Aanandit Children’s Home
Nepal is an evolving country. If we evaluate the past 20 years’ history, we see many ups and downs in the political situation – 10 years of civil war, lack of job opportunities resulting in male members leaving their families to work abroad leading to family breakdown, and a high rate of children losing their parents and being homeless.
The heart-wrenching fact is these destitute children are forced to live completely lacking in a normal childhood. They have no education, parental love and care or the other rights that every child is entitled to receive. Many are forced into child labour. Having said that, some orphans are cared for by their relatives which are a wonderful thing and needs to be encouraged. However, most orphans have nowhere to go.
According to UNICEF an estimated 12,000 Nepalese children trafficked to India every year, according to a 2001 International Labour Organization study. Girls not recruited into prostitution could be also sold as domestic slaves in India and other countries and boys taken into forced labour. After disasters such as earthquakes, there is a risk that trafficking will increase. In such cases their only options are either live in rescue centers or children’s homes if they are lucky, or on the streets which is the usual case in a poor country like Nepal.
Aanandit Charity Centre is looking after nine girls in its Children’s Home in Imadol, Lalitpur at the moment. This was started in 2008 with the mission of holistically developing the children in our care. Twenty-two orphans and semi-orphans have been benefitted so far. We ensure a homely environment, nutritious food and quality education as part of this holistic approach. We have the space and resources to care for up to 15 children at a time and we will welcome more as the needy child come in contact. Our proper building, good house parents, teachers, regular medical checkups, and good education in addition to loving environment is praised by the people who have visited us. By God’s Grace we will continue serve these lovely children and help them to have a good future.
This is one of ACC’s ongoing projects to help children from difficult backgrounds. Marginalised children are cared for until the age of 18. We are a registered home and the Children’s Welfare Committee of Lalitpur has already visited the site of the project and has given permission for it to operate. The children living under the care of ACC will be looked after well and their nutritional, health, educational and other basic needs will be provided by the Children’s Home.
As well as the children living in the Children’s Home, ACC has a strategy to support children living in the communities, through various integrated programmes such as scholarships, school support, Friday Fun Club etc. The reason behind this is to uplift the underprivileged children and provide them with a decent life and education. Most of these programmes are ongoing and we share more about them in the following sections.
The two large earthquakes that struck Nepal in April and May 2015, combined with hundreds of aftershocks have wrought massive destruction in 31 of Nepal’s 75 districts. According to latest figures, 8,790 people died and 22,300 were injured – among them were many children (Unicef). Tens of thousands of buildings have been destroyed or damaged including homes, schools, health centers and other public and private structures, and religious and cultural monuments. Infrastructure has been damaged and livelihoods severely disrupted. Children, who represent 42 per cent of Nepal’s population, have suffered unimaginable trauma and loss. There is a great necessity of proper shelter targeting such children and ACC is determined to do it.
Click here to read one child’s story
If you are interested in this life changing work, you are very welcome to contact us. Your love and support will bless many precious lives that are at risk. You can also visit us to help in practical ways with our work. Our Nepalese law permits you to visit our Children’s Home where you can play with the children, teach them rhymes, music, arts and crafts, or any useful skills you want to invest in our children for their betterment. They would love this. Your one-off financial gift will also enable us to support the children in their various needs.