Microscopes in Nepal

Back in mid-2009 I was asked by my Regional Director if I knew where a microscope could be got to replace the worn-out one at a school in Nepal. This coincided with the end of a course where microscopes were supplied to students and its replacement by one that used an amazing, online 'virtual microscope' so, and I was able to get hold of not one but two - a 'normal' microscope and a petrological microscope.
As the Okhle area doesn't have much in the way of electricity, Glynda, my contact at Walton Hall, organised the warehouse into removing the electric light sources below the staging and replacing them with mirrors that could use natural light.
As it seemed that the science teacher in Okhle was familiar with using a microscope for biology that was fine, but I felt that a petrological one might well be new to him so I included a set of the geology course materials, as well as full instructions.
Eileen, my RD's contact, (who had got involved with this on a trek to Nepal) came up to Bristol and we handed the microscopes etc over to her to pass onto Richard Backwell, the leading light in all this! She added a lot of useful biology material as well and they were finally taken out on a trek just before Christmas 2009.
I was thrilled recently to get a couple of photos of them being handed over:

At Saraswati secondary school Sean, an A level student who went on the trek, is showing the science teacher the microscope and Bimal Gurung (the guide, and instigator of all the work that has gone on in the villages) is the round faced person,  without a hat, to Sean's left. This school has never had a microscope before (although the science teacher used one at university).

At Bayapani secondary school Sean is seen again, with the English teacher and some of the pupils.
The schools have around 300 pupils each and are about half to 3/4 of an hour's walk from Okhle itself.
There is more about Ohkle, which lies in the Himalayan foothills south of Mt Everest, and the work that is being done there on the village trust's website  www.ohkle.org.uk and about Bimal's trekking company at www.adventureguidenepal.com