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Frequently Asked Question
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VOLUNTEER / VISITOR QUESTIONS
>>
SPONSORSHIP / DONATION / FUND-RAISING QUESTIONS
>>
HOUSEHOLD & GENERAL QUESTIONS
>>
ADMINISTRATION QUESTIONS
VOLUNTEER / VISITOR QUESTIONS
1) Can anybody visit the
orphanage?
>> Yes, everybody is invited to visit Namaste
Children’s House; they are more than welcome to come
and see our house, meet our children and observe our
operations and daily activities.
2) Is there a fee to come
volunteer at NCH?
>> Yes, there is a Euro 450/month program fee and
Euro 350 for next month onwards, which covers your
board at the guesthouse and the main meals. Please
see the Application section of the website for more
information and specifics about this.
3) Can two people come
together to volunteer?
>> Provided there is enough space at our guesthouse
to accommodate the two of you, you can most
definitely volunteer together. In the past couples
have come together as well as friends. To make it
easier for us, please lodge your application at the
same time and indicate on it that you would prefer
to volunteer together.
4) What are some special
projects volunteers have done in the past?
>> We love when our volunteers exhibit creativity in
terms of what they contribute. In the past
volunteers have given music lessons on the guitar;
led art classes; taught English & computers skills
to the children; tended the garden at the
guesthouse; painted murals; and filmed some footage
for a documentary. If you have any interesting and
fun ideas please mention them to one our staff
members and we will be happy to help you in its
implementation.
7) Where do the volunteers
(and sometimes visitors) stay?
>> The volunteers stay in a comfortable guesthouse
located in lakeside with double sharing basis with
similar gender
6) What is the guesthouse like?
>> See
www.himalayanguesthouse.com
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. There are many travel agents
within the main city area which will aid you in
organizing any of these activities. Also, Pokhara
has 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 and prices are always very good.
9) What kinds of restaurants
are there in Pokhara?
>> 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 to help. Our focus is not limited
to the 70 children who live at our home—we also have
a sponsorship program, women’s handicraft center and
Micro finance initiative (‘Catch the Fish’).
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
child under our scholarship program; making a
donation to our Help Hotline – where we provide
funding to people in desperate need of medical
treatment; 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, e.g. a movie
day for the children, new colour pencils, etc.
2) How do I sponsor a child?
>> Becoming a child sponsor is a wonderful way to
support NCH and our family. Sponsorship covers all
costs involved in looking after the sponsored child.
Some of the main costs covered by sponsorship
include food, medical, education and clothing.
3) What does it mean to
sponsor a child? How do I sponsor a child?
>>
Sponsoring a child involves a donation of USD $650
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 biannually updates about your specific child
and the life of the orphanage. Half sponsorship is
also possible, which is USD $325.
>> If you are interested in sponsoring or want more
information about this, please contact us at
namastechildrenhouse@yahoo.com /info@orphanagenepal.org
4) After sponsoring a child
how long do I have to support?
>> Since your support is the main source of funding
for our organization, we ask for long-term support.
We usually prefer support structures between 6 and
12 years. This time period allows most of the
child’s cost to be covered. Shorter support
structures are also available if necessary. Again,
please contact us at namastechildrenhouse@yahoo.com
/info@orphanagenepal.org for more information
regarding child sponsorship.
5) What if I can't afford to
fully sponsor a child?
>> We understand that USD$650 per year is a large
sum of money for one person to donate. If this case
please consider half sponsorship which is USD $325
per year. In addition, one-time donations are
possible and 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,
computes, clothes , paid money to organize picnic,
art class and some interest has been shown for
raising funds to buy a land or to build one block of
building in children village.
Please note that any contribution is greatly
appreciated and will go a long way to aiding us in
providing for the children. For more information
about this possibility, please email at
namastechildrenhouse@yahoo.com /info@orphanagenepal.org
6) Can I sponsor a child that
has already been sponsored?
>> Usually we ask you to sponsor a non-sponsored
child. If you are very keen on sponsoring a
particular child, then we will ask the child’s
original sponsor if it is ok and make arrangements
accordingly.
In addition, if a child is not fully sponsored then
it will be possible to sponsor the particular child.
7) How can I donate money?
>> You can either deposit money directly into the
bank account of NCH (See the Contact page of the
website for more information), you can directly
contact us: namastechildrenhouse@yahoo.com /info@orphanagenepal.org
8) Can I raise funds for the
orphanage?
>> Yes, that would be fantastic and greatly
appreciated. However, before doing so, please
communicate with our main office so we can approve
your fund-raising activity. Your small effort can
make a large difference to the lives of children.
9) What are some urgent needs
of NCH?
>> Some urgent needs of NCH are computers, English
books, cameras, projectors, video camera, someone
teach computers for the children, bicycles.
Q10) What are things that the
orphanage always needs?
>> We always need clothes, medicine (general medical
supplies like band-aids, antiseptic, cough syrup,
etc are always needed), English books, stationery &
office supplies, 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
& salutation or a goodbye, and generally conveys
respect.
2) Where do the kids go to
school?
>> Most of our children attend a private school 100m
from the orphanage. The school teaches predominantly
in English thus giving the children a better grasp
of the language. Some older children who are not as
confident in English attend a local government
(public) school some two blocks from the orphanage.
The public schools teach their curriculum in Napali.
3) What is the daily schedule
at the orphanage?
>> The children wake up at 6:00 am, eat a small
breakfast and have morning class from 7:00 to
8:30am. Afterwards they have their big morning meal,
and get ready for school. The children attend school
from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm depending on their class.
The older children have a longer school day. After
returning from school the children eat tiffin/snack
and are given free time til 5:30pm. At this time
they have another two hours of class/homework time
in the orphanage. They have their evening meal at
7:30 and then get ready for bed around 8:30 or 9:00
PM. Their school week is for six days, Sunday to
Friday. On Saturdays the children help with chores
around the orphanage and are given more free time.
4) What kinds of foods do
Nepalese eat?
>> The main food that Nepalese eat is "dal-bhat and
tarkari" which is rice, lentils and curry (spiced of
course to taste). This is the staple of any Nepali
diet and they it is usually eaten at least twice a
day! Some other great Nepali foods are roti and
momos—fried or steamed, veg or buff (yes, buffalo).
5) How are the children
selected to live at NCH?
>> The children are selected through an application
process. We review the applications, go for field
visits to document the living conditions of the
child, and a selection committee discusses the
report. The decision is finalized upon approval from
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 streets when
his/her living condition was extremely miserable. We
do our best to encourage the child’s careers to keep
the children within their community and family. We
only take in a child to our orphanage if it is the
best possible alternative for the child.
6) What are the requirements
of children to stay at the orphanage?
>> Applications are considered from children who are
poor, orphaned/abandoned or living in an at-risk
situation.
7) How old are the children
living at NCH?
>> 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 18 years old.
8) What do the children do on
holidays?
>> 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)?
>> 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?
>> 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
they receive a complete health check and typically
some dis-worming and primary vaccination is given to
the child. The children shower twice per week. The
staff are trained in first aid and are capable of
treating minor injuries. If further treatment is
required children are taken to a hospital in Pokhara.
The children’s house has an agreement with the
hospital as receives treatment at a reduced cost.
11) What are the household
sleeping arrangements?
>> We have 12' by 12’ bedrooms, which each sleep 6
to 8 children All the children sleep in bunk beds.
>>There are also 7 staff members who sleep at the
house —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?
>> We thank you very much for your interest. To get
more information please e-mail:
namastechildrenhouse@yahoo.com or
info@orphanagenepal.org . We are always ready
and available to answer your queries. If possible,
please come visit our home in Pokhara! We would very
much love to see you here and to show you around our
home.
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ADMINISTRATION QUESTIONS
1) How does funding work for
NCH?
>> Namaste Children's House is an independent
organization and we draw funding from a variety of
local and international sources. A large part of our
funding is based on small charities and individual
child sponsorships.
2) What is the philosophy of
the organization?
>> 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. A small effort can
make a huge difference in the lives of children.
3) How are the accounts
managed?
>> The accounts are kept in double entry book
keeping system with international accounting system,
both on paper and the computer by our accountant
with the close guidance of Administrative Officer,
then checked by the Manager and the Director.
4) What is the management
procedure of the house?
>> The household is run by our qualified and
dedicated staff, under the leadership of the
Director. There is a monthly staff meeting to review
the household needs and activities. There is also a
monthly children meeting with the children to talk
about their views & needs and to allow staff to
inform them of upcoming events.
>> The levels of administration, from highest to
lowest, are: Board, Executive Director, Advisory
Committee and House Management Committee, Manager,
program in charge. A yearly progress report is made
to NCH Board, which oversees the Executive Director
and sent to the social welfare council, district
offices and other general stakeholders. The house is
supervised and monitored by the House Management
Committee and house in charge. The Board takes
suggestions and advice of Advisory committee and
makes decisions for the welfare of the organization.
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