The Project
Help for children in Nepal
The earthquake
On 25 April 2015, Nepal was hit by a huge earthquake. In the most suffering regions, Kathmandu and its surrounding valleys, houses collapsed and landslides destroyed villages, a lot of people lost their lives or were injured and thousands were left homeless.
According to an estimation of the Nepali government, more than 10’000 people lost their lives during this natural disaster. The impact of the earthquake was devastating. Besides the thousands of homeless citizens, the government could no longer provide the basic infrastructure. There was no fresh food, water supply or access to medical treatments. Even though Nepal is not in the focus of the news anymore the population is still suffering from the disastrous earthquake of April 2015.
The children-home “Chhahari Child Development Center”
Amongst the countless victims across the country, the Chhahari children home was also completely destroyed by the earthquake. The Chhahari children home was founded in the Boudha neighbourhood in Kathmandu in August 2014 by three Nepali (Talak, Ruby and Maya).
In the relatively small new children home there were eight children there who were homeless before the founders took them in. The three Nepali Talak, Ruby and Maya are teachers at the “Sunshine School”, a school which provides access to education to children from the poorest part of the population.
As Nepal is amongst the poorest countries in the world, resulting in many children living in the streets, institutions such as the Chhahari Children Home and the Sunshine school are often the only chance for a fair future for the less fortunate children.
The first reconstruction
The association BE STRONG was able to collect CHF 6500 with its first fund raising activities (mouth to mouth and emails within its private network). Already in June 2015, CHF 4000 was handed over personally to the CCH. Those funds were used to start the construction of the new house in mid-June. In August, BE STRONG sent out the first update report with first pictures to its donors to show them the development of the project.
The level of construction quality in Nepal is generally low. Accordingly the CCH consists of a simple water pipe and three connected corrugated iron huts with an improvised floor out of cement and wood. At beginning of August 2015 the children could move into the house. Due to the simplicity of the construction and the limited resources on the market (as a result of increased demand after the earthquake), it was neither possible to build isolated walls nor windows or doors with any kind of security system. Therefore the kids and the directors of the children home were suffering from the low temperatures during winter 2015/16. The fastest way to help were additional blankets and firewood. To buy those BE STRONG decided to send additional CHF 2000 to Kathmandu and could again find a friend who handed it over personally.
The further development
The support of the CCH will remain the main focus of the BE STRONG. The core activities of the association will concentrate on the extension, enhancement and maintenance of the institution. The expenses of the association are oriented towards the needs of the children home. If additional funds are needed, the association discusses the needs with the management of the children home.