On September 3rd, members of DRR clubs from three schools—Shree Narayan Jan in Chandragiri, Bhassara Secondary School in Lalitpur, and Himalayan Glory English School in Bhaktapur—participated in an Online Knowledge Sharing Exchange with Dr. Hannah Ha, a medical doctor based in the United Kingdom. The session was facilitated by Christy Wittkamp, DEPO Intern, and Helika Poudel, DEPO Program Associate.

Objective

The exchange aimed to provide students with an opportunity to connect beyond their local context, share aspects of their own lives, and gain insight into life in England. By engaging with an international audience, students were able to broaden their global perspective and practice their English communication skills.

Activities

• Student Presentations: Each school gave a presentation highlighting elements of Nepali culture such as festivals, food, traditional medicine, and disaster risk reduction (DRR) education.
• Guest Presentation: Dr. Hannah shared about the education system in England, her experiences working as a doctor, the UK healthcare system, and disaster-related issues in her country.
• Interactive Q&A: Students asked thoughtful questions, sparking an engaging dialogue between Dr. Hannah and the participants.

Outcome

The exchange successfully established a new connection with Dr. Hannah, opening the door for potential future collaborations. Students were highly engaged and enthusiastic, expressing a strong interest in having more time for discussion. They showed particular curiosity about UK cultural traditions, customs, and approaches to disaster education. The session reflected the value of cross-cultural knowledge sharing and highlighted the importance of creating more opportunities for such exchanges in the future.