In 2007 the Glasswaters Foundation began to support 12 children in a home in Kathmandu, Nepal.  Some of the children are orphans, some have only one parent, some two.  All come from extremely poor families and have suffered from the unofficial, illegal, but ever present caste system of Nepal.  All came from homes so poor that food was a problem and education out of reach.  Many had suffered from the brutalities of civil war. Kamal and his wife Samjhana welcomed these children and cared for them as their own.

The Save Blessing Child Home, started by Kamal and Samjhana, had grown to 20 children, (22 counting their two sons), and moved to a larger house in 2009.  The children have attended the Sampurna Secondary School, study at least a couple of hours a day, and find time to play and do their chores around the home.  When I’m there, I marvel at how well this extended family functions. 

In the fall of 2010 Arun, Kamal’s brother, passed away.  Arun had been caring for the children in the Save Children and Woman Promotion Centre (a Glasswaters’ supported project since 2007).  Kamal and Samjhana took the children from SCWPC into the Save Blessing Child Home.  We are sorry for the loss of Arun, and thankful to Kamal and Samjhana for their generosity and hard work.  The children of the two homes were already close.  They lived only five minutes apart, went to school together and held most celebrations as one big family.  They seem to be very happy with this new living arrangement.  In January 2011 they moved to a much needed larger home.

On my second trip to Nepal, I met Pushpa, a 23 year old woman who started the Early Childhood Development Center.  This home also provides a loving, safe environment for children in need, but it’s slightly different than SBCH.  Pushpa has gathered ‘her’ children from the women’s prison of Kathmandu, where they had been living with their incarcerated moms.  Now, the children live with Pushpa, eat well, go to school and maintain relations with their moms through regular visits. 

All of the children in these homes are sponsored individually for their educational needs.  The sponsorship enables the children to attend a private school and pays for all associated educational needs.  It also enables the child and sponsor to get to know one another, a process that enriches both.  100% of your donations go directly to the child’s educational needs.

These homes offer healthy environments in which children can grow and learn.  In a country where the government provides little economic or social assistance, this is a blessing.  Nobody can guarantee what opportunities will await them in the larger Nepalese society, but I do know that they are currently living a healthy life that provides them with a strong foundation for whatever may come.

Glasswaters has begun to support another project initiated by Pushpa.  She created a day care for the small children who still live in prison with their moms.  Six days a week, ten children leave the jail to spend six hours playing, learning, eating, bathing, napping.

 

     

If you are interested in learning more about these Nepalese homes, the children, and/or how to participate, please contact me.  Thank you.

Melanie Circle