Frequently Asked Question
 

>> 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.
 

Go to Top

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.

Go to Top

 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.

Go to Top

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.

  Go to Top