DRAMA DELIGHT

The prestigious Godawari Village Resort recently played host to a variety show with a difference – its performers were children from the refuges of The Esther Benjamins Trust.

The 150-strong audience was treated to a programme of dance, drama, gymnastics and song by children who had spent the previous three weeks learning new skills under the tuition of Sue Way and Nick Discombe, two volunteers from the UK. The day was a huge success, superbly demonstrating the progress the children have made in their recovery from their traumatic past.

Sue, a dance specialist, and Nick (playwright) had originally planned to visit EBT in Nepal to assist Dawn and Derek Roberts in preparing a community play. Dawn and Derek had previously staged a well received piece with us in Nepal and had invited Sue and Nick to complement their skills further in coordinating a second event.

Unfortunately, a family illness meant that Dawn and Derek were unable to travel to Nepal, so Sue and Nick devised a last-minute dance and drama workshop that would still enable The Esther Benjamins Trust to benefit from their time and expertise.

Sue devoted her time to dance sessions in Hetauda and Godawari, while Nick focused on drama lessons in Hetauda, with the goal being to draw together everything in the final performance after three weeks. Local EBT staff member Bablu Tamang provided invaluable support and translation throughout.

The children responded brilliantly to the sessions, to the extent that Sue and Nick were amazed by their performance skills. Some of the older students even demonstrated their writing ability by producing a dark comedy with Nick parodying some of the trafficking agents and circus leaders who had cast a shadow over their childhood.

‘It was a delight to work with such warm, bright and responsive students,’ said Nick, who has over 30 years’ experience as a playwright and community theatre producer. ‘The intensive programme we coordinated with the girls in Hetauda was especially rewarding; the bond that developed between us was a joy. Their ability shone through and far exceeded our expectations.’

During their trip, Nick and Sue also visited some of the families of the refuge children to witness firsthand the dire poverty that is omnipresent in people’s lives.

‘While the riverside village in the Terai Plain was seemingly beautiful, it was abundantly clear that life is a daily struggle for these families – and although you could never condone the trafficking of children, you can at least begin to understand some of the pressures incumbent on the families who do succumb to the lure of money offered by agents from the circuses,' said Nick. 'Some genuinely believe they are offering their children a better life – sadly, nothing could be further from the truth.’

EBT would like to thank Sue and Nick for their time and energy. To view pictures from the performances, please visit the website gallery of Phil Horgan, whose photography brilliantly perfectly captured the day's proceedings.

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