Scheme: regarding the payback scheme, the MOU will be designed in this mid june and fewer portions of that amount will be kept in piggy bank or returned directly to the supporters. MOU designed will illustrate the total amount to be monthly paid according to the income earned from selling the items. I myself will be contributing rs.1000 monthly for paying back.