Gokarna is a beautiful region approximately 30 - 40minutes East of Kathmandu and Boudha, home to the Unesco World heritage Stupa - Boudhanath.
For about a month I travelled back and forth with Santosh, a good friend, and convenor of, 'Nepal School of Social Work' pilot project, to introduce high school students to social work.
My primary role was to document the project, but also having a social work background proved invaluable, as I often assisted in facilitation when called upon.
The students were from the 'British College', carrying out the field component of their introductory subject in 'Social Work'. All came from well to do families, attending one of Kathmandu's most prestigious high school, and so, it was an interesting dynamic to observe them interacting with the children, problem-solving, and being creative about their approach.
We called it the 'Orphanage', but its official title read, " Joint Disabled Unity Awaz Center". Interestingly, from own observations during my time on the ground documenting, I saw no children with any physical disabilities; in fact, I had a tough time keeping up with these kids on the dusty football paddock behind where they lived.
The premises was operated by a very generous man called Mr. Karki, who managed the welfare of the children, along with the help of community stakeholders who dropped in from time to time to volunteer their services in giving the children haircuts, traditional dance & drama classes, cooking meals, and pretty much doing their best to be emotionally and physically available to the children.
The place was home to children of various ages, sharing bunk beds, spread across two concrete dwellings. Facilities were ruddimentory at best. Sadly, the home lacked shower rooms and a plumbed in kitchen. The toilet was a hole in the ground, covered over with a worn out orange tarp. Every so often, it would have to be re-postioned, re-dug, and re-tarped, dangerously close to where their bathing and cooking facility stood. The kitchen was a corrugated shack which housed a gas burner and much of their food supplies.
But with all that I observed around me, the home did serve as a focal point in the community, who seemed to take pride in rallying around the children, offering much needed help in keeping the home functioning.
Latest statistics argue that there are approximiately 974,000 orphaned and abandoned children in Nepal...just shy of hundred thousand.
An excerpt from UNICEF:
“UNICEF and global partners define an orphan as a child under 18 years of age who has lost one or both parents to any cause of death. By this definition, there were nearly 140 million orphans globally in 2015, including 61 million in Asia, 52 million in Africa, 10 million in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 7.3 million in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. This large figure represents not only children who have lost both parents, but also those who have lost a father but have a surviving mother or have lost their mother but have a surviving father.
Of the nearly 140 million children classified as orphans, 15.1 million have lost both parents. Evidence clearly shows that the vast majority of orphans are living with a surviving parent grandparent, or other family member. 95 per cent of all orphans are over the age of five.
This definition contrasts with concepts of orphan in many industrialized countries, where a child must have lost both parents to qualify as an orphan. UNICEF and numerous international organizations adopted the broader definition of orphan in the mid-1990s as the AIDS pandemic began leading to the death of millions of parents worldwide, leaving an ever-increasing number of children growing up without one or more parents. So, the terminology of a ‘single orphan’ – the loss of one parent – and a ‘double orphan’ – the loss of both parents – was born to convey this growing crisis. However, this difference in terminology can have concrete implications for policies and programming for children. For example, UNICEF’s ‘orphan’ statistic might be interpreted to mean that globally there are 140 million children in need of a new family, shelter, or care. This misunderstanding may then lead to responses that focus on providing care for individual children rather than supporting the families and communities that care for orphans and are in need of support”... - UNICEF
The Awaz centre is just one of many establishments throughout the Kathmandu Valley and greater Nepal. As dysfunctional as it may seem to an outsider, small organisations like these fill a vital vacuum within the structure of their developing country.
The lack of proper resources and institutions to ease the burden of children, and especially their safety is an ongoing issue. Equally challenging, or concerning rather, are the negative affects of 'Voluntourism' resulting in the further exploitation of vulnerable children, and tarnishing the great work and reputation of many small legitimate organisations.
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