A closer look

Situation in Nepal

Nepal is a small yet extremely geographically, culturally and ethnically diverse country. The country has very fertile plains, subalpine forested hills and hosts eight of the world’s ten tallest mountains, including Mount Everest, the highest mountain on earth at 8,848 meters above sea level. The country is made up of 26.4 million people, of which the majority lives in rural area. Kathmandu is the nation’s capital city. The Nepali people are descendants of migrants from parts of India, Tibet and parts of Myanmar and Yunnan. It is a multicultural, multilingual and multi-religious country.

The country experienced a civil war between the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (CPN-M) and the government of Nepal between 1996 to 2006. After ten years of violent, armed conflict, a peace agreement was signed between the parties in November 2006. Since then, the country has made efforts to become a democratic republic, but the road towards stability continues to be challenging.

In April and again in May 2016, Nepal experienced a devastating earthquakes that had a huge impact on people’s lives in the country. The reconstruction process has been extremely complex and is still in its beginnings, with a lot of humanitarian aid unable to reach the most affected people.

Prabina children and youths

Prabina supports vulnerable children and youths from diverse backgrounds. Many of the Prabina children and youths come from poor family backgrounds, and are from casteless and marginalized groups who migrated from the highlands facing discrimination within Nepali society. Some of them are orphans with nobody to care for them. Others come from areas where they fear to be the victims of child trafficking. Child trafficking to India and the middle east has increased in the aftermath of the earthquakes.

Prabina house(s)

Prabina Foundation aims to ensure a safe home for vulnerable children and youths in Nepal in a number of ways. Efforts are made to ensure that children and youths stay with reliable family members when possible and helps to find alternative boarding options when necessary. Prabina house for girls in the center of Kathmandu provides a home for vulnerable girls who either do not have a family who they can live with or whose family is not able to care for them. In addition, it is a space for all Prabina children and youths to meet, grow and learn together. Currently, Prabina Foundation is in the process of developing a Prabina house for boys in order to provide a home space for those boys who require additional care and support.

Special projects: Interim boys house

Prabina Foundation has launched a project and fundraising campaign to establish a Prabina house for boys. This aims to nurture a home space for those boys who require additional care and support and who do not have family they can live with or whose family is not able to care for them. Prabina Foundation is thankful for the donations it has received from individuals and organizations for this cause and welcomes further donations in order to ensure a sustainable living environment can be created for
vulnerable boys.

A typical week at Prabina House

Each morning, the students wake and freshen up around 5:30am and have the option to do yoga at 6:00am. They all have their morning tea and then have time to study and prepare for school from 7:00-8:00am. Everyone then has breakfast together and at around 8:30am, the students leave for school. While at their respective schools, they usually have lunch around 12:00pm and come back from school around 4:30pm.

On the weekends, there is space for study and learning, but also for socializing, playing and extra-curricular activities. Wake up is at 6:30am and starts with freshening up and a yoga option. Breakfast is served at 7:30am and then students have the chance to study and do their homework. At 9:00am, everyone helps to wash and clean the Prabina house. Lunch is served at 10:00am and then students have time to have their baths and rest. In he afternoons, from between 12:00-3:00pm, Prabina Foundation organizes different outings such as going to the movies, going on an excursion, getting a bite to eat, etc.

During long weekends, semester breaks and holiday periods, Prabina Foundation organizes a number of additional activities for the students to support learning but also to have time to grow and play together. For example, recreational excursions are organized to amusement and water parks, the central zoo in Kathmandu, a children’s fun park, visiting temples, museums and monasteries, or going together for a picnic. Sometimes a bigger trip is organized to visit other cities.

Every year, a Reunion of our big Prabina family is conducted on the first day of the Dashain Festival (Ghatasthapana) – the celebration of the victory of good over evil. On this day all the current and past Prabina students are invited to Prabina house where they are offered a Dashain grant and are treated with a special celebration feast.