By Katelyn Forsyth

Namaste!

I have been living in Nepal for close to three months now and I am beginning to feel very comfortable with the Napali lifestyle and with my work in UNICEF South Asia.

The end of the year wrap-up from 2019 was busy but very exciting! In December I was fortunate enough to join the Regional Office End of Year Retreat in Pokhara. The office rented two private buses and embarked on an eight-hour journey through the mountains, driving along the cliff edges (many of us spent most of those eight hours with our hands covering ours eyes) and passing through the remote villages that are nestled all along the Himalayan mountain ranges.

The three-day retreat in Pokhara was enlightening, educational, and inspiring. We spent our days learning from one another and discussing the future of UNICEF ROSA (Regional Office of South Asia). During this time, each section within the office presented their work from the previous year, which was extremely interesting and educational for myself since I am still very new in the office. As well, we had many round table discussions on how each section could improve their work and progress in the upcoming year. I was fascinated to learn about all of the amazing projects and work that the ROSA office is working on, and I was inspired by the openness of each section to take feedback to work towards improvements in the upcoming year.

Following the retreat, I stayed behind in Pokhara to complete a short trek to Poon Hill. Hiking into the Himalayas after such an educational and thought-provoking retreat allowed time to reflect on all I had learned at the retreat and consider which areas I wish to contribute to during my time at UNICEF ROSA. As I walked through the remote villages I continuously thought of the ways in which UNICEF could assist these villages in important areas such as hygiene and education and I am feeling so grateful to be a part of an organization that aspires to reach some of the most marginalized and disadvantaged children in the world.

One new and exciting project that I will be able to contribute to during the remainder of my time here is the development of climate change awareness through education. This year ROSA will be very focused on creating awareness of climate change, since the region is, and will continually be impacted by climate change. I am extremely pleased that ROSA will be working towards educating the region on such a timely issue, and I am looking forward to contributing to this project when it begins at the end of January! Stay tuned to hear more about how it develops!