Nepal RPCV Jackie Rahm is the founder of Shaping New Worlds
Shaping New Worlds is a visionary organization that provides unique cultural and educational opportunities. Culture of Peace is a three to five month program that allows people at least 18 years of age to live and work in a remote village in mid-western Nepal.
Welcome
Around the world, there are indigenous peoples that still live the way that their ancestors did. They live without the amenities that we've become accustomed to in the west. Many live without electricity and running water, and the land provides them with their basic needs. They have a deep, rich connection with nature. Their medicine people carry the knowledge and wisdom that has sustained their culture throughout time. Nepal is one such country, a place that has been rated as one of the poorest in the world. Development has been slow in Nepal, but the sense of connectedness is strong. There's an inherent peacefulness that emanates within this culture, these people, and this land. It's the spirit of Nepal.
Nepal has always been a place shrouded in mystique. It's home to a myriad of ethnic and religious groups. Geographically, Nepal is divided into three distinct regions that run east and west across the country. The famous Himalaya lie in the north and provide a natural border with Tibet. These mountains include some of the highest peaks in the world such as Annapurna, Dalagari, and Sagarmatha, Mt. Everest. The glacial waters course down these mountains towards the foothills where they become the rivers that nourish the agricultural fields. The middle hills are the fertile farm lands where the villagers grow their dietary staple of rice, lentils, and vegetables. Here in the villages, life sets its own pace sncyronizing itself with the rhythm of the seasons. The middle hills then flatten out into the lowland of the Terai which borders India in the south.
Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, lies in a valley, and you don't have to go far to leave the city behind. Shaping New Worlds offers people the unique opportunity to travel off the beaten track into the heart of Nepal. SNW is based out of Parsa, a village in the mid west which is the home of the Yogi family and the Nepal International Peace Center. NIPC welcomes SNW participants for their stay in Nepal. NIPC has been created in loving memory of Surkdev Nath Yogi who dreamed that this land would be used for the service of peace.
SNW participants spend three to five months living and working with this traditional community becoming part of their extended family. Awake to the sounds of the village, reconnect with the elements of nature, help with household chores, learn how to cook in a traditional kitchen, help family members work in the fields, take the cattle out to graze, fish in the nearby rivers, walk the footpaths of the village, explore the colorful markets, visit nearby temples, meet traditional healers and experience how their medicine still flourishes today, visit SNW's sister school HVP and meet these visionary teachers and students, tutor Nepali children in English, learn about traditional crafts and partake in their music and dance, sit out under the stars and listen to the songs of the village. The choice is yours! The opportunity is to immerse yourself in the rhythm of village life. Experience the connectedness to Spirit; to yourself, one another, community, nature, the land, to life itself. Feel the peacefulness within and around you! Help to cultivate the culture of peace!
Contact SNW for more information
P.O. Box 186
Peru, Vermont 05152
(802) 824-5358
jrahm@sover.net
SNW is run by a dedicated and experienced staff. Jackie Rahm is the founder of Shaping New Worlds. She has been developing her relationships in Nepal for over ten years which began in the late 80s when she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer. She has a MA in psychology and a background in teaching and traditional healing methods. Kay Wilson is a Program Coordinator for NIPC. She first went to Nepal in 1987 when she volunteered at the Teaching Hospital and the HVP school in Kathmandu. Kay is a nurse anesthetist and attends Delphi University, a school for transpersonal studies. The Yogi family in Nepal has much experience working with foreign programs, and they have housed many people from around the world. Priti Yogi is the Nepali Administrative Director for SNW's Culture of Peace and brings her expertise to this exciting program.
