New Video

One of our volunteers, Yolanda from Spain, made this lovely little video of her time at the home. We hope you enjoy it. Thank you Yolanda.

Newsletter

We finally have a newsletter going out. The plan is to send it once a month to provide updates on the children and any new developments.

Sign up for our newsletter and keep up with the exciting news from the home. We promise not to bombard your inbox useless spam. One letter with photos of the children, once a month.

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Books - a new project

At the home we are running a new project with some of our past volunteers and supporters. We are asking people who wish to be involved to send one second-hand children’s book to one of the children including a short letter on where you live, your family or your job.

The gang reading their school books for the millionth time.

Most of our children have never received anything in the mail or owned their own books. It would be nice for them to receive something in the mail. We will use this experience to build a general knowledge of the postal system, the world and involve them in writing replies. We plan to hang a map on the wall and pin point where all the different books come from. We will use each book as an opportunity to discuss a different country or city and the people who live there.

It will provide us with an opening address some issues like caring for others, community and culture. We will ask the children to do a kind act for someone else at the home as a way of thanking the people who have sent them books. The children will also write replies to the letters they receive. New books will also help us to keep them interested in reading. At the moment they only have their school books to read over.

Pritta copying out her name.

 If you are interested in being involved the address to send your books and letters is: Bob Gurung for the children of the Eco Children Home, Eco Traveller’s Lodge, Gaurighat Lakeside, Pokhara-6, Pokhara Nepal.

Some more lovely pictures from Meriona

Meriona and Hemlal in a tree

The gang out for some boating. 

Hemalal collecting water from the community water point

At the Eco Children Home we pride ourselves on being active community members. Whether it be the Pokhara community, the nonprofit community or the blogging community we are trying to be more involved.

Today is Blog Action Day and the theme this year is WATER. We thought it would be fitting to discuss our water situation at the home and in Nepal. 

Water in Nepal is a problematic thing. During the monsoons we have so much of it sitting around that it aids the spread of many diseases. In other months there is never enough, causing people to line up at water points for hours to fill plastic bottles, jugs and buckets. According to WaterAid Nepal 4.4 million people in Nepal do not have access to safe drinking facilities.

At the home it is usually the housemothers who have the responsibility of collecting water while the children are at school. Everyday they collect large amounts of safe water for cooking and drinking at the home. It is a job which is very time consuming and requires great physical strength.

In pokhara we are fortunate as clean water filters down from the jungle to various water points. The home has two water points within blocks. For many others collecting water is a difficult daily task. In Kathmandu the water is becoming very polluted and traditional water points are becoming contaminated as the population increases. 10,500 under five year olds die a year due to inadequate water and sanitation access (WaterAid Nepal).

Recently one of our volunteers was hospitalised after drinking contaminated water during a trip to Kathmandu. She was shocked to discover the hospital had very limited facilities, no flushing toilet or soap in the bathroom. The hospital staff also declined to provide her with drinking water as the water was considered too polluted for foreigners to drink. 

We hope to improve the children's water practices. We have highlighted a number of water issues we can work on at the home. These are:

• Clean hands - it is traditional to eat with the hands in Nepal so we need to ensure the children are diligent in keeping hands clean.
• Swimming - none of the children can swim. The home is located blocks from a large lake. This provides a very real safety issue.
• Water Safety for Volunteers - we need to ensure we can provide clean water and to educate volunteers of the dangers of drink water from unknown sources.

Head to Speak Up For Change to view other water posts from all over the world.

What's been happening at our house...

Dawn at Sarangkot

Children playing in the jungle

House mothers at Sarangkot

These photographs come from one of our recent volunteers, Meriona from the UK. The children loved having her stay and she took them on a number of outings. The pictures above are from a trip to enjoy the view from Sarangkot. 

Meriona has left us to go trekking. We hope she has a wonderful time on the Annapurna Circuit. 

Why is Gorhe so sad?

I am sure it isn't because he has holidays for the next month. In October school shuts down for a month for Dashain and Tihar festivities. Some of the children will go back to their villages to see their families. We think it is important for the children to maintain ties with any family they have.

We will miss them and we look forward to their quick return.

Exam time again...

I can't believe it is that time again. The other day the children headed off to their second lot of exams for the year. We wish them good luck and we know after their wonderful results last term they won't have any trouble this term.