In 2015 a devastating earthquake hit Nepal, and had significant impacts on the communities where we work in the Solukhumbu region.The earthquake of April 20, 2015 killed 9,000 people, destroyed 288,000 houses, and internally displaced 188,900 people. The Solukhumbu region was hit hard, since it was one of the closest districts to the epicenter. Nepal’s Central Government, due to economic reasons, did not declare Solukhumbu as an emergency district. Many families lost family members, homes and other structures. With the loss of life and homes, many children were pulled out of school so they could remain at home to help rebuild homes or help with labor on family farms. In response, The Small World began to construct the Friends of Arhaus Children’s Home in Salleri, Nepal to house, feed, and support children in need so that they could have a safe place to live and have access to a quality education free of charge to their disadvantaged families. This home was part of a critical response to address the potential of an entire generation of children missing out on education early in their lives.
In late 2020 the Home was completed, and in 2021 80 at-risk children resided at the Home. Here they had a safe place to live, healthy meals every day, and the gift of education to help them thrive for their entire lives. The function and purpose of the Home became even more critical when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived.
In the wake of COVID-19 in Nepal, every aspect of human life has been significantly disrupted, especially for children in regards to their education and safety. Like any developing country, orphans and vulnerable children in Nepal have been at the highest risk during the pandemic, facing not only hunger but also trafficking and abuse as they remained out of school. Therefore, our goal to protect these children by providing healthy food, a safe place to live, and the gift of education made our work at Friends of Arhaus Children’s Home more important than ever.
Due to their remote locations, children in the Solukhumbu faced a huge learning crisis during the pandemic. In remote and geographically challenged regions like the Solukhumbhu, it’s nearly impossible for students to take online classes since basic infrastructure like electricity and internet are not often available. The Friends of Arhaus Children’s Home has helped address this educational crisis by not only providing food and a safe, loving environment to over 80 marginalized students, but also much needed organized daily classes inside the home. With every school in the region closed for much of 2021, our senior girls from the Salleri Girls’ Hostel for Higher Education have been homeschooling students in the home while also maintaining safety rules. This has not only ensured continued education for the children, but has also established a strong family bond between the senior and junior students.
View the Home here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDetJcq-aIw
Program Delivery
The cost to support one child at the Friends of Arhaus Children’s Home is $1,000 per year. This cost covers daily healthy meals, full tuition fees for a quality education, clothing and school uniforms, school supplies and books, medical care, and a recreational program.
$1,000 x 100 children = $100,000 annual program budget
You can view a photo album compilation of work on the home over the past 2 years HERE.
Watch a video about the project kick-off here https://youtu.be/LFvLMYdNfgU
May 2019 – construction is well underway.
February 2020 – three floors in process
The Home PROVIDES:
– 20 dormitory rooms for children’s accommodation to benefit up to 100 children
– 5 Rooms for teacher quarters
– 3 Rooms for staff
– Kitchen & Dining rooms
– 2 rooms for office and meetings with guests
– Separate toilets and showers for girls, boys and teachers
– 24 hour running drinking water installation
– Library and computer lab room
– For sport, volleyball playground, football playground, badminton field, table tennis games, etc.
– Auditorium capacity for up to 150 children
-Land for the children and staff to grow their own vegetables and food for sustainability, as well as to teach agricultural skills to the students.
We need your generous support!
You can donate today via PAYPAL or mail us a check. Learn more…
$50 will help to buy school books and supplies for one child.
$100 will help to cover school uniform expenses per child.
$300 will cover the yearly school tuition fees per child
$1000 will cover all the expenses for one child for one year.
$4,000 will help to cover 50 children annual tuition fees.
The Small World USA 