BY AUSTIN LYNCH
It is a long, long way from Nepal to Ireland - halfway across the world to be exact. Yet this is the precise journey that one woman has made, on her own, to further her career
For the past four months, Nepalese woman Bina Silwal has been in Ireland completing a course that would take her several years to complete at home. Bina, who comes from the city of Pokhara in Nepal, has been staying with a friend in Fermanagh while she has been following a course in Omagh.
A Social Worker by profession, Bina came here to undertake a course in Cognitive Therapy which she took at the Northern Ireland Centre for Trauma and Transformation in Omagh.
Were she to do this course at home, it would take her about five years. But, by coming here, she is able to complete the course in just four months.
In Nepal, Bina works with young people, their parents and policy makers. She works with people who are disadvantaged due to class, gender, political conflict and even leprosy which, she explained, is still a problem in parts of her country.
"All these people are excluded from our society these reasons" says Bina who goes on to explain that most of her work is with people in remote areas of Nepal, which requires a lot of travelling.
"Sometimes we would have to walk up to seven hours a day to get to some remote villages, and sometimes more."
The problem is that many parts of Nepal have either no roads or very poor roads and so, even if there was transport available it isn't always possible to drive to these places. This leads to very irregular working hours, and Bina often finds herself working through the weekend because she is out in remote areas.
Speaking about how the course she is doing will make her work easier, Bina explains that mental health is not recognised as mental illness in Nepal.
"If you're perceived to be 'mad', people don't want to look at the possible causes of this. People do not recognise mental health as a social issue in Nepal. I am here to learn more about this."
Her course at the Northern Ireland Centre for Trauma and Transformation was designed exclusively for Irish people but, because Bina knows Michael Brown, he managed to secure her a place on the course, which she says has been 'excellent'.
During her brief time in Ireland, Bina has been staying with Michael Brown and family in Irvinestown and she is very grateful for their hospitality. They had not only shown her great kindness but have introduced her some of the beautiful Fermanagh countryside.
Bina, in fact, already knew Michael through some of the work as he is involved in work out in Nepal to where he is due to travel at the end of the month.
Michael's Media Workshop is based in the same building as the 'Women of the World' group in Enniskillen and this is how Bina met Maria, Anita and all the other women who, she says, have been very friendly, helpful and supportive of her during her Fermanagh stay.
While she is here, Bina is also trying to raise some money for blind girls and disabled children in Nepal; "S ome 10% of young people in Nepal have some form of disability", she explained. "£400 - £500 is enough for a course of university study while £200 - £300 is enough to fund High School study for a young person out there."
Although Bina is leaving on Friday, the girls in 'Women of the World' have promised her they will run a few fund-raising events for her after she has left. Anyone who would like to help the children and young people Bina works with, can contact her directly by e-mail (kopilanepal@yahoo.com).
Although Bina greatly enjoyed her time in Ireland, she said she was looking forward to getting home to her husband and two daughters in Pokhara - a city of about 200,000 inhabitants.
"Ireland is a nice and beautiful country, everyone is very welcoming and kind. In Nepal you can see the Himalayas and Mount Everest, but here you have the sea and lakes (Nepal is landlocked)."
