Himalayas Project: Chitwan, Nepal

Here, we share the story of the children who reside in an orphanage, Nepal Volunteer Hands in Chitwan, Nepal as told by one their caregivers, Shristi Sapkota.

Children do their homework and draw on hard ground after attending school

Roshan Sapkota was kind and a giver. He wanted to help people. But his life was cut short in a fatal accident.

Today, the remaining members of his family work hard to honor him and keep his dream alive. “We started the orphanage after our brother died. He wanted to do social work, that is why we started Nepal Volunteer Hands,” said Shristi, his sister.

It wasn’t easy to open an orphanage and it still is not easy, but Shristi, her sister and her parents run the small center - home to two girls and five boys, ages eight to 15.

By day the children attend school, then, when back at the center they do homework and afterwards play football (American soccer) together.

Some of the children are true orphans due to losing their parents in the the April 2015 Nepal earthquake (also known as the Gorkha earthquake) that killed nearly 9,000 people and injured nearly 22,000. 

Other children are here becuase their parents could not care for them because they are so poor. A pair of brothers were moved to the home because their father was an alcohlic and was abusing the boys. Some come from singleparent households and are unable to financially support their children.

Our goal is to feed the children for a year. Year after year. It costs $1,200 annually. Won’t you help to make sure they have nourishmen to survive and thrive?

Bunk beds line the walls in a small room for all of the children

Food is grown onsite to keep the children from being malnourished. Here Shiristi’s parents work the earth to provide for their family and the children

The complex where the children reside