Photo: With your support, we’re helping children of this slum colony overcome extreme poverty in a way that’s sustainable and empowering.
In a slum settlement positioned on a flood-prone riverbank in Kathmandu, Nepal, there is now great hope for 45 children. These children would never have had such hope before. It’s the hope of a better life—of a life with much less risk of human trafficking or child labor. Our program, modeled after our "Children’s Hope Center" in Hyderabad, India, is offering children of this colony nutritional support and the supplies and fees they need to enroll in local schools.
This colony is composed of about 100 families who live in make-shift homes built with nothing more than tree branches, tattered tarps and vinyl ad banners found in the trash dump beside them. There is no electricity and only a few latrines serve the entire settlement.
However, in the midst of these scenes of squalor, our program is providing the nutritional support these kids need to stay focused as they enter education opportunities we’re opening for them. Because our budget does not allow a solution for every child of the colony, we have chosen to focus on children below the age of 8 as our starting point. All told, we have registered 45 children that fit this profile.
In a country where over 12,000 girls are sold or kidnapped annually and trafficked as slaves to India and beyond, and over 40% of children are engaged in child labor, there’s a great need for education and rehabilitation. Only as we start to open the doors of education and support these children in their pursuit to break these cycles, will we start to see changes in Nepal. Without education, the cycle of abuse and desperation only deepens. Education supported with proper nutrition is the key to their safety, well-being and success.
The program is in its humble infancy but has made great strides in earning the trust of the residents over the past 9 months. We’re confident that together with your support and the continued success of our farmland enterprise yielding quality food and profits for our program budgets, we’ll see great success in reaching our goals for these children.
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