THE health of children living in a village in Nepal has improved dramatically because of the fund-raising efforts of people in Debden and Wimbish. The two Uttlesford villages are twinned with the impoverished community of Tang Ting – home to many of the G

THE health of children living in a village in Nepal has improved dramatically because of the fund-raising efforts of people in Debden and Wimbish.

The two Uttlesford villages are twinned with the impoverished community of Tang Ting - home to many of the Gurkhas serving at the Carver Barracks near Saffron Walden.

Money raised by the Tang Ting Twining Association (TTTA) has paid for the building of The Day Care Centre in the Nepalese village which looks after young children while their families are at work throughout the day.

Founder of the charity, district councillor for Debden and Wimbish Tina Knight, said: "The Day Care Centre has been such a success we would now like to extend the original concept of childcare from the age of two-and-a-half years old to include children from the age of eighteen months.

"Current facilities and funding do not allow expansion of such care to the youngest children at present, but with future fund-raising we hope to extend this and eventually provide cr�che facilities."

The Day Care Centre now provides children with a meal in the middle of the day and has been equipped to a high standard to enable the children to enjoy better pre-school learning.

Two committee members of the TTTA recently returned from Nepal and reported encouraging news from the centre's nurse who regularly weighs, measures, inoculates and monitors the children.

She said that since the centre opened, the children are now in the normal weight and height range for their age group and she is delighted with their progress.

An additional benefit, said the headteacher of the school in Tang Ting, is finding that the children are able to study better and are improving educationally.

The TTTA will be holding fund-raising events throughout 2010. For more information visit www.tangting.org