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In 2006 a group of community members felt the calling to open an orphanage to help provide a home, education and stability for the increasing number of children without parents due to the recent economic troubles and political unrest. This dream is taking shape, there are now ten orphan children from all over Nepal now living in the Kathmandu neighbourhood of Khusibu near Naya Bazaar receiving food, an education and medical needs met that were not before.
For more information about the orphanage and the children and how you can become involved if you would like to help, you can contact the International Members who work as volunteers at the orphanage and contributing members of the committee.
International Director
Australia
ride2flly@yahoo.com
International Member
Australia
kelly.sdcn@gmail.com
International Member
Australia
belindadunn@yahoo.com
International Member
United States
alex.mondau@gmail.com
International Member
United States
ttrause@gmail.com |
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Social Development Center of Nepal
Prakash Chandra Devkota, as a member of the committee, is working to support this orphanage and the children through the connections and organization of his company, The Great Adventure Treks and Expeditions. Through the combined efforts of three Australian women who have been volunteering their time to help care of the children and the original committee members, the orphanage is now being structured to be a sustainable and stable organization for the children to raise them here in Nepal to become healthy, educated and productive Nepali Citizens once they are grown. The goal of the orphanage is to support specifically these ten children within the community as this is a locally run and funded orphanage. Operated on a completely volunteer basis with no overhead or administrative costs, this is an exercise in how a few people can make a huge difference in the lives of a few others. The high yet attainable goals set this orphanage apart from many others, it is conceived, designed and funded to be a permanent home for these ten children, with modest aspirations to grow in size, but more importantly in taking a quality over quantity approach to providing the proper support and benefits to ‘our kids.’ Ultimately the dream is for each child to have the opportunity to attend private school and even international university if they have the drive and desire.
Contributions from each Member, collected monthly, go to pay for costs such as rent, gas and electricity, food, school fees, medical expenses and the salary of the live in ‘Didi,’ or older sister, Ruth who lives with the children and does their cooking and cleaning. International Volunteers in Nepal for varying periods of time, one week to three months, work to assist Ruth in caring for the children and support the children in their daily activities such as getting to and from school. The orphanage depends on positive word of mouth from the friends and family of Members and the goodwill of trekkers and tourists with extra time to give. Even small donations can go a long way to keep the volunteer positions staffed and the children safe, fed, learning and entertained! For example, 1 kilogram of rice costs only 35 rupees, a bunch of bananas 50 rupees and a school notebook 10 rupees. For about 15,000 rupees a child can attend private school with all their supplies, uniform and fees covered. With currency exchange rates at just over 50 rupees to the Australian dollar, and 65 to the US dollar, you can see just how much a relatively small contribution can mean to a child.
As a group, these kids have become a family. They look after each other and share a passion and energy for learning that is inspiring. Their Nepali and English skills increase every day, and huge improvements in manners and social interactions are noticeable every week. They are like sponges, eyes and ears open and ready to absorb everything! |
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