NCH  Acting as Parents to Dozens of Orphaned Children

Annupurna Post ( National Daily ) , Saturday 9th, Jestha, 2061  

Ajbira Saiyad doesn't really remember her father, but she does remember that she has one brother. She is having lots of fun with Maita, Jeevan, and her other 'siblings'. Smiling, laughing children play on the swings, in the sandbox, and on the slide in the orphanage's expansive back yard. Some play table tennis and "chungi", a Nepali game similar to "hackeysack". They are well-adjusted and well-behaved. Many have forgotten the lives they had before coming to live at Namaste Children House. 

Namaste Children House (NCH), a "home-style" orphanage in Pokhara, Nepal, has taken on the role of "parent" to dozens of children like Ajbira, who for various reasons have come to join the NCH family. Approximately 50 orphaned children, most of which are between the ages of 3 and 10 years, are currently living at this well-run facility and each is provided with plenty of nutritious food, good health care, a safe and comfortable shelter, a quality education, and love…essentials most did not get in their previous lives. They come from all over Nepal; Rajbiraj, Sinduhli, Ramechhap, Kaski, Chitwan. 

The children dearly love NCH Chairman, Visma Raj Paudel, and enjoy spending time with this caring father figure. Several little ones sit in his lap or hang from his arms. They know that Visma, as well as the other staff members and volunteers here, will always be there to protect and care for them. According to Paudel, these children will remain at Namaste Children House until they become self sufficient adults. They attend Shree Tal Barahi Secondary School for daily classes and they also participate in additional morning and evening classes provided by the NCH staff. The house can hold approximately 15 more children, but Paudel stresses that it is more important to insure a good quality of life for the children already living in the house and states that when they are sure this quality of life won't be impaired, they will bring more children into the family. Paudel and his staff also work to provide an education for 25-30 other children who have loving homes but whose families are too poor to send them to school.  

Til Kumari Rocca, one of the orphans from Namaste Children House, says that she has no desire to be anywhere other than her home at Namaste Children House. She says the mommies, didis, teachers, and uncles love her just as if they were her own parents. She and the other kids are appreciative of the lifestyle which NCH provides. The children go on regular outings, they play games, watch movies, celebrate holidays, and participate in all manners of fun activities that perhaps they would not enjoy if they had not come to live here.  

Namaste Children House is dedicated to providing a loving, supportive home for kids from all over Nepal, and will continue to work toward their goal of helping as many abandoned children as possible. These children can grow up in a happy, stable environment with the knowledge that their future is now secure and someone will always be there to watch over and assist them.   

                                               List of Newspaper Articles

• Annapurna Post : 6 Year Old Girl in the Shelter of NCH,  18th June 2003, 4 Ashadh 2060. (Lalita)

• Himal (bio-monthly): Rescue of the Girl, Lalita Saha, 16 Ashadh 2060. (Lalita) July 1-15

• Kantipur Daily: Two Orphan Children are in the Shelter of NCH, August 8 2003, 23 Srawan 2060.   (Robin and Sabin Bishanke)

• Kantipur Daily : 6 Year Old Girl Child Liberated, Sep. (Ajbira Saiyad Musalman)

• www.nepalnews.com/contents/englishdaily/ktmpost/2003/sep07/local.htm  The Kathamandu Post : Girl Child Liberated, Sept. 07, 2003, Bhadra 27, 2060. (Ajbira Saiyad

• Kathmandu Post : Nine year-old orphaned, seeked help , September -2, 2003

• kathamandu post: Shelter for helpless child, September-8, 2003, (Krishna Thami).

• Kantipur Daily : Orphan From Landslide in Namaste Children House, 16th Feb 2004. (Krishna Thami)

• Annupurna Post( National Daily ); NCH  Acting as Parents to Dozens of Orphaned Children    Saturday 9th, Jestha, 2061

• Samadhan daily, local: Orphan Child in Namaste Children House, 10  Chitra 2060. 23 March 10, 2004 (Bijaya Nepali)

• Micro-News Daily, local: Press meets in Namaste Children House, 12 Chitra 2060. ( 25 march 2004 )

: Gorkha patra national daily :A Process to Help Poor and Needy Children in NCH, 13 Chitra, 26 March 2004.