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Frequently Asked Question
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VOLUNTEER / VISITOR QUESTIONS
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SPONSORSHIP / DONATION / FUND-RAISING QUESTIONS
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HOUSEHOLD & GENERAL QUESTIONS
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ADMINISTRATION QUESTIONS
VOLUNTEER / VISITOR QUESTIONS
1) Can anybody visit the
orphanage?
>>
Yes, Everybody can visit; they are heartily welcome
to come see our house, meet our children and see how
our home runs.
2) Is there a fee to come
volunteer at NCH?
>>
Yes, there is a $300/month program fee and $150 for
next month onwards, that covers
your board at the guesthouse and the two meals at
the orphanage. You may also have to pay a small
additional set fee to cover the costs of having
internet provided at the guesthouse. Please see the
Application section of the website for more
information and specifics about this.
3) Can two people come
together to volunteer?
>>
Absolutely. As long as you both apply and come at a
time when there is room for two (there may be a
limit to how many people can volunteer at one time,
due to space constraints). In the past couples have
come together as well as pairs of friends.
4) What are some of the
responsibilities of a volunteer?
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Volunteers are responsible for helping keep the
website text and the children's bios up to date.
They will also be responsible at some point for
helping to send updated information to the
children's sponsors.
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Volunteers are also expected to get involved in
daily household life--helping the kids get ready for
school, washing clothes or dishes or kids, cooking
or cleaning, or helping during daily class time.
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Finally, volunteers often find that they want to
work on a particular project of their own (see Q7).
5) What are some special
projects volunteers have done in the past?
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Volunteers are encouraged to be creative in terms of
what they would like to contribute--giving music
lessons on guitar; leading art classes, English
classes, and computers classes; planting and tending
a garden at the guesthouse; painting murals; and
filming some footage for a documentary. These are
all things that past volunteers have chosen to put
time into.
6) Where do the volunteers
(and sometimes visitors) stay?
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The volunteers stay at a small, comfy guesthouse
that is a ten minute walk from NCH. Some of the
staff also stays there. Rooms at the guesthouse are
also available to rent for other travelers and
visitors. Please contact us if you are interested in
renting a room.
7) What is the guesthouse
like?
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It is quaint and pretty, with lots of bougainvillea
hanging over the front. It has a second floor
veranda with tables and chairs for reading, getting
sun and chatting. There are rooms with private bath
or without, a big beautiful garden and a small
kitchen. There is 24-hour hot water available for
showers. Also small office room with computer and
Internet.
8) What is there to do in
Pokhara?
>>
Pokhara is a bustling little tourist city. Pokhara
provides all kinds of opportunities for the
adventurous--paragliding, biking, mountain trekking,
kayaking, and more. Also, many relaxing
options--boating on the lake; hot springs nearby;
waterfalls, rivers and caves to see; and temples and
monasteries to visit. There is lots of great
shopping as well, and prices are very good.
9) What kinds of restaurants are there in Pokhara?
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There are literally dozens of great restaurants
where you can eat Italian, Mexican, Indian, American
or Nepali foods. As you eat dinner at the local
restaurants, you can watch the sunset reflecting in
the lake and on the mountains, you can see
traditional dancing and singing, or you can watch a
movie.
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SPONSORSHIP / DONATION / FUND-RAISING QUESTIONS
1) How can I help?
>>
There are many ways to be of help. Our mission is
not limited to just the 50 children who live in our
home—we also have a sponsorship program and a new
Help Hotline. Ultimately we believe if we all help a
little, we can make a great change in the world. You
can help by sponsoring a child at NCH orphanage;
sponsoring a scholarship kid; making a donation to
grant a wish for someone on the Help Hotline;
donating to our general fund; donating or holding a
donation drive for clothing, English books, or other
supplies; giving/raising money for some specific
purpose for the children.
2) How do I sponsor a child?
>>
Becoming a child sponsor is a wonderful way to
support NCH and the family. If you are interested in
sponsoring or want more information about this,
please check the Help section of the website or
contact our American sister organization at
namastechildrenshouse@hotmail.com and Isle of
Man, British at johnrileyiom@hotmail.com
3) What does it mean to
sponsor a child?
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Sponsoring a child involves a donation of USD $1000
annually. This amount can be paid monthly,
quarterly, half-yearly, or in one lump sum at a
given point during the year. Many sponsors choose to
share this financial responsibility as a family, a
club or an organization. As a sponsor you will
receive quarterly updates about your specific child
and the life of the orphanage.
4) After sponsoring a child
how long do I have to support?
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Since your support is the main source of our
organization, we ask for long-term support. You can
choose from 6 and 12 year support program.
5) What if I can't afford to
fully sponsor a child?
>>
This is a good question. USD $1000 is a lot of money
for one person. One-time donations are also, of
course, highly appreciated. Sometimes donors are
interested in raising or giving money for a specific
project. In the past organizations have done this
for a washing machine and some interest has been
shown for raising funds to buy a vehicle for NCH.
>>
Another
possibility is that of a half-sponsorship, USD $500
per year. For more information about this
possibility, please email our sister organization in
the USA, at
namastechildrenshouse@hotmail.com and Isle of
Man, British at johnrileyiom@hotmail.com
6) Can I sponsor a child that
has already been sponsored?
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Usually we ask you to sponsor a non-sponsored child.
If you are extremely intent on sponsoring a
particular child, then we will ask the other sponsor
and send you the decision.
7) How can I donate money?
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You can either go to a bank and deposit the money
into the NCH account (See the Contact page of the
website for more information) or you can directly
donate through our website using the Pay Pal account
or donate to our nearer sister organization.
8) Can I raise funds for the
orphanage?
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Yes, that would be fantastic. However, before doing
so, you have to communicate with our main office and
get approval of your fund-raising activity. Your
small effort can make change to the lives of
children.
9) What are some of the most
recent needs of NCH?
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Some
recent needs of NCH are a vehicle and musical
instruments.
Q10) What are things that the
orphanage always needs?
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We always need clothes, medicines (general medical
supplies like band-aids, antiseptic, cough syrup,
etc are always needed), English books, stationery
and office supplies, and English as a Second
Language (ESL) materials, children’s
video/cassette/CD educational and entertainment
materials, electronic goods, baby supplies, toys,
art supplies.
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HOUSEHOLD
& GENERAL QUESTIONS
1) What does “Namaste” mean?
>>
Namaste
means, “That which is divine in me honors that which
is divine in you.” It is also a greeting and
salutation or a goodbye, and generally connotes
respect.
2) Where do the kids go to
school?
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The kids
go to a government (public) school two blocks away
from NCH. Two of the NCH staff go with them to
school to help as teachers because the school, like
most in Nepal, is understaffed.
3) What is the daily schedule
at the orphanage?
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The kids
wake up at around 6am, eat a small breakfast and
have morning class from 6:30 to 8:30. They then have
their big morning meal, and get ready for school.
The kids are in school from 10am to 1,3 or 4pm
depending on their class. The older kids have a
longer school day. They have snacks when they arrive
home and free play time until 5:30 when they have
another two hours of class/homework time in the
orphanage. They have evening meal at 7:30 and then
get ready for bed around 8:30 or 9. They go to
school six days a week and have Saturdays off. On
Saturdays they have more free time and they also do
a lot of chores around the house.
4) What kinds of foods do
Nepalese eat?
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The main food that Nepalese eat is "dal-bhat and
tarkari," or rice, lentils and curry (spiced of
course to taste). This is the staple of any Nepali
diet and they usually eat it at least twice a day!
Some other great Nepali foods are, roti, momos—fried
or steamed, veg or buff (yes, buffalo).
5) How are the children
selected to live at NCH?
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The
children are selected through an application
process. We review the applications, go for field
visits to document the living conditions of child,
and the selection committee discusses the report.
The decision is finalized after getting the approval
of the committee, the paperwork is completed and the
child is brought to the house. On occasion, we have
brought a child directly from field or from road
when his/her living condition was very miserable.
6) What are the requirements
of children to stay at the orphanage?
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Applications are considered from children who are
poor and orphaned/abandoned or living in an at-risk
situation.
7) How old are the children
living at NCH?
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Officially, we accept children aged 3-10 years old;
however, when the situation is dire, we do not
consider the age. The children at NCH range in age
from infant to 14 years old.
8) What do the children do on
holidays?
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During the holidays we usually have special
activities planned--drawing, singing, games,
competitions (like singing and dancing), outings,
new foods and sometimes sweets, dancing, and more.
During the main festival holidays we take as many
children as we can to their respective relatives’
houses for a short visit.
9) How long are the children
able to stay at orphanage (to what age)?
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Children are taken care of up to the age of 18, or
until they obtain their School-Leaving Certificate.
After that, those children who are interested and
have done well in school are helped to further their
studies and others are given vocational training so
they can earn money for living.
10) What are some of the
health concerns and what is your approach to
supplying the necessary treatments?
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To begin with, the children are given a healthy and
balanced diet, according to our menu which you can
see on our website. When the children arrive, their
total health is checked, and, typically, some dis-worming
and primary vaccination is given to the child. The
children shower twice per week. The staff are
trained with first aid training, so treatment of
minor injuries is done in the house. For further
treatment, we have an agreement with the large
hospital in Pokhara and the children are brought
there for treatment at reduced cost.
11) What are the household
sleeping arrangements?
>>
We have 10’ by 10’ bedrooms, which each sleep 6 to 8
children. There is one large bedroom which sleeps 12
girls. All the kids sleep in bunk beds.
>>There
are 7 staff members who sleep at the house as
well—two house mommies and three house sisters, as
well as one guard/uncle.
12) How can I get more information about the NCH
children and the organization?
>>
Thanks for your interest. To get more information
please e-mail: namastechildrenhouse@yahoo.com or
namastechildrenshouse@hotmail.com or
johnrileyiom@hotmail.com or if possible, come
visit our house in Pokhara!! We are always ready and
available to answer your queries.
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ADMINISTRATION QUESTIONS
1) How does funding work for
NCH?
>>
Namaste Children House recently became an
independent organization and we now draw funding
from a whole host of local and international
sources. A large part of the funding is based on
individual child sponsorships.
2) What is the philosophy of
the organization?
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The organization is established with the belief that
by working together we can accomplish everything. We
are able to continue our work through the support of
people like you whose small effort can make a huge
difference in the lives of children.
3) How are the accounts
managed?
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The accounts are kept in double entry book keeping
system with international accounting system, both on
paper and the computer by our senior accountant,
then checked by the house In-charge and the
Executive Director.
4) What is the management
procedure of the house?
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The household is run by the qualified and dedicated
staff, under the leadership of the Executive
Director. There is a monthly staff meeting to review
the household needs and activities. There is also a
monthly children meeting for the kids to talk about
their needs and feelings and for the staff to inform
the children of upcoming events.
>>
The
levels of administration, from highest to lowest,
are: Board, Executive Director Advisory Committee
and House Management Committee, House Manager. A
quarterly progress report is made to NCH Board,
which oversees the Executive Director. The house is
supervised and monitored by the House Management
Committee. The Board takes suggestions and advice of
Advisory committee and makes decisions for the
welfare of the organization.
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