News
Read stories and updates from our work with the children of Nepal. To find our old newsletters from 2003 to 2018, visit the archive! Otherwise, click in the search bar below to locate blogs on a topics you’re interested in.
Keeping warm and sleeping well this winter
BSF Board member Yogesh recounts giving the Contact Center children blankets and flannel sheets for the winter. In these cold nights, we hope this will help our children sleep better each night and come prepared to learn at school!
After-School Program Successes!
An update on the after-school program started this spring; it’s running smoothly and making life easier for the parents of Mitrata kids working hard into the evenings to provide for their families. As an organization always looking for ways to better serve our families, what more could we ask for?
Contact Center Expands and After School Program Starts!!
Christine and the other trip-goers see the progress on the expansion of the Contact Center, including a new after school program! They also eat lunch and have little fun dancing with the kids, too.
A response to NYTimes.com: "I Am Not Untouchable. I Just Have My Period."
Long-time sponsor Pam Hughes responds to the New York Times article about menstrual shaming in Nepal. The Mitrata program gives our girls the opportunity to go to school and grow up feeling supported, loved, and free to express themselves.
Tuesday in Nepal
While most of the group wandered off to Thamel to finish their shopping expeditions, Child sponsors Arlene and Steve took off with BSF Program Coordinator, Aleesh to spend time with our oldest teenagers, college students and staff at the BSF office in Sukedhara. Arlene and Steve presented an “inspiring or very inspiring” (the kid’s words!) training on risk taking, awareness, addiction and grounding. The young adults appeared truly interested, attentive and appreciative. Hewie’s beautiful daylily pictures served as a symbolic representation of the varying effects of the marijuana plant. Many plants can be manipulated by growers and not all plants can be safe for consumption. The group was particularly moved by Steve’s story of addiction and recovery and they gobbled up his books on the 12 Step process. We appreciate the hard work of the BSF staff for arranging and attending this training....thanks for the tea and cookies too.
Zootopia, Fashion, and Holiday Traffic
Once again we were treated to the contrast that Nepal offers. Skies were blue as we met the younger children at the pungent Kathmandu Zoo. They were dressed in their holiday best as they collected to sing for us and then take us by the hand, bounced around happily, and used English names for their favorite animals. Some of them met the elephant up close, and the hippo was a big favorite. It showed off its enormous mouth and tongue for everyone before its carrot lunch arrived, and many of the children stood by fascinated while it ate a big bag of carrots. Then we all feasted together on human food of mo-mos and pizza. It is so heart-warming to share their joy and their appetites, knowing they are being cared for and fed and loved by the wonderful staff at the Contact Center.