In the News
Traverse City Record-Eagle
Traverse City, Michigan
6/18/2016
Sisters Promote Education in Nepal
BY STEPHANIE BRZEZINSKI sbrzezinski@record-eagle.com
TRAVERSE CITY — Diann Grimm, a retired speech and language therapy teacher, has traveled to Nepal seven times since she started the nonprofit Partners in Sustainable Learning in 2012 in California. She chose the country because she first worked with Volunteers Initiative Nepal in 2008 and decided they need a lot of help.
“I was thinking about what to do when I left my job, and things just kind of happened,” Diann said. “We’re always trying to get kids better education and help parents understand the importance of education.”
Diann’s work involved training preschool teachers, but her sister Janet Grimm, a former dental hygienist and Traverse City resident, had a different idea in mind.
“I really wanted her to have her own project,” Diann said. “So we came up with the idea of teaching kids. Janet came and did another facet that was really fun.”
Janet accompanied her sister to Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, in April. She prepared for the trip by asking family, friends, coworkers and a few area doctors to donate money and toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss, collecting enough items to make 500 dental kits.
Janet and a translator traveled to eight different schools where she distributed 460 dental kits. “I told the kids to brush their teeth every day and why they need teeth,” Janet said. “The teachers would listen and reinforce. They were excited too.”
She focused on the importance of dental hygiene for everyone in her presentations and demonstrations. “People have no idea, especially out in the countryside,” Janet said. “There’s no running water, no toilets and no electricity. Health education is nonexistent there.”
The spotty availability of water means that adults and children do not brush their teeth regularly, but when they do, it is often with sticks, Janet noted.
“Water is mainly used for drinking and cooking, so using it for tooth brushing would probably be considered a luxury,” Janet said. “They don’t eat a lot of sugar, so it’s more just neglect and gum disease.”
The crowded roads were perhaps the biggest challenge Janet faced during her 10-day stay, but she did not let that stop her. Janet remembered one trip when they parked the car and walked the 1.5 hours to a school and back because it was too dangerous to drive.
Overall, she said she valued the opportunity to teach Nepalese children about dental health, even if they just learned the basics. “We tried to do something,” Janet said.
Janet added that she often wonders what will happen to the children she met, especially in light of the damage that lingers from the April 2015 earthquake, which led many schools to create “temporary learning centers.”
Diann, who was there for the earthquake, explained that most of these were crowded bamboo structures that were at the mercy of the weather. The disaster also destroyed many homes, leading people to create transitional shelters.
“It is really a tragic situation,” she said. “The government has been very slow in getting assistance to people. They have limited resources there, and there’s a lot of rebuilding to be done.”
The sisters agreed that despite these daily challenges, the Nepalese were helpful and kind.
“They seem really happy with the little they have,” Janet said. “They’re always smiling and saying ‘Namaste.’”
Diann plans to revisit classrooms and help build earthquake-resistant schools when she returns to Nepal in November. Janet said she hopes she can continue promoting health education there.
For information about donating, visit www.partnersinsustainablelearning.org.
Traverse City, Michigan
6/18/2016
Sisters Promote Education in Nepal
BY STEPHANIE BRZEZINSKI sbrzezinski@record-eagle.com
TRAVERSE CITY — Diann Grimm, a retired speech and language therapy teacher, has traveled to Nepal seven times since she started the nonprofit Partners in Sustainable Learning in 2012 in California. She chose the country because she first worked with Volunteers Initiative Nepal in 2008 and decided they need a lot of help.
“I was thinking about what to do when I left my job, and things just kind of happened,” Diann said. “We’re always trying to get kids better education and help parents understand the importance of education.”
Diann’s work involved training preschool teachers, but her sister Janet Grimm, a former dental hygienist and Traverse City resident, had a different idea in mind.
“I really wanted her to have her own project,” Diann said. “So we came up with the idea of teaching kids. Janet came and did another facet that was really fun.”
Janet accompanied her sister to Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, in April. She prepared for the trip by asking family, friends, coworkers and a few area doctors to donate money and toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss, collecting enough items to make 500 dental kits.
Janet and a translator traveled to eight different schools where she distributed 460 dental kits. “I told the kids to brush their teeth every day and why they need teeth,” Janet said. “The teachers would listen and reinforce. They were excited too.”
She focused on the importance of dental hygiene for everyone in her presentations and demonstrations. “People have no idea, especially out in the countryside,” Janet said. “There’s no running water, no toilets and no electricity. Health education is nonexistent there.”
The spotty availability of water means that adults and children do not brush their teeth regularly, but when they do, it is often with sticks, Janet noted.
“Water is mainly used for drinking and cooking, so using it for tooth brushing would probably be considered a luxury,” Janet said. “They don’t eat a lot of sugar, so it’s more just neglect and gum disease.”
The crowded roads were perhaps the biggest challenge Janet faced during her 10-day stay, but she did not let that stop her. Janet remembered one trip when they parked the car and walked the 1.5 hours to a school and back because it was too dangerous to drive.
Overall, she said she valued the opportunity to teach Nepalese children about dental health, even if they just learned the basics. “We tried to do something,” Janet said.
Janet added that she often wonders what will happen to the children she met, especially in light of the damage that lingers from the April 2015 earthquake, which led many schools to create “temporary learning centers.”
Diann, who was there for the earthquake, explained that most of these were crowded bamboo structures that were at the mercy of the weather. The disaster also destroyed many homes, leading people to create transitional shelters.
“It is really a tragic situation,” she said. “The government has been very slow in getting assistance to people. They have limited resources there, and there’s a lot of rebuilding to be done.”
The sisters agreed that despite these daily challenges, the Nepalese were helpful and kind.
“They seem really happy with the little they have,” Janet said. “They’re always smiling and saying ‘Namaste.’”
Diann plans to revisit classrooms and help build earthquake-resistant schools when she returns to Nepal in November. Janet said she hopes she can continue promoting health education there.
For information about donating, visit www.partnersinsustainablelearning.org.
