Cambridge-based training expert Karen Roem, whose company Roem Ltd provides high-level training in Microsoft Office and Livelink applications, has just returned from a voluntary 'working holiday' in Nepal, where she spent a week training more than a dozen teachers, representing several different schools in the Nawalparasi District.
The visit came about because Karen – writer of the popular Cambridge Network 'Tame your computer' column – has for 10 years been raising money for Children of Nepal, a British charitable organisation that aims to extend and improve educational opportunities for children living in that country. In 2012 Karen saw in a newsletter from the charity that one of the schools had been kitted out with computers, and she volunteered to help. "The head teacher seemed keen on software training for the teachers (the ‘train the trainer’ approach) and said he was going to try and get a few teachers from different schools together to benefit from my skills and experience. However, it took many months for the plan to be realised.
"I made the trip at the end of last month with my husband Erik and it was an amazing experience, as we'd never been to Nepal before. It is a fascinating country, and the people are fantastic. We were warmly welcomed and the teachers were genuinely pleased to have the chance to learn about Microsoft Access. The only difficulty we had was with the electricity supply - for half of each day, there was none, which rather curtailed the hands-on computer training at one of the schools that had no backup generator!"
Karen has since received a heartfelt letter from the Principal of Shree Kalika Higher Secondary School, saying it was a pleasure to benefit from the “precious contribution” made by an expert computer database trainer.: “We heartily appreciate and thank you for your kind support in our school. We hope that this is the landmark beginning which is sure to create milestones in the days to come."
Roem Ltd will continue to support Children of Nepal, which receives £3 for every completed evaluation form handed in after a Roem training session. Karen says:"Raising funds for the charity is one way I can ensure that delegates’ feedback makes a real difference; not just to refine the quality of the training offered at Roem, but to improve the lives of some of the children I met.”
Image: Schoolchildren in Nepal hold a ceremony to thank Karen Roem.
Children of Nepal
Since 1997, Children of Nepal has initiated, funded and supervised various projects in the Gaidakot region, for example providing sanitation or clean drinking water in schools in Gaidakot, Hardi and Shree Bhagyodaya and building or upgrading classrooms in Bijaya, Mahendra and Panchakanya Schools.
Children of Nepal is a charity registered with the UK government's Charity Commission for England and Wales. Every penny raised through donors, sponsors and supporters is spent in Nepal for their stated purpose of renovating classrooms, installing sanitation and clean water and building or upgrading schools in rural Nepal, to extend and improve educational opportunities for Nepali children. (See http://www.children-of-nepal.org.uk/)
Roem Limited
Roem Limited is an innovative computer software training company based in Cambridge, specialising in Microsoft Office and Livelink training. For more than 10 years, we've successfully developed and delivered courses for clients large and small across the world, so we know that people have different ways of learning. We offer both hands-on and hands-off courses, either in-house at your offices or at our own premises in Cambridge. We take learning seriously, but we also make it an enjoyable experience.
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Contact Karen by email (Karen@roem.co.uk) or visit her website at http://www.roem.co.uk
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