Rupert & Caroline Greville

Rupert and Caroline Greville and familyUpdate: Rupert and Caroline felt it right to return to this country with the two girls in 2003. Rupert is currently working with internationals in Folkestone, teaching English. Caroline is home-schooling Annie and Maddy, and together she and Rupert lead their local church youth group. Annie and Maddy now have a brother, Eliot James, born in July 2004, and a sister Jemima, born in February 2008.

Rupert and Caroline wrote in the summer of 2002:

It's monsoon time of year which means it's very hot (33°C top), and wet at various stages of the day or night. Sheet lightening can flash across the sky and showers can be so heavy that you're saturated in no time, if unprepared. We have to be especially careful this time of year about what we eat and drink (it's the season of water-borne bugs). We're swimming at weekends and avoiding the sun where we can.

The road that became a river…

During our heaviest monsoon deluge yet, our road was transformed into a fast flowing river for a couple of days. Our house sits at the bottom and no taxi will ever want to bring us home now until the road is repaired (maybe by next summer ?!).

Rupert's work…

In July Rupert's project “Seeds For Survival” kicked off with funding for two years. Its aim is to encourage farmers to keep growing local varieties of food crops, especially the less glamorous crops that poor farmers rely on like finger millet and buckwheat. By conserving these varieties on-farm, farmers are less likely to lose them and so become dependent upon imported varieties which are more costly to produce, not so well adapted to local conditions, and generally less reliable. Other work has included teaching on soil management and involvement with a forest user group programme in Dhading, just a few hours outside the Kathmandu valley.

So what is UMN? Aren't you with Interserve?

Our organisation Interserve has seconded us to UMN. Established in 1953, UMN works in agriculture, forestry, health, community development, HIV awareness, natural resources management and education to serve the people of Nepal. We are as much with Interserve as we ever were.

Girl maintenance…

Caroline's chief occupation continues to be looking after the two small Grevilles. Madeline is now crawling (fast!) and hot on the heels of her big sister. Other activities include feeding the family (a lack of oven-ready meals here unfortunately!) and dealing with the Nepali neighbours - we usually have several visits from them each day, to ask for filtered water, tell us it's time to lock the gate, or play with our girls in the garden!

Annie and friends begin playgroup in earnest soon…four of us mums will be running a home playgroup from August, and we will take it in turns to lead. I was also interviewed on Radio Suffolk about life in Nepal recently - a fun challenge. Hopefully I will have time to warn Suffolk friends before it happens next time!

Rupert's been to prison…several times

Rupert has become involved in a visiting scheme. Many are in prison here from foreign countries and therefore receive no support or visits from family and friends.

Surviving the stresses…

We have different survival techniques here…

Rupert picks up his guitar and Caroline her watercolours, when given the opportunity. We now know where to go for swings, green spaces, a relaxing swim and British sausages (the latter only to be found at the British Embassy!). Home sickness still swacks us from time to time, and now is probably the hardest time of year due to the exhausting heat, which also means we accomplish far less. We remain here because we feel sure it's where we are meant to be.

Please Pray for Us…

  • Stamina in the heat of the monsoon
  • Emotional strength with life continuing away from 'home'
  • Family health
  • Annie settling into the routine of a new playgroup