September 2013 – Page 2 – UWC Red Cross Nordic

Outdoor activity for all

Edmund Cluett2018-10-16T09:34:00+01:00September 2nd, 2013|

A weekend of outdoor life and activities for all, regardless of disability, on Erling Stordahl’s farm. “Fun and inspiring!” says Lakpa Lama, one of eleven RCN students who took part in the very first Ridderdagene (The Days of the Knights).

We all wander in the darkness. Some because they don’t see with their eyes, some because they don’t see with their thoughts. Most of us because we don’t see each other…

Erling Stordahl gradually lost his sight, and became fully blind at the age of 13, but proved to himself and to the world that people with disabilities can have a rich life and do great things in spite of – and sometimes even thanks to – At the farm their handicap. He said that “Life is what your thoughts make it into.” and “We all wander in the darkness. Some because they don’t see with their eyes, some because they don’t see with the thoughts. Most of us because we don’t see each other”.

: Meal times at the camp site

: Edwin (Nicaragua) and Nghiem (Vietnam) about to start the bike ride.

: Balance. It’s harder than it looks!

RCN students have regularly attended ‘Ridderrennet’, the winter sports event that Stordahl initiated 50 years ago at Beitostølen, where people from all over the world, with different abilities, come to compete with each other and challenge their own, and others’ expectations. This year Ridderdagene was organized for the first time at Stordahl’s farm in Sarpsborg, South of Oslo. Ridderdagene is a bicycle race, but also a chance for people to meet over a weekend, and try out many outdoor activities. Anyone can try the activities and learn about how we can include all people in different kinds of situations.

Edwin Gonzalez and Yeison Santos from RCN participated in the race and came in as number 9 and 13 out of 17 participants in the 24.8 km long race (the short race was 3 km): very impressive results when you know that Edwin doesn’t have hands and has limited sight, and that Yeison has a foot prosthesis! All participants had “buddies”, who cycled along with them, either on a single or a tandem bike. Edwin and Yeison cycled with Nghiem Huynh and Modi Elisa.

So what did the other students and Fk volunteer Andrew Mkumbi do? They pushed participants up a hill during the race; they helped setting up the arena and the tents; they instructed people in activities; interacted and helped people that came to the farm during the weekend and got to know a team of very helpful scouts, who gave us a tent and food during the stay.

The accommodation was very simple – there were no 5-star hotels at the farm! – but, when the night came, the RCN delegation discovered that they were staying in a million-star hotel, and were in the good company of fine, kind and very inspiring people.

Our thanks go to all those who made it possible for us to attend this event – hopefully we’ll be able to do it again next year!

Volunteers at RCN

Edmund Cluett2018-10-16T09:34:00+01:00September 2nd, 2013|

Jadiyetu Dah

For several years, as part of our ongoing Fredskorpset-sponsored Exchange Project with the Western Sahara refugee camps in southwest Algeria, we have hosted two Saharawi volunteers at the College. They have come from the baking Sahara desert to the slightly cooler shores of Flekke fjord to live and work with us for the academic year. We are continuing this happy tradition and are pleased to welcome Salma Mohamed and Jadiyetu Dah to our staff. They arrived in late July to participate in the Summer Course and are busy finding their way into this wonderful – and to them, very strange – community!

Ged Kanchang

Andrew Nkumbi

As the political situation in the Maghreb continues to be volatile, Fredskorpset has enabled us to extend the project and we are now sending the Norwegian FK volunteers to Thailand and Tanzania instead of to the Sharawi refugee camps. In turn, we are hosting a volunteer from each of those countries, Ged Kanchiang from the Mercy Centre in Bangkok, Thailand and Andrew Nkumbi from the Great Lakes Training Institute in Mwanza, Tanzania. Read more about the Fredskorpset Exchange Project here.

We welcome these four enthusiastic young people, and look forward to their contributions to College life in the coming year.

Veronika Kara

We are also fortunate to be able to strengthen our ties to Hungary through an EEA grant. This grant has enabled Veronika Kara to come to the College until December to learn about how UWC uses education as a uniting force, as an exchange between UWC and the ‘Never Give Up Foundation’ in Hungary. While here Veronika will work on our engagement towards Roma people through education. Later she will bring back experience to her organization, with the aim to further develop co-operation. Read more about this exchange program, here.