Madan (Rainbow Volunteer Club) said to Birgit: “Let’s go, I want to introduce you to a great children’s home and to an amazing woman. Exactly, it is also the home for which you had bought a stove before.” No sooner said than done, because who could say no to that. In no time Birgit was sitting in the back seat of the scooter and the journey began. As you may know, in Nepal only the drivers have to wear a helmet. Why? Unfortunately, we can’t answer that. What we do know is that the journey was exciting and the extra weight didn’t necessarily make it easier 🙂 Regardless, they had fun and the trip was worth it.
The children’s home has been in existence since 2008 and is run by Uma Devi Basset. There are currently 18 children under her care: 8 girls and 10 boys. Not all of the children are orphans. As with many, the parents are not able to take care of the children, make sure they have enough to eat or go to school.
Birgit: “First of all, I got a yoghurt-water drink and we got to know each other a bit. Afterwards, Barsha gave me a tour so that I could see everything and get a better impression of how they run things, how they are organised and what happens. I am always amazed at the openness that is shown to me. Really amazing and great. So I have seen all the rooms and my impression is good. There are separate rooms for girls and boys, the kitchen is big and very appetising, there is enough water for drinking, cooking and washing, a small garden and an open hall for sports activities like yoga, dancing and studying. I felt very comfortable and especially enjoyed the tour. “
The question of how they finance themselves is an important one, because unfortunately too many children homes have no real concept or plan of how they can stay afloat in the long run. Without much ado, it was explained as follows: there are 3 main sources of income:
- Festivities: many people come to them to celebrate festivities such as birthdays. This is often linked to donations for the home.
- Dashain Festival and Deepavali: on these 2 important festivities, donations are collected for the home, and substantially.
- Volunteers and donors: people are there to support, as part of the “family” or support as we have done with our association.
In our conversation it quickly became clear how we could support and we did so with great joy: we transferred school fees directly to the school for the children. A big thank you to our supporters!!! We will spend more time together on our next trip. And also a big thank you to Madan for the connection.
Note: the baby is not part of the children’s home, but her grandson. Mother and child like to visit regularly to support.