Home for Disadvantaged Children - An small local orphanage on the outskirts of Kathmandu serves approx 18 orphans including a small baby who was recently brought in because she was the off-spring of an inter-caste relationship. 

They also provide education for over 50 extremely poor and disadvantaged children who are unable to attend even government schools due to fees for books, supplies and uniforms. 

During the day, school is held for all students and lunch meals are provided for all. In the evenings the staff cares for the orphans and provides meals and activities. The entire operation was fortunate to receive a grant of land and a new building now houses the school and orphanage but the monthly budget is barely enough and each month they manage to scrap by through the sheer determination of the director. They are in dire need of volunteers willing to teach during the day and care for the children in the evenings.

Many of the children there have slight physical disabilities leading to their rejection by family. I know of two young boys there each with six toes on both feet. For such a minor disability, they were living on the streets, begging for food.

Food and lodging can be provided within the hostel and volunteers are encouraged to provide care and company in the evenings to these lonely children seeking attention and affection of loving adults. The situation is highly unstructured and seeking flexible and energetic volunteers who are self-starters and self-motivated. They need your ideas and input to make it a better place. A wonderful opportunity to share in their lives and make a difference. Contact Indu Shakya for more details at volnter@enet.com.np  He works with them and occasionally sends volunteers over to the Home through his Know Nepal program.

Shree Shiddhi Ganesh Mental Retardation Center Founded in 1992, the center is staffed by a team of parents, medical professionals, teachers and social workers who work together to empower children with disabilities and increase their access to basic human rights.Working with children at the center, they provide speech therapy, counseling, education, government beneifts information and day care for impoverished disabled children. 

Mental Retardation in Nepal has had a very close connection to poverty and confused with dumbness or deafness. Many Nepali people are unfamiliar with the condition and thus the child is segregated and often exiled from the community. A disturbing reality is that many of these children, even borderline cases end up on the streets, begging and leading a life of ignorance, pain and poverty. The Shree Shiddhi Ganesh Center is devoted to rescuing these children and educating them to lead as normal as life as possible. The center also works on awareness campaigns to reduce the stigma of mental retardation.

The center is also dedicated to the welfare of families with below poverty income combined with lack of education, sickness and disabled children. The center provides educational and medical assisstance along with essential clothing and other necessities. And they provide counseling and act as a liaison between families and other social agencies. They are desperately in need of any help in any of these areas as well as: physical therapists, speech therapists, nutritional counselors, dyslexia screening and anyone seeking to help children. Energy and enthusiasm is a must as well as loads of patience. 

Meet one of the children at the Shree Siddhi Ganesh Center. Gloria is ten years old and suffers from cerebral palsy. She can sit and walk with assistance but is otherwise dependant on other for feeding, bathing and dressing. She is unable to speak but shows her gregarious personality through her smiles and laughs. She is able to grasp objects but her muscle control is deficient. She could greatly benefit from the guidance of a physical therapist and make great strides toward independance. 

Contact mretardation@yahoo.com for more information or within Nepal, call 263442 or 422520 and ask for krishna Kumar Katwal.

Other Specialized Opportunities:

For business and web-designing opportunities, please contact me directly at thevoyagers@yahoo.com for more information. Rather than with a fixed program, these are arranged on an individual basis with local companies and groups. I have a number of contacts in the field and I can hook you up with the appropriate people to discuss your possible involvement. If you have other interests and skills that you might like to use, please mention them and I can help to suggest opportunities and put you in contact with the right people. There are so many needs in Nepal, that they are too numerous to mention here. But volunteering and giving of yourself is so uplifting and rewarding. Just do it...

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