Other Volunteer Opportunities in Nepal: 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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Opportunities
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