Nepal

Photo: Children at our orphan home were ecstatic to receive food such as protein bars, along with coloring books and notes of encouragement sent from students in the U.S.

We are thankful to report that our Executive Director, Kirby Trapolino, and our friend Cody Moore arrived safely in Kathmandu on Thursday afternoon local Nepal time after a 36 hour journey. All of their bags and gear arrived as well, containing much-needed earthquake relief supplies such as water purification gear, protein bars and other dry foods, and first aid for our orphans, our human trafficking survivors, and our native team.

Photo: Children from our Nepal orphan homes can be seen sleeping outdoors to avoid the dangers of the dozens of aftershocks that followed Saturday’s 7.8 magnitude earthquake.

We are very happy to report that all of the children, our staff, and the girls of the She Has Hope rehabilitation home are safe after the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal over the weekend. However, critically scarce supplies are needed for our team, the children, and also for relief outreach to neighbors who were not so fortunate. Tomorrow our Executive Director, Kirby Trapolino, is scheduled to board a plane to Kathmandu with a friend who will help carry desperately needed supplies to our team there.

Photo: Our faithful farmland staff cares for our goats and a variety of crops.

We are happy to report that we’ve planted 3 new crops at our farmland enterprise: onions, tomatoes, and green beans. We eagerly await a plentiful harvest of onions, tomatoes, and garlic next month, and we look forward to a harvest of green beans in July. Other forthcoming harvests will be eggplant in August, and potatoes and spinach in December. All of this is great provision from God as the produce from our farmland stocks our orphanage pantry with nutritious, organic ingredients for the children. It also supplies our human trafficking rehabilitation home with fresh ingredients for their meals.

Photo: These brave survivors of human trafficking are happy to be learning a new skill in their seamstress class as part of our rehabilitation program.

We are happy to report that we recently received three girls at our rehabilitation home who were rescued from the perils of human trafficking in Delhi. The Indian police, in conjunction with our partner child advocacy group, rescued them after they had been missing for three months. Now they are safe, receiving counseling, room & board, medical care, literacy classes, cooking classes, and acquiring craft-making, seamstress, and gardening skills through daily coursework offered by our full-time teachers.

Photo: Girls in our Nepal rehabilitation home learn to make friendship bracelets as part of a skill development program to help them gain economic independence.

We are happy to report that our native “border awareness team” rescued three girls from the Nepal-India border last week thanks to their vigilant watch, working in tandem with border police. The girls were going to India with a man who said he was their friend, though they had only known him for 2 weeks. Our team kept the girls at our border safe house for 2 days, called their parents, and sent them back home where they are now safe and sound. Their parents are very grateful to us for saving their daughters from the dangers of human trafficking.

Photo: The garden at the home provides the girls with nutritious organic vegetables such as these radishes, rich in vitamin C, harvested last week.

We are grateful to report that we received three teenage girls at our rehabilitation home this week who were rescued from human trafficking. Nepal police, in conjunction with our partner child advocacy group rescued them from a brothel in northern India where they had been held against their will for over a year. Now they are safe, receiving counseling, room & board, medical care, literacy classes, cooking classes, and acquiring craft-making, seamstress, and gardening skills through daily coursework offered by our full-time teachers.

Photo: Susma (18) is a happy graduate thanks to a scholarship provided by our farmland profits and donations to the program. We are happy to report that 5 more children were enrolled in our Children’s Hope Center education outreach program in the slums of Kathmandu, Nepal over the summer. That makes a total of 25 […]

Photo: Orphan girls rescued from extreme poverty are happy with a bountiful crop of organic vegetables!

We are happy to report that our native-led farmland in Nepal yielded an abundant harvest of vegetables two weeks ago. The harvest produced 22 pounds of eggplant, 17 pounds of green beans, and 15 pounds of tomatoes. Our native farmers also harvested pumpkins, which are a special treat as pumpkin leaves are considered a delicacy in Nepal. Our farmers are also growing corn right now — they expect 1,320 pounds of corn at the time of its harvest.

Photo: Orphans once trapped in extreme poverty and child labor are now free and thriving in their new environment.

Thanks to profits from our native-led farmland enterprise, along with donations from our generous donors, we were able to expand the Nepal orphanage to include a new Boys Home to better serve the girls and boys who are growing to need their own space. The new home, which houses 9 boys ages 9-14, includes two bedrooms with 3 bunk beds in each room, a changing room with a bathroom, and a study room. The boys moved into their new home in June and have been very happy there during study time and bedtime.

Photo: Girls rescued from human trafficking are learning valuable skills which will allow them to stand on their own as they’re restored to a life full of hope.

We are happy to share a miraculous report from our efforts to fight human trafficking in Nepal. This week a 16-year-old orphan who had been living with her uncle had gone missing. Someone in her native village contacted our local team, knowing they work on the border looking for trafficked girls. They provided her photo, and our team kept an eye out for her at our border kiosk from which we look for suspicious activity and distribute trafficking awareness pamphlets.

Photo: Girls rescued from human trafficking, now safe at our rehabilitation home receiving training in embroidery and other skills as part of their path toward recovery and empowerment.

We are thankful to share that last week, two 16-year-old girls were rescued from the dangers of human trafficking. The trafficker took the girls from their village in the Nuwakot district and kept them in a lodge in Kathmandu, where they were forced into prostitution against their will.

Photo: A girl rescued from extreme poverty is happy to show us her new uniform and backpack. She’s ready for school!

We’re happy to report that children of the Thapathali slum colony in Kathmandu, Nepal, recently received new backpacks, uniforms, and education scholarships, which have enabled them to attend local schools in the city. Focusing our efforts on getting them into school is a key component in breaking the cycle of extreme poverty, and gives them great hope and an opportunity to change their lives. Our education program, now in its second year, is growing and these achievements are a significant step in the process.