Well YOUR £5.00 brick could be the donation that begins, continues, or even lays the final piece to our FUND RAISING HOUSE. YOUR brick is not just another brick in a wall but a BRICK helping lay the foundation for the 10 disadvantaged children in Hornbeam House.
The Buy a Brick project aims to provide a sustainable future to some of Nepal's most disadvantaged and vulnerable children. By buying just one brick you are bringing us closer to our goal of £100,000. This is the amount needed to build and furnish a purpose-built childrens’ home in Kalimpong, Northern India.
Currently we rent a small house in Kalimpong where 10 orphaned Nepalese children are cared for by Betty and Arjun Thapa, the house parents. Most of these children have suffered immense emotional and physical trauma in their early lives and, after nearly 2 years in our home, they are now feeling secure and settled. The children all go to school nearby.
The lease on this property is due to expire in October 2010 and it is unlikely we will be able to renew it. Houses for rent in the centre of Kalimpong are rare and expensive.
We have had experience of moving homes with the children in Kathmandu. On three occasions there we were forced to move home and it caused the children to become insecure and distressed. Their physical health suffered as did their school work. As well as that, the physical upheaval for our team on the ground was daunting.
It has always been our aim to secure a permanent home in Kalimpong and so a year ago we started looking for land to buy on which to build a customised childrens home with facilities for disabled children.
We have found a plot of land in a very good area with roads and all facilities nearby but away from the expensive town area. We have agreed in pricipal to buy that parcel of land and are currently working through the process of securing the purchase of the land in the long term. If we are successful then we can start and consider the building project in relation to the charities circumstances in Kalimpong.
BUY A BRICK (even build a wall!) and watch the house evolve and feel good knowing participation has helped make it possible.
Help Us, Help Them by buying a brick
Families form the first line of defence for children. The further away children are from their families, the more likely they are to face abuse. Children separated from their families are more likely to be marginalized, abused and live in poverty throughout their adulthood. Street children are left unprotected from violence and exploitation, are at greater risk of contracting HIV/AIDS and are easy targets for traffickers, drug peddlers and middlemen looking to exploit them for sexual and labour purposes. Few have any form of legal identity.
All too often children living in institutions, while ostensibly protected from many serious abuses, are deprived of the love, affection and guidance of their families and this inhibits the development of vital social skills, and precludes the possibility of community support and integration.
According to some estimates, there are approximately 835,000 orphans, of which over 37,000 have lost both parents. Most orphans live with other family members within their extended family structure but the rest, especially in urban areas such as Kathmandu, are placed in institutions, with employers, or are abandoned to a life on the streets.
There are over 400 institutional care facilities for children across Nepal, housing over 10,000 children. Both government and non-government organizations (NGOs) run institutional care facilities, with over 95 per cent being run by NGOs, such as the Disabled Welfare Association (DWA) and the Kalimpong Village Aid Association (KVAA). Unlike the DWA and the KVAA however, many institutions provide only the most basic care for children, with untrained staff, crowded conditions, and little chance for recreational activities. Individualized long-term planning for children is rarely undertaken, and a child’s placement and progress by relevant professionals is not reviewed regularly.
These vulnerable children are in need of special protection. Nepal has an estimated 5,000 children living or working on the streets, primarily in large urban centres.
By helping New Futures Nepal, you help combat this tragedy.
Helping disadvantaged children and adults of Nepal
